Communication: Calculations of the (2 × 1)-O reconstruction kinetics on Cu(110)

Density functional theory calculations are used to study the elementary processes of the formation of the (2 × 1)-O reconstruction on the Cu(110) surface. The (2 × 1)-O reconstruction requires additional Cu atoms to form Cu-O rows on top of the surface. Both terrace and step sites are considered as the source of Cu adatoms. On terraces, adsorbed oxygen induces the ejection of Cu atoms to form -O-Cu-O- units, leaving Cu vacancies behind. The barrier for subsequent unit growth, however, is prohibitively high. Cu(110) step sites are also considered as a source of Cu atoms. Dissociated oxygen triggers the formation of stable Cu-O chains along the [001] step edges. This process, however, blocks the diffusion of Cu atoms so that it is not a viable mechanism for the (2 × 1)-O reconstruction. Oxygen adsorption on the [11¯0] edges also allows the nucleation of [001] oriented Cu-O rows. The short Cu-O rows act as diffusion channels for Cu atoms that detach from the step, which append to the end of the Cu-O chains. Our calculations of the formation of the (2 × 1)-O phase on Cu(110) provide a mechanistic description of the experimentally observed reconstruction.