Self-Assembly and Ordering of C60 on the WO2/W（110） Surface

The growth and ordering of C60 molecules on the WO2/W（110） surface have been studied by low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy （STM and STS）, low-energy electron diffraction （LEED）, and density functional theory （DFT） calculations. The results indicate the growth of a well-ordered C60 layer on the WO2/W（110） surface in which the molecules form a close-packed hexagonal structure with a unit cell parameter equal to 0.95 nm. The nucleation of the C60 layer starts at the substrate＇s inner step edges. Low-temperature STM of C60 molecules performed at 78 K demonstrates well-resolved molecular orbitals within individual molecules. In the C60 monolayer on the WO2/W（110） surface, the molecules are aligned in one direction due to intermolecular interaction, as shown by the ordered molecular orbitals of individual C60. STS data obtained from the C60 monolayer on the WO2/W（110） surface are in good agreement with DFT calculations.

Fe Nanoclusters on the Ge（001） Surface Studied by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy, Density Functional Theory Calculations and X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism

The growth of Fe nanoclusters oN the Ge（001） surface has been studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy （STM） and density functional theory （DFT） calculations. STM results indicate that Fe nucleates on the Ge（001） surface, forming well-ordered nanoclusters of uniform size. Depending on the preparation conditions, two types of nanoclusters were observed having either four or sixteen Fe atoms within a nanocluster. The results were confirmed by DFT calculations. Annealing the nanoclusters at 420 K leads to the formation of nanorow structures, due to cluster mobility at such temperature. The Fe nanoclusters and nanorow structures formed on the Ge（001） surface show a superparamagnetic behaviour as measured by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism.

Formation of Extended Covalently Bonded Ni Porphyrin Networks on the Au（lll） Surface

The growth and ordering of {5,10,15,20-tetrakis（4-bromophenyl）porphyrinato}nickel（II） （NiTBrPP） molecules on the Au（111） surface have been investigated using scanning tunnelling microscopy, X-ray absorption, core-level photoemission, and microbeam low-energy electron diffraction. When deposited onto the substrate at room temperature, the NiTBrPP forms a well-ordered close-packed molecular layer in which the molecules have a flat orientation with the porphyrin macrocycle plane lying parallel to the substrate. Annealing of the NiTBrPP layer on the Au（111） surface at 525 K leads to dissociation of bromine from the porphyrin followed by the formation of covalent bonds between the phenyl substituents of the porphyrin. This results in the formation of continuous covalently bonded porphyrin networks, which are stable up to 800 K and can be recovered after exposure to ambient conditions. By controlling the experimental conditions, a robust, extended porphyrin network can be prepared on the Au（111） surface that has many potential applications such as protective coatings, in sensing or as a host structure for molecules and clusters.

Writing with atoms： Oxygen adatoms on the MoO2/Mo（110） surface

Writing at the nanoscale using the desorption of oxygen adatoms from the oxygen-rich MoO2＋x/Mo（110） surface is demonstrated by scanning tunnelling microscopy （STM）. High-temperature oxidation of the Mo（110） surface results in a strained, bulk-like MOO2（010） ultra-thin film with an O-Mo-O trilayer structure. Due to the lattice mismatch between the Mo（110） and the MOO2（010）, the latter consists of well-ordered molybdenum oxide nanorows separated by 2.5 nm. The MoO2（010）/Mo（110） structure is confirmed by STM data and density functional theory calculations. Further oxidation results in the oxygen-rich MoOa^x/Mo（110） surface, which exhibits perfectly aligned double rows of oxygen adatoms, imaged by STM as bright protrusions. These adatoms can be removed from the surface by scanning （or pulsing） at positive sample biases greater than 1.5 V. Tip movement along the surface can be used for controlled lithography （or writing） at the nanoscale, with a minimum feature size of just 3 nm. By moving the STM tip in a predetermined fashion, information can be written and read by applying specific biases between the surface and the tip.