Abstract
In recent years, the formation of thin, well-ordered but complex surface oxides on latetransition metals has been discovered. The driving force for this line of research has beenthe strong incentive to increase the partial pressure of oxygen from ultra-high vacuum toconditions more relevant for heterogeneous catalysis. Here we review the present status ofthe research field. Compared to oxygen adatom superstructures, the structure of the surfaceoxides has proven to be extremely complex, and the investigations have thereforerelied on a combination of several experimental and theoretical techniques. Theapproach to solving the structures formed on close-packed surfaces of Pd and Rh ispresented in some detail. Focusing on the structures found, we show that thesurface oxides share some general properties with the corresponding bulk oxides.Nevertheless, of all surface oxide structures known today, only the two-dimensionalsurface oxides on Pd(100) and Pt(110) have the same lattice as the bulk oxides(PdO and PtO, respectively). In addition to two-dimensional oxides, including theO–Rh–O trilayers found on Rh, one-dimensional oxides were observed at ridges orsteps of open surfaces such as (110) or vicinal surfaces. Finally, we briefly reporton a few studies of the reactivity of surface oxides with well-known structure.
Published Version
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