Premium
Helium Atom Scattering from Oxide Surfaces
Author(s) -
Traeger Franziska
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
chemphyschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.016
H-Index - 140
eISSN - 1439-7641
pISSN - 1439-4235
DOI - 10.1002/cphc.200500599
Subject(s) - scattering , atom (system on chip) , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , chemistry , spectroscopy , oxide , hydrogen atom , hydrogen , atomic physics , materials science , analytical chemistry (journal) , chemical physics , optics , nuclear magnetic resonance , physics , alkyl , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , chromatography , computer science , embedded system
Many experimental methods of surface science employ electrons or photons of considerable incident energy as probe particles. However, insulating surfaces or delicate physisorbed layers may be damaged by these particles and should, therefore, be analyzed with a gentler probe: He atom scattering allows to determine the symmetry of the unit cell and the detection of phase transitions from diffraction measurements as well as the determination of surface and adsorbate vibrations by time‐of‐flight resolved detection. Herein, the application of He atom scattering to oxide surfaces is demonstrated on the basis of the examples of MgO and ZnO. MgO(001) is a very inert and stable surface, whereas hydrogen atoms are chemisorbed on the mixed‐terminated ZnO(10 $\bar 1$ 0) and on both polar faces: ZnO(000 $\bar 1$ ) and ZnO(0001). He atom scattering is very sensitive to the presence of hydrogen on surfaces. In addition ZnO reacts with molecules such as water, CO and CO 2 . It is demonstrated that in combination with photoelectron spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy He atom scattering can also contribute to studies of surface chemistry.