Oxygen induced faceting of Cu(911)

Abstract

The oxidation of copper is essential for several fields, such as corrosion, catalytic methanol synthesis, and CO2 electroreduction. However, the understanding of the oxidation of copper under various conditions is not complete. Here, we study the oxidation of the vicinal Cu(911) surface by O2 with in-situ Surface X-ray Diffraction. It was found that the surface facets to (410), (401), and (100) which are stable in the parameter range of T = 25–400 °C and p = 10−10–10−5 mbar O2. The (410) and (401) facets are present until the surface is further oxidized to Cu2O, at 10−5 mbar and above. These results further the knowledge on the oxidation of copper and its surfaces, which may be of importance for a wide range of applications.