Change in the C60 fullerite film growth mechanism on a sulfur-doped Nb(100) surface observed under changes in the chemical state of the surface

It is shown that the growth of a nanosized fullerite film in the C₆₀ molecules-Nb(100) surface adsorption system depends essentially on the chemical state of adsorbed sulfur. In particular, sulfur as the surface sulfide NbS with a concentration of (9±0.2) × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² has almost no effect on the adsorption: as on the pure metal, fullerene molecules from the first and, partially, second layers undergo considerable degradation and do not desorb at any temperatures upon the subsequent heating. On the contrary, C₆₀ molecules retain their structure on a valence-saturated NbS₂ monolayer with almost the same surface concentration of S atoms, build a fullerite film as crystallites without the formation of an intermediate monolayer (Volmer-Weber mechanism), and completely leave the surface at 800 K, which remains unchanged and uncontaminated.