Fabrication of fullerene nanoring on an oxidized HOPG surface

Fabrication of fullerene C60 nanorings on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was carried out by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Morphological characteristics of C60 were investigated using an atomic force microscope (AFM). An oxidized HOPG, on which circular etch-pits were formed, was used as the template for the fabrication of fullerene nanorings. Evaporated C60 molecules were selectively adsorbed on the etch-pits edges where the pre-deposited Au islands existed. The diameter of the etch-pits for nanoring template was controlled simply by the oxidation temperature of HOPG.