Diffusion of buffer layer assisted grown gold nanoclusters on Ru(100) and p(1 × 2)-O/Ru(100) surfaces

Gabriel Kerner, Yonatan Horowitz, Micha Asscher*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Patterning of metallic clusters on surfaces is demonstrated by utilizing a buffer layer assisted laser patterning technique (BLALP). This method has been employed in order to measure the diffusion of AFM and STM characterized size selected gold nanoclusters (5-10 nm diameter), over Ru(100) and p(1 × 2)-O/Ru(100) surfaces. Optical linear diffraction from gold cluster coverage gratings was utilized for the macroscopic diffusion measurements. The clusters were found to diffuse on the surface intact without significant coalescence or sintering. The barrier for metastable gold nanocluster diffusion on the surface is thought to be lower than the energy required for surface wetting. The apparent activation energy for diffusion was found to depend on the cluster size, increasing from 6.2 ± 0.4 kcal/mol for 5 nm clusters to 10.6 ± 0.5 kcal/mol for 9 nm clusters. The macroscopic diffusion of gold nanoclusters has been studied on the p(1 × 2)-0/Ru(100) surface as well, where surface diffusion was found to be rather insensitive to the clusters size with activation energy of 5.5 ± 1 kcal/mol. The difference between the two surfaces is discussed in terms of a better commensurability (higher level of friction) of the gold facets at the contact area with the clean Ru(100) than in the case of the oxidized surface.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4545-4553
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume109
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 17 Mar 2005

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