Surface termination of CePt5/Pt(111): the key to chemical inertness

Praetorius, C., Zinner, M., Held, G. and Fauth, K. (2015) Surface termination of CePt5/Pt(111): the key to chemical inertness. Physical Review B, 92 (19). 195427. ISSN 1098-0121 doi: 10.1103/PhysRevB.92.195427

Abstract/Summary

The surface termination of CePt5/Pt(111) is determined experimentally by LEED-IV. In accordance with recent theoretical predictions, a dense Pt terminated surface is being found. Whereas the CePt5 volume lattice comprises Pt kagome layers, additional Pt atoms occupy the associated hole positions at the surface. This finding provides a natural explanation for the remarkable inertness of the CePt5 intermetallic. Implications of the structural relaxations determined by LEED-IV analysis are discussed with regard to observations by scanning tunneling microscopy and electron spectroscopies.