DFT analysis of combined 3D NC-AFM and STM imaging of Cu(100)-O oxide surface

CFM Seminars

Speaker

Milica Todorovic, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

When

2012/07/16
18:00

Place

Auditorium of the Centro de Fisica de Materiales, Paseo Manuel de Lardizabal 5, Donostia-San Sebastián

Add to calendar

iCal

Subscribe to Newsletter

Investigation of novel catalytically active surfaces requires a comprehensive experimental method for the identification and rapid characterization of prospective catalytically active sites. The powerful method of three- dimensional atomic force microscopy (3D-AFM) in non-contact mode [1] has been combined with scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) to study the oxygen- terminated copper (100) surface. Complex 3D data sets, obtained by simultaneously recording the tunnelling current and the AFM frequency shift, allow for site specific quantification of forces and tunneling currents. The wealth of information obtained is promising for future applications, but the interpretation of the wide range of contrast modes requires a thorough characterisation of the sources of contrast in AFM and STM imaging. We combine DFT total-energy calculations with Non-equilibrium Green’s Function (NEGF) methods for electronic transport to determine the tip-surface interaction and tunnelling current [2, 3, 4] for a large set of tip models in order to clarify the different contrast modes obtained in the experiments. At the outset, we obtained a stable Cu(100)(2√2x√2)R45◦ -O surface reconstruction model. Surface features were found to be in good agreement with experimental data, and the analysis of surface electronic properties enabled us to identify prospective reactive sites. The effect of tip changes on contrast modes was explored by considering tips of different reactivity. Our simulations, in comparison with AFM experimental images, identified a contaminated tip with a Cu-terminated experimental configuration. Charge density and current calculations further helped to investigate the STM imaging mode and explain the lateral shift between surface features identified separately in AFM and STM images. Additionally, simulations of different surface defect models led us to understand detailed STM image features and enabled us to explore domain formation on the Cu(100)-O surface. The combination of conductance calculations with total energy methods provides insight into (1) the fundamentals of contrast formation in this novel experimental technique and (2) into the correlation between tip-sample forces and local chemical reactivity, factors that are essential for the further development and application of this approach to characterise catalytic activity. [1] B. J. Albers, T. C. Schwendemann, M. Z. Baykara, et al., Nature Nanotech. 4, 307, (2009). [2] Y. Sugimoto, P. Pou, M. Abe, et al., Nature 446, 64, (2007). [3] P. Jelinek, M. Svec, P. Pou, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 101, 176101, (2008). [4] J. M. Blanco, F. Flores and R. Perez, Prog. Surf. Sci. 81, 403, (2006).