Ag induced restructuring of the oxygen precovered Cu(1 1 0) surface

The interplay between chemisorbed oxygen and deposited Ag on the Cu(1 1 0) surface has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM). The Cu–CuO stripe phase formed on the clean Cu(1 1 0) surface upon oxygen chemisorption at 660 K is partly dissolved by Ag deposition at 300 K. Upon annealing, however, a phase separation is observed, where the Cu–O compounds agglomerate into large CuO islands and the Ag is located in between. Also a strong preference for the Ag to attach to step bunches is observed. Especially on the fully ( 2 × 1 ) O reconstructed Cu(1 1 0) surface, all the deposited Ag is found at the step bunches giving rise to a contrast in PEEM.