Two-dimensional solid solution alloy of Bi-Pb binary films on Rh(111)

We studied the atomic arrangements and phase diagrams of two-dimensional (2D) Bi-Pb binary films on a Rh(111) surface with low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and Auger electron spectroscopy. The 2D binary films exhibited incommensurate (4 × 4) LEED patterns with any compositional ratio of Bi:Pb. Atomically resolved STM images revealed that the binary films formed hexagonal, close-packed structures in a 2D solid solution alloy. We found that the 2D binary films followed the Hume-Rothery rule. The interatomic distance decreased linearly from 0.359 nm to 0.342 nm with increasing proportions of Pb. This indicated that the lattice constant of the 2D binary films followed Vegard's law.