Structural transformations on an oxidized Ag(111) surface

The structure of the Ag(111) surface after the adsorption of molecular oxygen at a temperature of 300 K is studied by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. It is established that local surface oxide is formed at the first stage of adsorption. The subsequent adsorption of O results in the appearance of new objects with a size of 3–8 Å and a height of 1.0–1.5 Å on the Ag(111) surface, which form quasi-ordered structures with increasing degree of coating. The heating of the system obtained up to 500 K leads to a structural transition resulting in the formation of single islands of the p (4×4) phase on the surface. Surface structures are identified by a simulation based on the density functional theory.