It is highly desirable to fabricate two-dimensional ferromagnetic membranes based on orthodox magnetic elements because of their inherent magnetic properties. In this work, we report on two superstructures including a honeycomb-like lattice and identical nanocluster arrays formed by depositing Fe on Sb(111). Combined with first-principles calculations, both detailed atomic structures have been clarified. The honeycomb structure consists of a single layered Fe-Sb phase, and the cluster phase is assigned as a (3 × 3) Fe3Sb7 superlattice. Both structural phases exhibit high magnetic moments localized on d bands of Fe. Our results provide a method to fabricate 2D magnetic superstructures possessing great potential in the realization of the Haldane model, spintronics applications, and single atom catalysis.
Keywords: Sb(111); honeycomb lattice; identical cluster; scanning tunneling microscopy.