Work function measurements on (100) and (110) surfaces of silver

Abstract

(100) and (110) single crystals of silver were cleaned by electron and argon‐ion bombardment in ultra‐high vacuum. The work functions of the bulk crystals, and of silver films formed upon them by autoepitaxy, were determined photoelectrically. The bulk crystals had work functions of (4.64 ± 0.02) eV and (4.52 ± 0.02) eV respectively. The effect of the deposition of silver films was to reduce the work function, but continued cycles of deposition and annealing at 500 to 600 K caused the work function to return to a value very close to that of the bulk crystal. An annealed film of silver deposited in stages on a mica substrate at 425 K had a work function of (4.72 ± 0.02) eV, corresponding to that of the (111) silver surface. If the mica remained at room temperature during deposition, the work function was about 4.5 eV. The work function of a thick polycrystalline film of silver on quartz was (4.26 ± 0.02) eV. The results support the Smoluchowski correlation of work function with surface atom density.

Mechanisms of THz generation from silver nanoparticle and nanohole arrays illuminated by 100 fs pulses of infrared light

“…Above this incident intensity the order decreases. For incident intensities below ß55 GW cm −2 the order of the process corresponds to a number of photons required to liberate a single electron (1.55 eV photons, silver work function ß4.6 eV [32]). For higher incident intensities the experimental data for both particles and holes show a lower-order dependence, often attributed to electrons tunneling through a tilted vacuum potential (e.g., see [31,33], and references therein).…”

Analysis of the degradation of BaTiO3 resistivity due to hydrogen ion incorporation: Impedance spectroscopy and diffusion analysis

“…Work function depends on surficial parameters, such as surface cleanliness and surface crystal plane, so one may find different values for work function of a metal in literatures [45,46]. Three electrodes of Ag, Au, and Pt are selected with work functions of 4.26 [47], 5.40 [48], and 5.64 eV [49] in polycrystalline form. The advantages of using those electrodes are, first, their works functions have been well studied and known; second, they all could be easily coated on BaTiO 3 k-square samples with the same method (sputtering) to make sure their quality is somewhat similar; third, regarding BaTiO 3 electron affinity, 3.9 eV [50], the Schottky barriers are different enough to make tangible changes in IS results [51].…”

Reduction of silver complexes: towards an ever more elaborated insight in the influence of the type of ligand on the reaction rate

“…Based on the fact that the work function of Ag is lower than that of TiO 2 [39][40][41], the TiO 2 /Ag junction is expected to be an ohmic contact, resulting in the current/voltage characteristic of a metal when the anodised electrode is covered with silver. The optimal conditions must be found, where the reduction reaction is still CT controlled (not too much silver deposited in order to preserve the semi-conducting properties of the substrate) and yet stationary (only small modifications of the substrate during the voltammetric measurement).…”