2025/10/29 by Joshua Wagner, S. J. Sibener · 1 voice
Chemistry · Engineering · Materials Science · #Fullerene Chemistry and Applications #Graphene research and applications #Surface Chemistry and Catalysis
paper · doi:10.1116/6.0004964
openalex created_date 2025/10/29 · openalex publication_date 2025/10/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
The dynamic mobility and placement of buckminsterfullerene (C60) molecules on moiré-patterned graphene as oxygen atoms are adsorbed across the interface are illustrated in this work. The diffusivity of C60 molecules is shown to be greatly reduced on oxygen-decorated epitaxial graphene grown on Ru(0001), and thin films of C60 grown on O/graphene/Ru(0001) are observed to be disordered compared to the commensurate packing demonstrated on pristine graphene/Ru(0001). Previously well-ordered C60 domains are observed to disorder upon scattering O(3P) onto the surface. Overall, the results demonstrate the role that trace coverages (<1%) of atomic oxygen play in limiting the growth of well-ordered thin films on moiré-patterned materials, materials that show promise as platforms for quantum devices, sensors, and next-generation catalysts. Furthermore, STM images presented herein illustrate a new direction in molecular scattering in which on-surface outcomes are visualized with angstrom-level precision after exposure to supersonic molecular beams.