title: The Epitaxial Growth of Self-Assembled Ternaphthalene Fibers on Muscovite Mica.
abstract: The morphology and structure of 2,2':6',2″-ternaphthalene (NNN) deposited on muscovite mica(001) substrates was investigated by scanning force microscopy (SFM) and specular X-ray diffraction measurements. Consistently, both methods reveal the coexistence of needle-like structures with a {111} contact plane and {001} orientated island-like crystallites, which are built up by almost upright standing NNN molecules. Both orientations are characterized by a well-defined azimuthal alignment relative to the substrate surface, which is analyzed by X-ray diffraction pole figure (XRD-PF) measurements. Based on XRD-PF and SFM analysis, the azimuthal alignment of {001} orientated crystallites is explained by ledge-directed epitaxy along the fibers' sidewalls. These fibers are found to orient along two dominant directions, which is verified and explained by a doubling of the energetically preferred molecular adsorption site by mirror symmetry of the substrate surface. The experimental findings are confirmed by force-field simulations and are discussed based on a recently reported growth model.
authors: Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University , Altenbergerstrasse 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria.
authors: Clemens
authors: C
authors: Simbrunner
authors: Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University , Altenbergerstrasse 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria.
authors: Günther
authors: G
authors: Schwabegger
authors: Institute of Solid State Physics, Graz University of Technology , Petersgasse 16, A-8010 Graz, Austria.
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Resel
authors: Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Delft University of Technology , 2629 HS Delft, The Netherlands.
authors: Theo
authors: T
authors: Dingemans
authors: Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University , Altenbergerstrasse 69, A-4040 Linz, Austria.
authors: Helmut
authors: H
authors: Sitter