Surface-Impurity Segregation on Pt and Its Potential Role in the Reconstruction of Pt{100}

Abstract

Field emission microscopy studies and very high-resolution Auger electron spectroscopy analyses of platinum field-emitter surfaces show that P, Si, and S impurities strongly segregate to the {100} areas, and that Si stabilizes the nonequilibrium {012} planes. Auger spectra demonstrate the difficulty of detecting Si and S impurities on Pt because of peak-overlap problems at 92 and 152 eV, respectively. Evidence is presented which suggests that these impurities have been largely overlooked in Pt{100} reconstruction studies.