Fabrication of nanoscale alumina on NiAl(100) with a scanning tunneling microscope

The Crystallization of Amorphous Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Grown on NiAl(100)

“…Aluminum oxide thin films have important applications in microelectronics, protective coatings, and catalysis. In particular, the formation of aluminum oxide on NiAl substrates has been studied extensively owing to its important applications in harsh environments ranging from high‐temperature materials in propulsion systems and gas turbine engines to ambient‐temperature reactions, such as surface catalysts and electronic metallization . The aluminum oxides on NiAl(100) were typically formed by directly oxidizing a clean NiAl(100) surface at a high temperature (typically around 727°C or above) or by exposing a clean NiAl(100) surface to oxygen gas at room temperature followed by annealing at a high temperature, both of which would result in fully‐ or partially crystallized oxides .…”

“…In particular, the formation of aluminum oxide on NiAl substrates has been studied extensively owing to its important applications in harsh environments ranging from high-temperature materials in propulsion systems and gas turbine engines to ambient-temperature reactions, such as surface catalysts and electronic metallization. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] The aluminum oxides on NiAl(100) were typically formed by directly oxidizing a clean NiAl(100) surface at a high temperature (typically around 727°C or above) or by exposing a clean NiAl(100) surface to oxygen gas at room temperature followed by annealing at a high temperature, both of which would result in fully-or partially crystallized oxides. 9,10 Most of the studies focused on investigating the properties of the crystalline oxides due to their stable electronic and geometric structures, with only a few exceptions focusing on the study of amorphous aluminum oxides formed on NiAl(100) substrates.…”