Department of Materials Science, Institute of Condensed Matter Physics, Heinrich-Heine University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
Abstract:
Ultrathin epitaxial layers of cerium oxide were prepared by oxidation of layers of an ordered Pt–Ce surface alloy on top of a Pt(111) single crystal. They consist of low-dimensional CeO2 islands. Atomically resolved scanning tunnel microscopy (STM) images indicate a surface structure of the fluorite-type CeO2(111) 1×1 phase and the presence of surface defects.