Preparation of well-ordered cobalt nanostructures on Au(111)

Nucleation and growth of cobalt adlayers on the reconstructed Au(111) surface at room temperature have been investigated by thermal energy helium-atom scattering experiments. The specular helium intensity provides information about the growth mode and the change in step height during Co epitaxy. Helium diffraction spectra further reveal the preferential nucleation of small Co clusters and the formation of long-range ordered zero- and one-dimensional Co structures.