Atomic scale observation of iodine layer compression on Cu(1 1 1)

The atomic structure of the iodine covered Cu(1 1 1) surface was studied by STM in combination with LEED, AES and TDS techniques. It was established that iodine adsorption on Cu(1 1 1) leads to the uniaxial compression of chemisorbed iodine layer. The structure of the saturated iodine coverage on Cu(1 1 1) was described in terms of formation of the striped super heavy domain walls, with the interatomic distances in the wall being smaller than van der Waals diameter of iodine.