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Growth and decay of a two‐dimensional oxide quasicrystal: High‐temperature in situ microscopy
Author(s) -
Förster Stefan,
Flege Jan Ingo,
Zollner Eva Maria,
Schumann Florian Otto,
Hammer Rene,
Bayat Alireza,
Schindler KarlMichael,
Falta Jens,
Widdra Wolf
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
annalen der physik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1521-3889
pISSN - 0003-3804
DOI - 10.1002/andp.201600250
Subject(s) - low energy electron microscopy , dewetting , aperiodic graph , quasicrystal , wetting layer , annealing (glass) , materials science , in situ , amorphous solid , suboxide , metastability , electron microscope , crystallography , oxide , chemical physics , nanotechnology , optics , chemistry , layer (electronics) , physics , thin film , composite material , mathematics , organic chemistry , combinatorics , metallurgy
The recently discovered two‐dimensional oxide quasicrystal (OQC) derived from BaTiO 3 on Pt(111) is the first material in which a spontaneous formation of an aperiodic structure at the interface to a periodic support has been observed. Herein, we report in situ low‐energy electron microscopy (LEEM) studies on the fundamental processes involved in the OQC growth. The OQC formation proceeds in two steps via of an amorphous two‐dimensional wetting layer. At 1170 K the long‐range aperiodic order of the OQC develops. Annealing in O 2 induces the reverse process, the conversion of the OQC into BaTiO 3 islands and bare Pt(111), which has been monitored by in situ LEEM. A quantitative analysis of the temporal decay of the OQC shows that oxygen adsorption on bare Pt patches is the rate limiting step of this dewetting process.