# Thermally Activated Sliding of C60 on Gold

## TL;DR

This study shows that C60 molecules can slide on gold surfaces when heated, revealing insights into the slipperiness of gold-carbon interfaces.

## Contribution

The paper demonstrates thermally activated sliding of C60 on gold electrodes using a quartz crystal microbalance.

## Key findings

- C60 molecules are pinned on gold at room temperature.
- Sliding of C60 molecules on gold begins above 320 K.
- The sliding behavior is explained by a diffusive model.

## Abstract

Gold nanoclusters are known to slide easily on a graphite
surface.
In this study, we confirm the slipperiness of the gold–carbon
interface by studying the sliding behavior of fullerene adsorbates
on gold by using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). More precisely,
we transfer high-quality gold electrodes deposited on an atomically
flat mica substrate to the QCM. By means of an effusion cell, we deposit
C60 molecules on the QCM gold electrode kept in ultrahigh
vacuum. We observe the pinning of the fullerene adsorbates at room
temperature. As the temperature increases above 320 K, the fullerene
adsorbates begin to slide. This thermally activated sliding is explained
in terms of a simple diffusive model.