Nickel-oxide-modified SrTiO3(110)-(4 × 1) surfaces and their interaction with water

S. Gerhold, M. Riva, Z. Wang, R. Bliem, M. Wagner, J. Osiecki, K. Schulte, M. Schmid, U. Diebold

Institut für Angewandte Physik, TU Wien, 1040 Wien, Austria
CNISM - Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, I-20133 Milano, Italy
Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5234 Villigen, Switzerland
MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, 22363 Lund, Sweden

J. Phys. Chem. C 119 (2015) 20481-20487

Nickel oxide (NiO), deposited onto the strontium titanate (SrTiO3) (110)-(4 × 1) surface, was studied using photoemission spectroscopy (PES), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), and low-energy He+ ion scattering (LEIS), as well as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The main motivation for studying this system comes from the prominent role it plays in photocatalysis. The (4 × 1) reconstructed SrTiO3(110) surface was previously found to be remarkably inert toward water adsorption under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Nickel oxide grows on this surface as patches without any apparent ordered structure. PES and LEIS reveal an upward band bending, a reduction of the band gap, and reactivity toward water adsorption upon deposition of NiO. Spectroscopic results are discussed with respect to the enhanced reactivity toward water of the NiO-loaded surface.

Corresponding author: Ulrike Diebold (diebold at iap_tuwien_ac_at).

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