The oxidation of the Rh(111) surface at oxygen pressures from 10(-10) mbar to 0.5 bar and temperatures between 300 and 900 K has been studied on the atomic scale using a multimethod approach of experimental and theoretical techniques. Oxidation starts at the steps, resulting in a trilayer O-Rh-O surface oxide which, although not thermodynamically stable, prevents further oxidation at intermediate pressures. A thick corundum like Rh2O3 bulk oxide is formed only at significantly higher pressures and temperatures.

Artificial post-graphene elemental 2D materials have received much attention recently. Especially, stanene, the tin analogue of graphene, is expected to be a robust 2D topological insulator, even above room temperature. We have grown epitaxial 2D stanene on a Ag(1 1 1) single crystal template and determined its crystalline structure synergetically by scanning tunneling microscopy, high-resolution synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy, and advanced first principles calculations. From the STM images, we show that stanene forms a nearly planar structure in large domains. A detailed core-level spectroscopy analysis as well as DFT calculations reveal that the stanene sheet lays over an ordered 2D Ag2Sn surface alloy, but not directly on a bulk-terminated Ag(1 1 1) surface. The electronic structure exhibits a characteristic 2D band with parabolic dispersion due to the non-negligible interaction with the underlying surface alloy.

While theoretical studies predicted the stability and exotic properties of plumbene, the last group‐14 cousin of graphene, its realization has remained a challenging quest. Here, it is shown with compelling evidence that plumbene is epitaxially grown by segregation on a Pd1−xPbx(111) alloy surface. In scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), it exhibits a unique surface morphology resembling the famous Weaire–Phelan bubble structure of the Olympic “WaterCube” in Beijing. The “soap bubbles” of this “Nano WaterCube” are adjustable with their average sizes (in‐between 15 and 80 nm) related to the Pb concentration (x < 0.2) dependence of the lattice parameter of the Pd1−xPbx(111) alloy surface. Angle‐resolved core‐level measurements demonstrate that a lead sheet overlays the Pd1−xPbx(111) alloy. Atomic‐scale STM images of this Pb sheet show a planar honeycomb structure with a unit cell ranging from 0.48 to 0.49 nm corresponding to that of the standalone 2D topological insulator plumbene.

Large-scale two-dimensional sheets of graphene-like germanium, namely, germanene, have been epitaxially prepared on Ag(111) thin films grown on Ge(111), using a segregation method, differing from molecular beam epitaxy used in previous reports. From the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images, the surface is completely covered with an atom-thin layer showing a highly ordered long-range superstructure in wide scale. Two types of protrusions, named hexagon and line, form a (7√7 × 7√7)R19.1° supercell with respect to Ag(111), with a very large periodicity of 5.35 nm. Auger electron spectroscopy and high-resolution synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy demonstrate that Ge atoms are segregated on the Ag(111) surface as an overlayer. Low-energy electron diffraction clearly shows incommensurate “(1.35 × 1.35)”R30° spots, corresponding to a lattice constant of 0.39 nm, in perfect accord with close-up STM images, which clearly reveal an internal honeycomb arrangement with corresponding parameter and low buckling within 0.01 nm. As this 0.39 nm value is in good agreement with the theoretical lattice constant of free-standing germanene, conclusively, the segregated Ge atoms with trivalent bonding in honeycomb configuration form a characteristic two-dimensional germanene-like structure.

Highly ordered linear C60 molecular‐chain arrays with 2.31‐nm interchain spacing (see image) are self‐assembled on Ag(111) by using α‐sexithiophene (6T) monolayer nanostripes on Ag(111) as a molecular surface nanotemplate. The subtle balance between molecule–molecule and molecule–substrate interactions facilitates the assembly of the C60 into well‐ordered molecular‐chain arrays.