Structural evolution of γ-antimonene nanoribbons on Ag(110)
Hilgers S, Hochhaus JA, Hammer L, Berges U, Hövel H, Westphal C (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Book Volume: 738
Article Number: 166938
DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.166938
Abstract
We report on the structural and chemical evolution of antimony (Sb) monolayer on Ag(110). At a coverage of 0.5 ML, Sb forms a substitutional c(2×2) alloy, as determined by our LEED-IV (Low-Energy Electron Diffraction) analysis. For a higher coverage above 0.5 ML, γ-like Sb nanoribbons grow along the [001] direction. The γ-Sb phase has not yet been reported experimentally. Atomically resolved Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) measurements reveal two distinct ribbon types that are stochastically distributed across the surface. We report a coverage-dependent spot splitting in Low-Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), arising from this stochastic arrangement. In contrast to a previous report suggesting ribbon growth atop the alloy, our angle-resolved X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurements show that the alloy becomes less significant as ribbon formation proceeds. Until now, detailed chemical investigations such as XPS have been missing; we fill this gap by performing high-resolution XPS measurements, revealing the internal and interfacial composition of the Sb/Ag(110) system. Furthermore, our XPS analysis reveals that the Sb atoms inside the γ-like Sb ribbons have two distinct chemical environments; an interface layer and an upper ribbon layer. Based on these results, we can refute the previous structural model Wang et al. (2022) and propose Sb ribbons growing in the γ-Sb configuration.
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APA:
Hilgers, S., Hochhaus, J.A., Hammer, L., Berges, U., Hövel, H., & Westphal, C. (2026). Structural evolution of γ-antimonene nanoribbons on Ag(110). Applied Surface Science, 738. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2026.166938
MLA:
Hilgers, Stefanie, et al. "Structural evolution of γ-antimonene nanoribbons on Ag(110)." Applied Surface Science 738 (2026).
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