The influence of high-energy (1.6 MeV) Ar irradiation on the interfacial interaction between cerium oxide thin films (∼15 nm) with a SiO/Si substrate is investigated using transmission electron microscopy, ultrahigh vacuum x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation catalytic reaction using ambient pressure XPS. The combination of these methods allows probing the dynamics of vacancy generation and its relation to chemical interactions at the CeO/SiO/Si interface.
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