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arXiv · 2608.10432

Universal Density Control of Surface Reconstruction in Two-Dimensional Metals

Jinyuan Yang·Xiaoliang Zhong
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Abstract

We identify a unified thickness criterion for surface reconstruction in ultrathin metal sheets. The critical thickness is governed by the change in surface atomic density upon reconstruction: thinning always favors structural changes that increase this density. Thus, thinning suppresses the (1x2) reconstruction of 5d noble metal (110) sheets but promotes the quasi-hexagonal reconstruction of 4d noble metal (001) sheets. Density functional calculations validate these trends and show only minor corrections from surface stress and quantum-oscillation effects.

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Jinyuan Yang, Xiaoliang Zhong. 2026-08-11. Universal Density Control of Surface Reconstruction in Two-Dimensional Metals. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.10432

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