title: Unusual cluster shapes and directional bonding of an fcc metal: Pt/Pt(111).
abstract: Small clusters of Pt adatoms grown on Pt(111) exhibit a preference for the formation of linear chains, which cannot be explained by simple diffusion-limited aggregation. Density functional theory calculations show that short chains are energetically favorable to more compact configurations due to strong directional bonding by d(z)(2)-like orbitals, explaining the stability of the chains. The formation of the chains is governed by substrate distortions, leading to funneling towards the chain ends.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Austria.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garhofer
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Redinger
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wimmer
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scheiber
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Varga