Clean TiC(001) surface and oxygen chemisorption studied by work function measurement, angle-resolved X-RAY photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and ion scattering spectroscopy

The clean surface of TiC(001) prepared by flash-heating at ~ 1500°C shows a 1 × 1 ordered atomic structure. No gradient of chemical composition exists over the shallow surface region of ~15 Å. The work function of the clean surface is 3.8 ± 0.1 eV at room temperature. The features of oxygen chemisorption are similar to those of noble metals such as Ag and Cu; the average sticking probability is about two order of magnitude less than those of Ti and W metals, and the work-function change is also small. The oxygen atoms are preferentially chemisorbed on the carbon sites at the topmost layer, which is responsible for the small change in work function.