Epitaxial Bi allotropes on quasicrystal surfaces as templates for adsorption of pentacene and fullerene

Abstract

The growth of Bi on surfaces of Al-based quasicrystals yields a quasicrystalline monolayer which is followed by the formation of crystalline islands of various forms depending on coverage, deposition flux and substrate temperature. We have used the Bi thin films consisting of both crystalline and quasicrystalline allotropes as substrates to study the deposition of C 60 and pentacene molecules. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals substrate-dependent differences in molecular adsorption.