Experimental and theoretical study of oxygen adsorption structures on Ag(111)

• The oxidized Ag(111) surface has been studied by a combination of experimental and theoretical methods, scanning tunneling microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory. A large variety of different surface structures is found, depending on the detailed preparation conditions. The observed structures fall into four classes: (a) individually chemisorbed atomic oxygen atoms, (b) three different oxygen overlayer structures, including the well-known p(4x4) phase, formed from the same Ag-6 and Ag-10 building blocks, (c) a c(4x8) structure not previously observed, and (d) at higher oxygen coverages structures characterized by stripes along the high-symmetry directions of the Ag(111) substrate. Our analysis provides a detailed explanation of the atomic-scale geometry of the Ag-6/Ag-10 building block structures and the c(4x8) and stripe structures are discussed in detail. The observation of many different and co-existing structures implies that the O/Ag(111) system is characterized by a significantly larger degree of complexity than previously anticipated, and this will impact our understanding of oxidation catalysis processes on Ag catalysts.

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NATURVETENSKAP  -- Fysik -- Atom- och molekylfysik och optik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Physical Sciences -- Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics (hsv//eng)

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