Publication details
Unravelling the multilayer growth of the fullerene C-60 in real time
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | NATURE COMMUNICATIONS |
| Citation | |
| web | http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141105/ncomms6388/full/ncomms6388.html |
| Doi | https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms6388 |
| Keywords | THIN-FILM GROWTH; KINETIC MONTE-CARLO; STEP-EDGE BARRIERS; X-RAY-SCATTERING; EPITAXIAL-GROWTH; CLUSTER GROWTH; SOLAR-CELLS; SOLID C60; SURFACES; MOLECULES |
| Description | Molecular semiconductors are increasingly used in devices, but understanding of elementary nanoscopic processes in molecular film growth is in its infancy. Here we use real-time in situ specular and diffuse X-ray scattering in combination with kinetic Monte Carlo simulations to study C-60 nucleation and multilayer growth. We determine a self-consistent set of energy parameters describing both intra- and interlayer diffusion processes in C-60 growth. This approach yields an effective Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier of E-ES = 110 meV, diffusion barrier of E-D = 540 meV and binding energy of E-B = 130 meV. Analysing the particle-resolved dynamics, we find that the lateral diffusion is similar to colloids, but characterized by an atom-like Schwoebel barrier. Our results contribute to a fundamental understanding of molecular growth processes in a system, which forms an important intermediate case between atoms and colloids. |