Quantitative Multilayer Cu(410) structure and relaxation determined by QLEED
College
College of Science
Department/Unit
Physics
Document Type
Article
Source Title
Scientific Reports
Volume
9
Issue
1
Publication Date
12-1-2019
Abstract
Industrially relevant catalytically active surfaces exhibit defects. These defects serve as active sites; expose incoming adsorbates to both high and low coordinated surface atoms; determine morphology, reactivity, energetics, and surface relaxation. These, in turn, affect crystal growth, oxidation, catalysis, and corrosion. Systematic experimental analyses of such surface defects pose challenges, esp., when they do not exhibit order. High Miller index surfaces can provide access to these features and information, albeit indirectly. Here, we show that with quantitative low-energy electron diffraction (QLEED) intensity analyses and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we can visualize the local atomic configuration, the corresponding electron distribution, and local reactivity. The QLEED-determined Cu(410) structure (Pendry reliability factor RP ≃ 0.0797) exhibits alternating sequences of expansion (+) and contraction (−) (of the first 16 atomic interlayers) relative to the bulk-truncated interlayer spacing of ca. 0.437 Å. The corresponding electron distribution shows smoothening relative to the bulk-determined structure. These results should aid us to further gain an atomic-scale understanding of the nature of defects in materials. © 2019, The Author(s).
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Digitial Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1038/s41598-019-52986-w
Recommended Citation
Ahmed, R., Makino, T., Gueriba, J., Mizuno, S., Diño, W. A., & Okada, M. (2019). Quantitative Multilayer Cu(410) structure and relaxation determined by QLEED. Scientific Reports, 9 (1) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-52986-w
Disciplines
Physics
Keywords
Surface energy; Low energy electron diffraction; Density functionals
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