Interactions between Ag nanoclusters on carburized W(110)

Abstract

Silver nanoclusters arranged in quasi-one-dimensional chains with a nearest-neighbor cluster-cluster distance of 1.4 nm were prepared on the R (15×12) -C/W (110) surface. The silver cluster chains form local thermodynamic equilibrium structures. Interactions between neighboring clusters are addressed by investigating the length distributions of silver cluster chains with scanning tunneling microscopy. Comparison with theoretical expectations derived from a one-dimensional Ising model yields evidence for a slightly repulsive interaction energy of about 20-30 meV. © 2009 The American Physical Society.