One-dimensional tungsten oxide nanostructures on Cu(110) surface

SEDIVÁ, ROMANA; PISTONESI, CAROLINA; PRONSATO, MARÍA ESTELA; DUCHON, TOMÁS; STETSOVYCH, VITALII; MYSLIVECEK, JOSEF; MASEK, KAREL

JOURNAL OF PHYSICS CONDENSED MATTER

IOP PUBLISHING LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2018 vol. 30

0953-8984

Thin epitaxial layer of tungsten oxide can serve as a substrate for model studies, especially for an investigation of its chemical reactivity and catalytic properties. However, an ability to prepare such a model system in-situ is quite rare. Here, we present a preparation method of highly ordered tungsten oxide thin film onto Cu (110) single crystal substrate using physical vapor deposition in reactive atmosphere of atomic oxygen. The oxygen induced reconstruction of the copper substrate gives rise to unique self-organized one-dimensional structures of tungsten oxide parallel with Cu [1-10] crystallographic direction. This highly anisotropic system exhibits momentum dependent modulation of the valence band electronic structure shown by ARPES measurement. Our experimental observations were supported by the results of DFT calculations which confirmed stability of such a system and explained shift in position of W 4f core line. Unusual character of the one-dimensional oxide structures can enhance its fitness for heterogeneous catalysis and described system can prove itself useful for further investigation of the tungsten oxide´s reactivity.