Strain dependence of dissociative adsorption of H[formula omitted]O on epitaxially strained, out-of-plane polarized, BaTiO[formula omitted](001) thin films

Abstract

The strain dependence of the apparent activation energy of desorption of H2O on epitaxial, TiO2-terminated, out-of-plane polarized, BaTiO3(100) thin films has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature-programmed desorption. The apparent activation energy of desorption increases significantly with the in-plane strain, suggesting that the strain-induced ferroelectric distortion determines the strength of the chemical bond between the dissociatively adsorbed water and the surface.