Atomic structure of a thin silica film on a Mo(112) substrate: a two-dimensional network of SiO4 tetrahedra.

The structure of a thin single crystalline SiO(2) film grown on Mo(112) has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. In excellent agreement with the experimental results, density functional theory calculations show that the film consists of a two-dimensional network of corner sharing [SiO(4)] tetrahedra, with one oxygen of each tetrahedron binding to the protruding Mo atoms of the Mo(112) surface.