Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) “nanomesh”, a two-dimensional insulating monolayer, grown on the (111) surface of rhodium exhibits an intriguing hexagonal corrugation pattern with a lattice constant of 3.2 nm. Using angle- and energy-scanned Photo Electron Diffraction measurements with chemical state resolution at the PEARL beamline, true adsorbate-substrate distances were measured with high precision. The experimental results give accurate values for the peak-to-peak corrugation amplitude (0.80 A), the bonding distance to the substrate (2.20 A) and the buckling of the boron and nitrogen atoms in the strongly bound pore regions (0.07 A). This method is applicable to other 2D materials likewise.
De Lima et al. 2D Materials 2020, https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1583/ab81ae