Nanogroove formation during homoepitaxial Au electrodeposition on reconstructed Au( 1 1 1)

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies of homoepitaxial electrodeposition on Au(1 1 1) from hydrochloric acid solution reveal an unusual deposit morphology in the potential regime of the Au surface reconstruction, where the deposited Au islands are separated by nanoscale grooves with preferred widths of 6 and 12 nm. The formation of these structures is attributed to a hindered coalescence of the islands, caused by elastic energy contributions of the reconstructed bottom of the grooves.