Experimental Observation of Island-Type Films of C₆₀F₁₈ Polar Molecules on the Surface of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

The paper is devoted to the study of the adsorption of C₆₀F₁₈ fullerene fluoride molecules with high dipole moment on a graphene-like surface in order to investigate the possibility of creating interfaces with given physical and chemical characteristics and controlling their properties. Using atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations, the island structure of thin films of C₆₀F₁₈ polar molecules on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite has been first found. The chemical stability of fluorinated fullerene molecules in the adsorbed film and the island growth of the film according to the Volmer–Weber mechanism up to large degrees of coverage have been established. The nature of the interaction between adsorbate molecules and the substrate has been determined. The influence of collective electrostatic effects on the structure of the monolayer, the total energy of the system, and the shift of the core electronic levels have been concluded.