High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy study of the oxidation of Nb(110) surface

NIOBIUM and its oxides are a new kind of materials applied in technical fields, such as catalysis, microelectronics, ceramics and optical glass. In order to understand the surface structure and catalytic activity, much work has been done on the oxidation of niobium. These results indicated that the oxidation process of niobium surface, the distribution and the structure of niobium oxides on the surface are all closely related to the condition of the oxidation process. Due to the high activity of niobium and the complexity of niobium oxide species, up to now there has not been a clear picture of the structure and the forming condition of the niobium oxides. HREELS is a powerful tool to investigate vibrational and structural properties of surface, but the HREELS study of the oxidation of Nb single crystal by Ohas never been reported before. In this note we investigated the oxidation of Nb(110) and the structure and adsorption properties of the oxide film using HREELS, UPS and AES.