Effect of charge transfer on the geometric structure of a C70 monolayer on the surface of Ag(111).

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we have investigated the adsorption geometry of a C70 monolayer on the surface of Ag(111). C70 molecules form the commensurate (√13 × √13)R ± 13.9° structure and present temperature-dependent bright/dim contrast. Our analyses reveal that the Coulomb repulsion between the charged molecules is the reason for the pits formed at various fullerene/metal interfaces. For the C70 monolayer, the Coulomb repulsion still makes the upright molecular orientation preferable and leads to the invalidation of the rule of lattice match. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]