Reducing the V2O3(0001) surface through electron bombardment – a quantitative structure determination with I/V-LEED. Issue 4 (7th January 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Feiten, Felix E.; Kuhlenbeck, Helmut; Freund, Hans-Joachim
• Is Part Of: Physical chemistry chemical physics. Volume 18:Issue 4(2016)
• Page Start: 3124
• Page End: 3130
• Publication Date: 2016-01-07
• Subjects: Chemistry, Physical and theoretical -- Periodicals; 541.3
• DOI: 10.1039/c5cp07390a
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1463-9076

Abstract

Abstract : First quantitative structure determination of a reduced V2 O3 (0001) thin film with I / V -LEED and STM revealing a single metal surface termination. Abstract : The (0001) surface of vanadium sesquioxide, V2 O3, is terminated by vanadyl groups under standard ultra high vacuum preparation conditions. Reduction with electrons results in a chemically highly active surface with a well-defined LEED pattern indicating a high degree of order. In this work we report the first quantitative structure determination of a reduced V2 O3 (0001) surface. We identify two distinct surface phases by STM, one well ordered and one less well ordered. I / V -LEED shows the ordered phase to be terminated by a single vanadium atom per surface unit cell on a quasi-hexagonal oxygen layer with three atoms per two-dimensional unit cell. Furthermore we compare the method of surface reduction via electron bombardment with the deposition of V onto a vanadyl terminated film. The latter procedure was previously proposed to result in a structure with three surface vanadium atoms in the 2D unit cell and we confirm this with simulated STM images.