A well-structured metastable ceria surface

By the growth of a 180 nm thick film on Si(111), we produce a metastable ceria surface with a morphology dominated by terraced pyramids with an oriented triangular base. Changes in the nanoscale surface morphology and local surface potential due to annealing at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 1150 K in the ultra-high vacuum are studied with non-contact atomic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy. As the surface is stable in the temperature range of 300 K to 850 K, it is most interesting for applications requiring regular steps with a height of one O-Ce-O triple layer.