Preparation of an ordered ultra-thin aluminosilicate framework composed of hexagonal prisms forming a percolated network

A flat ultra-thin (0.5 nm thick) aluminosilicate framework was grown using Ru(0 0 0 1) as a template. The structure and composition were determined by a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments. This film is composed mainly of an ordered arrangement of double six-membered rings d6r (a.k.a. hexagonal prisms) and it covers ∼45% of the surface, forming a two-dimensional percolated network. The remaining "uncovered" area leaves the Ru(0 0 0 1) surface exposed through irregularly shaped holes of sizes in the mesopore scale range. The film morphology is different from that observed for pure silica, where a monolayer structure bound to the Ru substrate was produced under the same preparation conditions. The results provide further insights into the factors that influence the formation of two-dimensional frameworks intended to be used as model systems for surface science studies of rigid porous materials.