Gustafson J, Mikkelsen A, Borg M, Lundgren E, Köhler L, Kresse G, Schmid M, Varga P, Yuhara J, Torrelles X, Quirós C, Andersen J N
Department of Synchrotron Radiation Research, Lund University, Box 118, S-221 00, Sweden.
Phys Rev Lett. 2004 Mar 26;92(12):126102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.92.126102.
The oxidation of the Rh(111) surface at oxygen pressures from 10(-10) mbar to 0.5 bar and temperatures between 300 and 900 K has been studied on the atomic scale using a multimethod approach of experimental and theoretical techniques. Oxidation starts at the steps, resulting in a trilayer O-Rh-O surface oxide which, although not thermodynamically stable, prevents further oxidation at intermediate pressures. A thick corundum like Rh2O3 bulk oxide is formed only at significantly higher pressures and temperatures.
