Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), the structure of the anatase TiO2 (5 -1 4) surface, ~10° vicinal to the lowest-energy (101) plane, has been studied. The surface was found to facet into a structure composed of ridges with a uniform width of five lattice units. On the basis of atomically resolved STM and electron counting rules, it is proposed that the sides of the ridges are parallel to (1 -1 0) and (112) planes. These sides might be reconstructed to stabilize the microfaceted structure. Vapor-deposited gold shows pronounced clustering between the ridges, indicating a one-dimensional template effect of the vicinal surface, which supports denser and more uniformly sized Au clusters, as compared to the flat (101) surface.
Reprints available from U. Diebold (diebold).
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