Stable contrast mode on TiO2(110) surface with metal-coated tips using AFM

Yan Jun Li; Huanfei Wen; Quanzhen Zhang; Yuuki Adachi; Eiji Arima; Yukinori Kinoshita; Hikaru Nomura; Zongmin Ma; Lili Kou; Yoshihiro Tsukuda; Yoshitaka Naitoh; Yasuhiro Sugawara; Rui Xu; Zhihai Cheng

doi:10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.04.003

Stable contrast mode on TiO₂(110) surface with metal-coated tips using AFM

Ultramicroscopy. 2018 Aug:191:51-55. doi: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Applied Physics, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan; National Key Laboratory for Electronic Measurement and Technology, North University of China. No. 3, Xueyuan Road, Taiyuan, Shan Xi 030051, China. Electronic address: liyanjun@ap.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp.
² Department of Applied Physics, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
³ Research Center for Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering and Resource Science Akita University, 1-1, Gakuencho, Tegata, Akita 010-8502, Japan.
⁴ Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
⁵ Department of Applied Physics, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita 565-0871, Japan; National Key Laboratory for Electronic Measurement and Technology, North University of China. No. 3, Xueyuan Road, Taiyuan, Shan Xi 030051, China.
⁶ CAS Key Laboratory of Standardization and Measurement for Nanotechnology, CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience, National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, Beijing 100190, PR China.

PMID: 29803917
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2018.04.003

Abstract

We investigated a method to obtain a stable contrast mode on the TiO₂(110) surface. The stable contrast rate is approximately 95% with a W-coated Si cantilever, which demonstrates that a stable tip apex plays an important role to obtain the real geometry of the surface during atomic force microscopy measurement. Information related to surface structure and tunnelling current on the TiO₂(110) surface can be obtained by the W-coated Si cantilever. It is possible to investigate the electronic structure and surface potential on the TiO₂(110) surface with atomic resolution. In particular, the proposed method could be widely applied to investigate the catalytic activity and the mechanism of a catalytic reaction by a metal-coated tip in the future.

Keywords: Atomic force microscopy (AFM); Stable contrast mode; TiO(2)(110) surface.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't