Abstract
The present study focuses on the thermal behavior of continuous rhodium thin films (∼10 nm) deposited on a TiO2(110) substrate at 300 K and covered by a continuous ultrathin gold film (∼1 nm), applying scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) techniques. This arrangement facilitated a rather clear-cut investigation into the effect of the Au cover layer on the well-known encapsulation/decoration of Rh by TiOx, since the contribution of the titania substrate to the XPS and LEIS spectra could be avoided. Upon annealing a monometallic Rh film, the diffusion of Ti and O from the TiO2(110) substrate on top of the Rh film is essentially complete up to 850 K, leading characteristically to the formation of a “pinwheel” encapsulation layer with a TiO1.2 stoichiometry. The dewetting of the Rh film does not take place up to 950 K. Upon annealing of the Rh film in the presence of a continuous Au cover layer, the diffusion/accumulation of O was co...
Published Version
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