Wiesener Philipp, Förster Stefan, Merkel Milena, Schulze Lammers Bertram, Fuchs Harald, Amirjalayer Saeed, Mönig Harry
Universität Münster, Physikalisches Institut, Münster 48149, Germany.
Center for Nanotechnology, Münster 48149, Germany.
ACS Nano. 2024 Aug 20;18(33):21948-21956. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.4c03155. Epub 2024 Aug 5.
The structures of metal oxide surfaces and inherent defects are vital for a variety of applications in materials science and chemistry. While scanning probe microscopy can reveal atomic-scale details, elemental discrimination usually requires indirect assumptions and extensive theoretical modeling. Here, atomic force microscopy with O-terminated copper tips on a variety of sample systems demonstrates not only a clear and universal chemical contrast but also immediate access to the atomic configuration of defects. The chemically selective contrast is explained by purely electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged tip-apex and the strongly varying electrostatic potential of metal and oxygen sites. These results offer a standardized methodology for the direct characterization of even the most complex metal oxide surfaces, providing fundamental insight into atomic-scale processes in these material systems.
金属氧化物表面的结构和固有缺陷对于材料科学和化学中的各种应用至关重要。虽然扫描探针显微镜可以揭示原子尺度的细节，但元素鉴别通常需要间接假设和广泛的理论建模。在这里，在各种样品系统上使用氧端接铜尖端的原子力显微镜不仅展示了清晰且通用的化学对比度，还能直接获取缺陷的原子构型。这种化学选择性对比度是由带负电荷的尖端顶点与金属和氧位点强烈变化的静电势之间的纯静电相互作用来解释的。这些结果为直接表征甚至是最复杂的金属氧化物表面提供了一种标准化方法，为深入了解这些材料系统中的原子尺度过程提供了基础见解。
