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[en] In order to investigate a way to diminish the impact of oxygen onto the critical cooling rate of Zr-based alloys, the bonding chemistry of the elements in Zr-Cu-Ni-Al-Nb-Si bulk metallic glasses with different oxygen contents is studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Complementary undercooling experiments lead to continuous-cooling-transformation diagrams for the studied alloys. The experimental results demonstrate that Al not only acts as a scavenger for both absorbed and intrinsic oxygen but the dissolution of its oxide on atomic length scales refrains from heterogeneous nucleation. The combined effect is an enhancement of oxygen tolerance in the investigated alloy.

[en] The epitaxial growth of graphene on transition metal surfaces by ex situ deposition of liquid precursors (LPD, liquid phase deposition) is compared to the standard method of chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The performance of LPD strongly depends on the particular transition metal surface. For Pt(111), Ir(111) and Rh(111), the formation of a graphene monolayer is hardly affected by the way the precursor is provided. In the case of Ni(111), the growth of graphene strongly depends on the applied synthesis method. For CVD of propene on Ni(111), a 1 × 1 structure as expected from the vanishing lattice mismatch is observed. However, in spite of the nearly perfect lattice match, a multi-domain structure with 1 × 1 and two additional rotated domains is obtained when an oxygen-containing precursor (acetone) is provided ex situ. (paper)

[en] The formation of well-ordered monolayers of hexagonal boron nitride on the surface of a Rh/YSZ/Si(111) multilayer substrate via a three-step boration-oxidation-nitration process was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of trimethylborate (BOCH₃)₃ results in a selective decomposition of the precursor leading to a dilute distribution of boron within the interstitials of the Rh lattice. After oxidation, the layer of a boron oxygen species of about 1 nm thickness can be transformed into a hexagonal monolayer of BN by annealing in an appropriate NH3 atmosphere. The results of the present study clearly show that the formation of BN monolayers is also possible when boron and nitrogen are provided successively from separate sources. This procedure represents an alternative routine for the preparation of well-ordered BN monolayers, which benefits from a strong reduction of hazardous potential and economic costs compared to the use of borazine as the current standard precursor.