Step-mediated anisotropic adsorption and condensation of tert-butylamine on Cu(111).
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations were applied in studying the anisotropic adsorption and condensation of tert-butylamine (t-BA) molecules in the vicinity of the steps on the Cu(111) surface. The preferential adsorption at the upper step edges and uneven distribution of t-BA in the vicinity of the steps illustrate the asymmetric electronic structure of the surface steps. Our observation demonstrates that the adsorption and diffusion of a polar molecule would be significantly mediated by steps on metal surfaces due to the molecule-step interaction and the intermolecular interactions.
Chen
Yumin
Y
National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Zhongguancun Beiyitiao No. 11, Beijing 100190, China.
Deng
Ke
K
Qiu
Xiaohui
X
Wang
Chen
C