An STM study on the growth process of vapor-deposited hydroquinone adlayers on Rh(1 1 1) and Pt(1 1 1)

Hydroquinone molecules were allowed to adsorb on Rh(1 1 1) and Pt(1 1 1) by vapor deposition. The strong interaction between two adjacent hydroxyl groups of neighboring molecules led to the formation of commensurate (√7 × √7)R19.1° and incommensurate (√2.56 × √2.56)R16° adlayer phases on Rh(1 1 1) and Pt(1 1 1), respectively. The formation processes of HQ adlayers on Rh(1 1 1) and Pt(1 1 1) were very different from each other, possibly due to the difference in lattice parameters of the two metal surfaces.