Reducible oxide
chemistry, structure and functions

STM STUDIES OF REDUCIBLE METAL OXIDES

WG2 members: Ulrike Diebold, Gareth Parkinson, Michael Schmid

homepage: www.iap.tuwien.ac.at/www/surface/index

We are studying the surfaces of several metal oxides in the form of both bulk and ultrathin films. Materials include TiO₂ (rutile and anatase), Fe₃O₄, SrTiO₃, Sr₃Ru₂O₇, ZrO₂. Our main tool is STM, and we strive to routinely obtain atomic resolution.  This allows us to observe defects and defect-related surface chemistry in a direct manner.

STM image of the Fe₃O₄(001)-(√2x√2)R45° surface. The bright spots are due to two surface hydroxyls.

We operate 4 STMs (6 K, 120 – 400 K/fast scanning, RT) with ancillary preparation and characterization facilities.  We also collaborate closely with DFT groups to guide experiments and interpret results.