Ultrathin oxide films supported on metal surfaces provide oxide-metal hybrid systems with novel structural, electronic, magnetic and chemical properties. Here I will address oxide nanostructures in the ultimate 2-D limit, that is oxide overlayers with only one unit cell in the thickness dimension.  We will investigate transition metal oxide monolayer-type structures that are coupled to group VIII or group Ib noble metal single crystal surfaces. Low-D oxide nanostructures on well-defined metal surfaces can be fabricated with atomic-scale precision and design control using bottom-up directed self-assembly and a surface science methodology. The geometric and electronic structure as well as the magnetic properties of Mn oxide and Co oxide monolayers on flat and vicinal Pd surfaces have been examined. It is shown that interface bonding, strain release and finite size effects play an important role in stabilizing novel structure geometries. A complex nano-scale morphology as a result of the interplay of elastic and electronic effects has been found for Mn oxide  nanostripes on stepped Pd surfaces, displaying 'magic widths' and a significant restructuring of the Pd substrate surface. For Ni oxide on Ag(100), surface embedded nano-island phases have been observed that are discussed in terms of the balance between kinetic and thermodynamic effects, as revealed by DFT calculations. The discussion will then be extended from binary oxides to ternary oxide systems. I will report on the formation and structure of a novel 2-D Cu-tungstate phase, which has been fabricated using oxide clusters and a 2-D solid state chemical reaction route.Work supported by the ERC Advanced Grant 'SEPON'.

Oxide materials at the 2D limit

245th National Meeting (2013)

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