Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 30: Nanostructures at Surfaces III (Dots, Particles, Clusters)

O 30.6: Talk

Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 17:00–17:15, H36

Co clusters on the boron nitride nanomesh — •Thomas Brugger, Martina Corso, Simon Berner, Thomas Greber, and Jürg Osterwalder — Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich

Recently a new boron nitride nanostructure was discovered. Exposing a Rh(111) surface to borazine (HBNH)₃ at high temperature leads to a very regular 13-by-13 superstructure of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). This self-assembled nanostructure called nanomesh exhibits pores of the size of about 2 nm and a periodicity of 3.2 nm [1]. The nanomesh is thermally very stable and even resistant against air and water exposure.
We study the use of the nanomesh as a template for metal cluster growth. Scanning tunneling microscopy was used to examine the size distribution and the location of the clusters. Former studies of Co on h-BN/Ni(111) show 3D clusters with a linear height to apparent width relation and 2D clusters of constant height for several apparent widths [2]. On the nanomesh we find quite monodisperse 3D clusters of Co that preferably stick in the nanomesh pores. They have an apparent diameter comparable to the mesh pore diameter. This demonstrates that the nanomesh works as a template. The magnetic properties of the clusters are under investigation.

M. Corso et al., Science 303 (2004) 217
W. Auwärter et al., Surface Science 511 (2002) 379