Nucleation, Formation, and Stability of Benzene Islands on Cu{111}

S. J. Stranick, M. M. Kamna, and P. S. Weiss*

Submitted to Nanotechnology.

We have imaged stable islands of benzene molecules on the surface of Cu{111} at 77K using a low temperature ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscope. The islands consist of a small number of benzene molecules and nucleate into straight lines on the Cu{111} surface. The ordering and stability of these clusters are discussed in terms of the molecular interactions with the substrate surface state electrons and the intermolecular interactions.