Self-Ordered Nanoporous Lattice Formed By Chlorine Atoms On Au(111)

A self-ordered nanoporous lattice formed by individual chlorine atoms on the Au(111) surface has been studied with low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory calculations. We have found out that room-temperature adsorption of 0.09-0.30 monolayers of chlorine on Au(111) followed by cooling below 110 K results in the spontaneous formation of a nanoporous quasihexagonal structure with a periodicity of 25-38 angstrom depending on the initial chlorine coverage. The driving force of the superstructure formation is attributed to the substrate-mediated elastic interaction.