Nucleation and Growth Characteristics of Metal Films on C₆₀(111) Surface

C₆₀ single crystals oriented at 111 about 1 μm in size, were grown in C₆₀ film on NaCl (001) substrate. Bilayer films of nickel, gold, silver, and indium over C₆₀ on NaCl substrate prepared by vacuum deposition method were studied with a transmission electron microscope. It was found that for different kinds of metals, their nucleation and growth characteristics on C₆₀ (111) surface are quite different. This phenomenon is mainly attributed to different activation energies of the four metals. Analyses of the experimental results indicate that the activation energies of Ni, Au, Ag, and In adatoms on C₆₀(111) surface change in a descent order.