Surface reconstruction of W₂C(0001).

A single crystal surface of ditungsten carbide, W(2)C(0001) was investigated using low-energy (LEED) and high-energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). A new reconstruction, √13 x √13R ± 13.9◦, was found as a clean surface structure after annealing the W(2)C at > 1900 K. The surface carbon content is shown as larger than that in the bulk. Our preliminary results showed that the same structure is realized also on WC(0001). The same surface periodicity is described for an Mo(2)C(0001) LEED pattern in the literature. This reconstruction phase is presumably common on the (0001) surface of hexagonal group-6 transition-metal carbides. In the off-specular HREELS, an atomic vibration of 44.8 meV (361 cm( - 1)) appeared within the gap energy region of the bulk phonon bands, which was assigned to a surface carbon vibration perpendicular to the surface. One possible explanation of the low vibrational frequency is very low adsorption height of the surface carbon atoms.