title: A Giant Reconstruction of α-quartz (0001) Interpreted as Three Domains of Nano Dauphine Twins.
abstract: Silica (SiO2) is one of the most common materials on Earth. The crystalline form α-quartz is the stable silica polymorph at ambient conditions although metastable forms exist. α-quartz is a piezoelectric material, it can be produced artificially and is widely used for example in electronics and the biosciences. Despite the many application areas, the atomic surface structures of silica polymorphs are neither well understood nor well characterized. Here we present measurements of α-quartz (0001). Helium Atom Scattering combined with Atomic Force Microscopy reveals a giant reconstruction consisting of 5.55 ± 0.07 nm wide ribbons, oriented 10.4° ± 0.8° relative to the bulk unit cell. The ribbons, with the aid of atomistic modelling, can be explained as a self-organised pattern of nano Dauphine twins (nano electrical twins).
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Eder
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fladischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United kingdom.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Yeandel
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Surface et Interface du Verre, UMR 125 CNRS/Saint-Gobain Recherche, 39 Quai Lucien Lefranc, 93303 Aubervilliers Cedex, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lelarge
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, United kingdom.
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Parker
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Surface et Interface du Verre, UMR 125 CNRS/Saint-Gobain Recherche, 39 Quai Lucien Lefranc, 93303 Aubervilliers Cedex, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Søndergård
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen, Allegaten 55, 5007 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holst