PROPERTIES OF REDUCIBLE OXIDE ULTRATHIN FILMS AND SUPPORTED NANOSTRUCTURES
WG2 members: Paola Luches, Sergio Valeri, Stefania Benedetti, Alessandro di Bona, Sergio D’Addato, Ilaria Valenti, Maria Chiara Spadaro
homepage: www.nano.cnr.it
STM images of 2 ML of CeO2 on Pt(111) as prepared (left) and after UHV annealing (500˚C, 165’) (right). After reduction the appearance of nanometric structures on the surface is observed.
The activity aims at the design, growth and characterization of reducible oxide model systems in the form of ultrathin films and supported nanostructures.
The goal is the atomic scale understanding of the investigated systems with particular focus on the factors which influence reducibility (i.e. dimensionality, doping, metal support and interaction with supported metal nanoparticles). The oxides studied include CeO2, TiO2, MgO and ZnO.
The research is performed in a UHV apparatus equipped with MBE growth facilities, an inert gas aggregation source, and facilities for in-situ electronic, morphologic and structural characterization, such as XPS, UPS, XPD, LEED, AES, EELS, STM/AFM.
The activity also involves the use of HR-TEM and synchrotron radiation facilities.
