The epitaxial growth and the electrical resistance of multilayer silicene on the Ag(111) surface has been investigated. We show that the atomic structure of the first silicene layer differs from the next layers and that the adsorption of Si induces the formation of extended silicene terraces surrounded by step bunching. Thanks to the controlled contact formation between the tips of a multiple probe scanning tunneling microscope and these extended terraces, a low sheet resistance, albeit much higher than the electrical resistance of the underlying silver substrate, has been measured, advocating for the electrical viability of multilayer silicene

Two-dimensional networks of quantum dots connected by atomic bonds have an electronic structure that is distinct from that of arrays of quantum dots coupled by ligand molecules. We prepared atomically coherent two-dimensional percolative networks of PbSe quantum dots connected via atomic bonds. Here, we show that photoexcitation leads to generation of free charges that eventually decay via trapping. The charge mobility probed with an AC electric field increases with frequency from 150±15 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 0.2 terahertz to 260±15 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 0.6 terahertz. Gated four-probe measurements yield a DC electron mobility of 13±2 cm2 V−1 s−1. The terahertz mobilities are much higher than for arrays of quantum dots coupled via surface ligands and are similar to the highest DC mobilities reported for PbSe nanowires. The terahertz mobility increases only slightly with temperature in the range of 15–290 K. The extent of straight segments in the two-dimensional percolative networks limits the mobility, rather than charge scattering by phonons.

Quantum simulators are an essential tool for understanding complex quantum materials. Platforms based on ultracold atoms in optical lattices and photonic devices led the field so far, but electronic quantum simulators are proving to be equally relevant. Simulating topological states of matter is one of the holy grails in the field. Here, we experimentally realize a higher-order electronic topological insulator (HOTI). Specifically, we create a dimerized Kagome lattice by manipulating carbon-monoxide (CO) molecules on a Cu(111) surface using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). We engineer alternating weak and strong bonds to show that a topological state emerges at the corner of the non-trivial configuration, while it is absent in the trivial one. Contrarily to conventional topological insulators (TIs), the topological state has two dimensions less than the bulk, denoting a HOTI. The corner mode is protected by a generalized chiral symmetry, which leads to a particular robustness against perturbations. Our

The band structure and the Fermi level pinning at clean and well-ordered sidewall surfaces of zincblende (ZB)-wurtzite (WZ) GaAs nanowires are investigated by scanning tunneling spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The WZ-ZB phase transition in GaAs nanowires introduces p-i junctions at the sidewall surfaces. This is caused by the presence of numerous steps, which induce a Fermi level pinning at different energies on the non-polar WZ and ZB sidewall facets. V

Graphene is formed through the thermally induced decomposition of C60 in combination with a Ni thin film. After transfer to a SiO2 substrate, optical microscopy and Raman spectroscopy confirm the presence of graphene for films of C60 buried under nickel or alternatively for C60 adsorbed on a nickel surface. For buried films the graphene thickness is shown to depend on the fullerene dosage, with evidence of domain growth from nucleation sites separated by tens of micrometers. The adsorption of C60 and the changes arising from annealing are also monitored using scanning tunneling microscopy. We relate our results to previous studies of the decomposition of C60 on nickel and other transition metals.

The moiré pattern created by the epitaxy of a graphene sheet on an iridium substrate can be used as a template for the growth of 2D atomic or cluster arrays. We observed for the first time a coherent organization of hard magnetic preformed FePt nanoparticles on the 2D lattice of graphene/Ir(111). Nanoparticles of 2 nm diameter have been mass-selected in gas phase and deposited with a low energy on the hexagonal moiré pattern. Their morphology and organization have been investigated using Grazing Incidence Small Angle X-ray Scattering, while their magnetic properties have been studied by X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism, both pointing to a FePt cluster/graphene surface specific interaction. The spatial coherence of the nanoparticles is preserved upon annealing up to 700°C where the hard magnetic phase of FePt is obtained.

In the frame of the 20th Anniversary of the Journal of Nanoparticle Research (JNR), our aim is to start from the historical context twenty, years ago and to give some recent results and perspectives concerning nanomagnets prepared from clusters preformed in the gas phase using the Low Energy Cluster Beam Deposition (LECBD) technique. In this paper, we focus our attention on the typical case of Co clusters embedded in various matrices to study interface magnetic anisotropy and magnetic interactions as a function of volume concentrations, and on still current and perspectives through two examples of binary metallic 3d-5d TM (namely CoPt and FeAu) clusters assemblies to illustrate sizerelated and nanoalloy phenomena on magnetic properties in well-defined mass-selected clusters. The structural and magnetic properties of these cluster assemblies were investigated using various experimental techniques that include High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM), Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) magnetometry, as well as synchrotron techniques such as Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) and X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD). Depending on the chemical nature of both NPs and matrix, we observe different magnetic responses compared to their bulk counterparts. In particular, we show how finite size effects (size reduction) enhance their magnetic moment and how specific relaxation in nanoalloys can impact their magnetic anisotropy.

The composition and band gap of the shell that formed during the growth of axial GaAs/GaAs 81 Sb 19 / GaAs heterostructure nanowires have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy combined with energy dispersion spectroscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. On the GaAs 81 Sb 19 intermediate segment, the shell is found to be free of Sb (pure GaAs shell) and transparent to the tunneling electrons, despite the (110) biaxial strain that affects its band gap. As a result, a direct measurement of the core band gap allows the quantitative determination of the band offset between the GaAs 81 Sb 19 core and the GaAs shell and identifies it as a type I band alignment. V