Photoemission studies of oxygen adsorbed on a LiAl(1 1 0) alloy surface: Role of Li segregation

We investigated that the effect of the number of segregated Li atoms on the rate of oxidation on a LiAl alloy surface. Oxygen molecules adsorbed on the LiAl alloy react with the surface atoms to form stable oxides. The segregated Li atoms at reconstructed surfaces (cð2 2Þ and (2 1)) enhance the oxidation rate and form stable LiAlOx and Li2O. The degree of enhancement of oxidation by segregated Li atoms varies as a function of O2 exposure and annealing temperature, where the latter is directly related to the mode of surface reconstruction by Li segregation.