Hydrogen-induced self-organized nanostructuring of the Ir(100) surface

We show that the Ir(100) surface forms a new nanostructure in a self-organized way when its reconstructed equilibrium surface is exposed to hydrogen. Scanning tunneling microscopy and quantitative low-energy electron diffraction retrieve that a long-range ordered superlattice of defect-free Ir chains with average lateral spacing of 1.36 nm and micrometer lengths develops. This can be used as a template for the formation of other nanostructures as is demonstrated.