Scanning tunneling microscopy of ordered C60 and C70 layers on Au(111), Cu(111), Ag(110), and Au(110) surfaces

We have conducted a study of the growth of C60 and C70 on a variety of reconstructed and unreconstructed noble metal surfaces using a UHV scanning tunneling microscope. For reconstructed Au(110) and Au(111) surfaces we observe changes in the superstructure of the metal upon (sub)monolayer adsorption at the fullerene–metal interface. In all the metals studied, formation of a well-ordered hexagonal C60 overlayer is observed after annealing. (110) and (111) substrates show preferred nucleation and growth at terrace and steps, respectively. Time-lapsed images illustrate mobility of C60 arrays and clusters. The role of tip–C60 interactions is elucidated by sequences of images and the prospects for manipulation is discussed.