A molecular overlayer with the Fibonacci square grid structure

Nature Communications
Sam CoatesHem Raj Sharma

Abstract

Quasicrystals differ from conventional crystals and amorphous materials in that they possess long-range order without periodicity. They exhibit orders of rotational symmetry which are forbidden in periodic crystals, such as five-, ten-, and twelve-fold, and their structures can be described with complex aperiodic tilings such as Penrose tilings and Stampfli-Gaehler tilings. Previous theoretical work explored the structure and properties of a hypothetical four-fold symmetric quasicrystal-the so-called Fibonacci square grid. Here, we show an experimental realisation of the Fibonacci square grid structure in a molecular overlayer. Scanning tunnelling microscopy reveals that fullerenes (C60) deposited on the two-fold surface of an icosahedral Al-Pd-Mn quasicrystal selectively adsorb atop Mn atoms, forming a Fibonacci square grid. The site-specific adsorption behaviour offers the potential to generate relatively simple quasicrystalline overlayer structures with tunable physical properties and demonstrates the use of molecules as a surface chemical probe to identify atomic species on similar metallic alloy surfaces.

References

Mar 12, 2004·Nature·Xiangbing ZengJamie K Hobbs
Aug 7, 2007·Physical Review Letters·Kenichi HayashidaYushu Matsushita
Jul 25, 2008·Nature·Jules MikhaelClemens Bechinger
Jan 13, 2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Steffen FischerStephan Förster
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Citations

Jul 4, 2020·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Sam CoatesHem Raj Sharma
Sep 2, 2020·Acta Crystallographica. Section A, Foundations and Advances·Michael Baake, Uwe Grimm
Apr 22, 2020·Nature Communications·Lukáš KormošJan Čechal
Jul 5, 2019·Nature Communications·Alex SummerfieldPeter H Beton

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
electron diffraction
scanning tunnelling microscopy
electron
scanning

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