Scanning tunneling microscopy study of the anatase (100) surface

N. Ruzycki, G. S. Herman, L. A. Boatner, U. Diebold

Department of Physics, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70118, U.S.A.
Hewlett-Packard Corporation, Corvallis, OR 97330, U.S.A.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, U.S.A.

Surf. Sci. 529 (2003) L239

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to investigate the structure of the TiO2 anatase (100) surface. Natural single crystals of anatase were employed; and after several cycles of sputtering and annealing at T = 450 °C, the TiO2(100) surface was free of impurities, and reconstructed to a (1×n) termination. No evidence for point defects was found in the atomic resolution STM images. The STM results were accounted for on the basis of a surface structure model in which (101)-oriented microfacets run along the anatase [010] direction.

Reprints available from U. Diebold (diebold at iap_tuwien_ac_at).

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