Growth ofC60on Cu(110) and Ni(110) surfaces:C60-induced interfacial roughening

By means of scanning tunneling microscopy we have studied the growth of ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ on the Cu(110) and Ni(110) surfaces. A surprising difference in the ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ structures formed is observed, despite the fact that the two (110) surfaces geometrically possess a high degree of similarity. On Cu(110) ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ forms the expected close-packed hexagonal overlayer, whereas ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ induces a restructuring of the Ni(110) surface. The surprising difference between the Cu and Ni surfaces is tentatively explained within a simple model, based on the interaction between the molecular orbitals of ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ and the narrow d bands of the surface.