Toward new ways of stressed-induced surface nanostructuration: the case of Au{111}

The patterning of surfaces is a booming field of investigation in recent decades. The technological challenge is to confer some specific properties at materials from changing their free surface or to create templates that can subsequently functionalize the surface by supplying molecules, nanoparticles or aggregates. In this context, the surface {111} of gold presents interesting opportunities due to its particular reconstruction. The herringbone reconstruction can be used as pattern for SAM or metallic clusters in microelectronics or nanocatalysis. This reconstruction is also kwon as « herringbone » pattern, chevron phase.

The objective is to study the evolution under stress of this surface with the original Nanoplast experimental device (see www.nanoplast.fr) that couples an STM and a compression device. We will endeavor to have a better understanding of the influence of the applied stress on the herringbone reconstruction and on the other hand the influence of slip traces, appearing beyond the limit of elasticity, on the reorganization of the chevron phase. In other words, we will try to understand the influence of the stress field generated by the atomic steps on the surface and the possible interactions between slip traces and chevrons.

Figure 1. Typical STM Images of the Au{111} reconstructed surface (a) Blue rectangle represent the unit cell . The encounter between two variants gives rise to the chevrons. (b) Zoom on chevrons.