Identification of Au-S complexes on Au(100)

Holly Walen; Da-Jiang Liu; Junepyo Oh; Hyun Jin Yang; Yousoo Kim; P A Thiel

doi:10.1039/c5cp07817b

Identification of Au-S complexes on Au(100)

Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2016 Feb 14;18(6):4891-901. doi: 10.1039/c5cp07817b.

Authors

Holly Walen¹, Da-Jiang Liu², Junepyo Oh³, Hyun Jin Yang³, Yousoo Kim³, P A Thiel⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA. pthiel@iastate.edu.
² Ames Laboratory of the USDOE, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.
³ Surface and Interface Science Laboratory, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA. pthiel@iastate.edu and Ames Laboratory of the USDOE, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011, USA.

PMID: 26806090
DOI: 10.1039/c5cp07817b

Abstract

Using a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have identified a set of related Au-S complexes that form on Au(100), when sulfur adsorbs and lifts the hexagonal surface reconstruction. The predominant complex is diamond-shaped with stoichiometry Au4S5. All of the complexes can be regarded as combinations of S-Au-S subunits. The complexes exist within, or at the edges of, p(2 × 2) sulfur islands that cover the unreconstructed Au regions, and are observed throughout the range of S coverage examined in this study, 0.009 to 0.12 monolayers. A qualitative model is developed which incorporates competitive formation of complexes, Au rafts, and p(2 × 2) sulfur islands, as Au atoms are released by the surface structure transformation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.