Adatom Extraction From Pristine Metal Terraces By Dissociative Oxygen Adsorption: Combined Stm And Density Functional Theory Investigation Of O/Ag (110)

Abstract

The reconstruction and modification of metal surfaces upon O2 adsorption plays an important role in oxidation processes and in gauging their catalytic activity. Here, we show by employing scanning tunneling microscopy and the ab initio density functional theory that Ag atoms are extracted from pristine (110) terraces upon O2 dissociation, resulting in vacancies and in Ag-O complexes. The substrate roughening generates undercoordinated atoms and opens pathways to the Ag subsurface layer. With increasing O coverage, multiple vacancies give rise to remarkable structures. The mechanism is expected to be very general depending on the delicate interplay of energy and entropy, so that it may be active for other materials at different temperatures.

Publication Date

6-1-2017

Publication Title

Physical Review Letters

Volume

118

Issue

22

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.226101

Socpus ID

85020165708 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85020165708

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