Modification of Ag(111) surface electronic structure via weak molecular adsorption of adenine measured with low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy.

Low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy have been used to resolve modifications to the Ag(111) surface electronic structure due to the weak adsorption of the nucleobase adenine. Differential conductance spectroscopy recorded at 15 K reveals an upward energetic shift of the surface state native to Ag(111) from a band edge of -67 meV on the clean surface to +82.5 meV recorded over adenine islands. Differential conductance images show the impact of adenine domains on the density of available states as a function of energy relative to the uncovered Ag terraces as well as free-electron-like scattering in the adenine domains. Dispersion of the parallel wave vector of scattered electrons in the adenine domains is compared with the dispersion for electron scattering in bare silver and the ratio of effective masses for electrons in those bands is 1.1+/-0.2. It is hypothesized that this shift occurs due to a combination of effects brought on by the adsorption of adenine including dielectric screening of the first image potential.

Next-generation diamond cell and applications to single-crystal neutron diffraction.

A diamond cell optimized for single-crystal neutron diffraction is described. It is adapted for work at several of the single-crystal diffractometers of the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A simple spring design improves portability across the facilities and affords load maintenance from offline pressurization and during temperature cycling. Compared to earlier prototypes, pressure stability of polycrystalline diamond (Versimax®) has been increased through double-conical designs and ease of use has been improved through changes to seat and piston setups. These anvils allow ∼30%-40% taller samples than possible with comparable single-crystal anvils. Hydrostaticity and the important absence of shear pressure gradients have been established with the use of glycerin as a pressure medium. Large single-crystal synthetic diamonds have also been used for the first time with such a clamp-diamond anvil cell for pressures close to 20 GPa. The cell is made from a copper beryllium alloy and sized to fit into ORNL's magnets for future ultra-low temperature and high-field studies. We show examples from the Spallation Neutron Source's SNAP and CORELLI beamlines and the High Flux Isotope Reactor's HB-3A and IMAGINE beamlines.