Interaction between steps and reconstruction on Au(111)

Due to its famous 22 × (3) 1/2 reconstruction, the Au(111) surface can be considered as an ideal substrate to grow nanostructured arrays of metallic clusters. In this letter, we report a complete investigation of the interaction between this reconstruction and the close-packed steps of the Au(111) surface. Scanning tunneling microscopy experiments clearly demonstrate that the behaviour of the reconstruction in the vicinity of steps depends drastically on the step microstructure. This result, of particular interest for the managing of new nanostructured substrates, is interpreted in terms of the relative stability of both types of steps.