).A natural TiO2 anatase crystal, cut to exhibit its (010) surface, was cleaved by breaking off one of its corners. The resulting sample exhibited a small, flat area ca. 2 mm2 in size with a (101) orientation as confirmed by LEED. The evolution of the surface morphology was monitored with UHV-STM. After one sputtering/annealing cycle the surface is characterized by periodic ridges that run parallel to the [010] direction. The ridges are ~ 3 nm high and 10 - 15 nm wide and have a spacing of 30 nm. Interestingly, [1-1-1]/11-1] -oriented step edges are not observed, despite them having the lowest formation energy. The ridges flatten with repeated sputter/annealing cycles. After a total of three cycles a flat surface is achieved, which exhibits trapezoidal terraces that are typical for anatase (101). The importance of preparing such a pristine surface for understanding the surface structure and chemistry of TiO2 anatase is discussed.
Reprints available from U. Diebold (diebold).
Users with online access to Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter can load the article from the publisher.