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Size-selected Mon-, Wn-, and Fen - cluster anions are deposited on a weakly interacting substrate (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) and studied ex-situ using atomic force microscopy. Depending on size, three growth modes can be distinguished. Very small clusters consisting of less than 10-30 atoms behave similar to atoms and coalesce into 3-dimensional bulk-like islands. Medium sized clusters consisting of hundreds of atoms do not coalesce and follow a Stanski-Krastanov growth pattern. At low coverage, an almost perfect monolayer is formed. This is a new finding different from all previous studies on deposited metal clusters. For clusters with several thousands of atoms, the growth pattern again changes. At low coverage, the substrate is dotted with individual clusters, while at high coverage, the surface becomes extremely rough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thins films are synthesized by deposition of size-selected Mon– cluster anions on an inert substrate. Scanning tunneling microscopy pictures indicate that the deposited material consists of individual particles with diameters corresponding to the size of the preformed clusters from the gas phase. Previous attempts to manufacture cluster materials from metals failed since these clusters coalesced at room temperature. Our data suggest the possibility to synthesize new nanomaterials from clusters of high fusing metals. This may prove to be the key to harness size-dependent and tuneable properties of clusters for creating novel classes of functional tailor-made materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]