It was have observed that the reconstruction dynamics for stepped (977) were influenced by the oxygen dissolution history of the crystal. Using a complementary approach incorporating both real- and reciprocal-space techniques, it was found that the upper end of the thermal range over which this stepped metal surface transformed from single to double steps increased with selvedge or sub-surface oxygen concentration. These results enhanced the understanding of how adsorbate dissolution, and hence oxygen exposure history, modified energetic pathways for metallic oxidation.

Influence of Oxygen Dissolution History on Reconstruction Behavior of a Stepped Metal Surface. T.P.Pearl, S.B.Darling, L.Niu, D.D.Koleske, D.J.Gaspar, S.F.King, S.J.Sibener: Chemical Physics Letters, 2002, 364[3-4], 284-9