Strain-Relief Patterns and Kagome Lattice in Self-Assembled C(60) Thin Films Grown on Cd(0001)

We report an ultra-high vacuum low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of the C(60) monolayer grown on Cd(0001). Individual C(60) molecules adsorbed on Cd(0001) may exhibit a bright or dim contrast in STM images. When deposited at low temperatures close to 100 K, C(60) thin films present a curved structure to release strain due to dominant molecule–substrate interactions. Moreover, edge dislocation appears when two different wavy structures encounter each other, which has seldomly been observed in molecular self-assembly. When growth temperature rose, we found two forms of symmetric kagome lattice superstructures, 2 × 2 and 4 × 4, at room temperature (RT) and 310 K, respectively. The results provide new insight into the growth behavior of C(60) films.