Apparatus for dosing liquid water in ultrahigh vacuum
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Date
2018-08-30
Authors
Balajka, Jan
Pavelec, Jiří
Komora, Mojmír
Schmid, Michael
Diebold, Ulrike
ORCID
Advisor
Referee
Mark
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIP Publishing
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Abstract
The structure of the solid-liquid interface often defines the function and performance of materials in applications. To study this interface at the atomic scale, we extended an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) surface-science chamber with an apparatus that allows bringing a surface in contact with ultrapure liquid water without exposure to air. In this process, a sample, typically a single crystal prepared and characterized in UHV, is transferred into a separate, small chamber. This chamber already contains a volume of ultrapure water ice. The ice is at cryogenic temperature, which reduces its vapor pressure to the UHV range. Upon warming, the ice melts and forms a liquid droplet, which is deposited on the sample. In test experiments, a rutile TiO2(110) single crystal exposed to liquid water showed unprecedented surface purity, as established by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. These results enabled us to separate the effect of pure water from the effect of low-level impurities present in the air. Other possible uses of the setup are discussed. (C) 2018 Author(s).
Description
Citation
REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS. 2018, vol. 89, issue 8, p. 1-6.
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.5046846
https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.5046846
Document type
Peer-reviewed
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Published version
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Language of document
en