Electron capture and loss in the scattering of low-energy protons with a C60 monolayer deposited on Cu(111)

Abstract

Final projectile charge states are experimentally and theoretically analyzed after H+ ions collide with a C60 monolayer deposited on Cu(111) with an ample range of incoming energies (2-8 keV) in the low-energy regime. The three possible charge states (negative, positive, and neutral) are experimentally measured by using the low-energy ion scattering technique for two different collisional setups: 45° (90°) and 67.5° (67.5°) incoming (exit) angles, relative to the target surface plane, with a fixed backscattering angle of 135°. Experimental ion fraction magnitudes and energy dependence are practically intermediate between that found in pristine Cu(111) and a thick C60 film, revealing the influence of the substrate on the final charge state of the projectile. Unlike these previous systems, the positive and negative ions contribute nearly evenly to the total scattered charged particles. On the theoretical side, we applied a first-principles based model that considers the fine details of the surface under analysis and assumes a projectile trajectory corresponding to a single binary collision with the more exposed carbon atoms of the C60 molecule. The theoretical and experimental results are independently compared with the already reported cases: H+ on a thick C60 film, H+ on Cu(111), and H+ on graphite. A detailed analysis of the electronic surface band structure allows us to draw a conclusion about the relevance of the substrate in the present system and about the aspects to be improved in our theoretical description. The contrast between experimental and theoretical results allows us to infer that trajectories involving ion penetration and multiple scattering events are particularly relevant for the projectile-target charge exchange process studied.