Effects of Oxygen on Silver Surface Structure

The chemisorption of oxygen on the (100), (110), and (111) faces of silver single crystals was studied with LEED, secondary electron spectroscopy, and other auxiliary techniques. The effect of exposures to oxygen at pressures up to 1 Torr and temperatures up to 500 °C was investigated using a crystal isolation valve. The chemisorbed oxygen causes mainly a strong faceting of the (100) and (110) faces, and a 4×4 superstructure on the (111) face. The effect of the internally diffused oxygen on the surface behavior was also investigated.