Surface structure of alanine on Cu(110) via grazing scattering of fast atoms and molecules
Abstract
We have studied structures of the chiral amino acid alanine adsorbed on Cu(110) via low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) as well as scattering of fast light atoms and molecules. The adsorption process was controlled in situ by the intensity of specularly reflected 2-keV He atoms. For projectile energies less than 1 keV, we applied the method of fast atom diffraction for studies on the structure of adsorbed alanine molecules on an atomically flat Cu(110) surface with focus on a p(3×2) adsorbate phase. The results are consistent with LEED and explain distortions in LEED patterns via an elongated surface unit cell with incommensurate c(3.16×2) symmetry of parts of the adsorbate. From triangulation using fast atoms via the azimuthal rotation of the target surface, the positions of protruding methyl groups are derived.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review B
- Pub Date:
- February 2014
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.075404
- Bibcode:
- 2014PhRvB..89g5404S
- Keywords:
-
- 34.35.+a;
- 68.55.am;
- 68.49.-h;
- 68.43.Fg;
- Interactions of atoms and molecules with surfaces;
- Polymers and organics;
- Surface characterization by particle-surface scattering;
- Adsorbate structure