Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of the Relaxation Mechanism of a Au(100) Nanostructure
2008 ◽
Vol 8
(12)
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pp. 6603-6607
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Keyword(s):
The three-dimensional shape relaxation of gold nanostructures was studied by scanning tunneling microscopy in real time and at ambient conditions. The nanostructures were fabricated on a Au(100) single crystal by a two step-process: electrochemical etching to produced a rough surface, followed by thermal annealing. The nanostructures can be described as mounds having small semicircular facets that shrink in time, peeling away layer by layer as a result of the sudden temperature change and evolving towards thermodynamic equilibrium. A model developed by Uwaha is used to describe the dynamic evolution of the peeling layers, where good agreement was found despite the presence of adsorbates due to ambient exposure.
2012 ◽
Vol 18
(4)
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pp. 885-891
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1993 ◽
Vol 47
(19)
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pp. 13035-13038
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