Oxidation of Ultrathin FeO(111) Grown on Pt(111): Spectroscopic Evidence for Hydroxylation

Using high resolution and ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy we show that the catalytically active FeO2 trilayer films grown on Pt(111) are very active for water dissociation, in contrast to inert FeO(111) bilayer films. The FeO2 trilayer is so active for water dissociation that it becomes hydroxylated upon formation, regardless of the applied preparation method. FeO2 trilayers were grown by oxidation of FeO(111) bilayer films either with molecular oxygen in the mbar regime, or by NO2 and atomic oxygen exposures, respectively, in the ultrahigh vacuum regime. Because it was impossible to prepare clean FeO2 without any hydroxyls we propose that catalytically highly active FeO2 trilayer films are generally hydroxylated. In addition, we provide spectroscopic fingerprints both for Pt(111)-supported FeO(111) and FeO2 films that can serve as reference for future in situ studies.