Zhussupbekov, Kuanysh, Walshe, Killian, Bozhko, Sergey I., Ionov, Andrey, Fleischer, Karsten ORCID: 0000-0002-7638-4480, Norton, Emma ORCID: 0000-0002-5767-7720, Zhussupbekova, Ainur, Semenov, Valery, Shvets, Igor V. ORCID: 0000-0001-7451-5435 and Walls, Brian (2020) Oxidation of Nb(110): atomic structure of the NbO layer and its influence on further oxidation. Scientific Reports, 10 (1). ISSN 2045-2322
Abstract
NbO terminated Nb(110) and its oxidation are examined by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STS). The oxide structures are strongly influenced by the structural and electronic properties of the underlying NbO substrate. The NbO is terminated by one-dimensional few-nanometer nanocrystals, which form an ordered pattern. High-resolution STS measurements reveal that the nanocrystals and the regions between the nanocrystals exhibit different electronic characters. Low-dosage oxidation, sufficient for sub-monolayer coverage of the NbO, with subsequent UHV annealing results in the formation of resolved sub-nanometer clusters, positioned in-between the nanocrystals. Higher dosage oxidation results in the formation of a closed Nb2O5-y layer, which is confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The pentoxide is amorphous at the atomic-scale. However, large scale (tens of nanometers) structures are observed with their symmetry matching that of the underlying nanocrystals.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article (Published) |
---|---|
Refereed: | Yes |
Additional Information: | Article no. 10 |
Subjects: | Physical Sciences > Chemistry |
DCU Faculties and Centres: | DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Physical Sciences |
Publisher: | Nature Research (part of Springer Nature) |
Official URL: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60508-2 |
Copyright Information: | 2020 The Authors. Open access. |
ID Code: | 24579 |
Deposited On: | 09 Jun 2020 13:53 by Vidatum Academic . Last Modified 29 Oct 2021 11:22 |
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