Features of the Fluorination of the Au(111) Surface by Fluorofullerene Molecules

The possibility of using C 60 F 48 fluorofullerene molecules as sources of fluorine in reactions involving Au(111) has been demonstrated. Ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies have shown that C 60 F 48 molecules lose some fluorine atoms with time, forming molecules with the stoichiometric composition close to C 60 F 36 fluorofullerene, which is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. The interaction of fluorine with the Au(111) surface occurs only under islands formed by fluorofullerene molecules losing some fluorine atoms. It has been shown that a С 60 F 18 molecule does not react with the Au(111) surface. At the submonolayer coating of the gold surface with С 60 F 18 fluorofullerene, the “herringbone” ( ) reconstruction characteristic of the clean Au(111) surface remains unchanged both in the region free of formed fluorofullerene islands and under them, and С 60 F 18 molecules keep their initial configuration in time.