The aim of this paper is to summarize the results of experiments carried out at our laboratory on the response of the work function of several thin films of transition metals and rare earth metals to interaction with molecular hydrogen. The main focus concerns the description of surface phenomena accompanying the reaction of hydride formation as a result of the adsorbate's incorporation into the bulk of the thin films. Work function changes Δ Φp caused by adsorption and reaction concern the surface, hence this experimental method is appropriate for solving the aforementioned problem. A differentiation is made between the work function changes ΔΦp due to creation of specific adsorption states characteristic of hydrides, and ΔΦp arising as a result of surface defects and protrusions induced in the course of the reaction. The topography of thin metal films and thin hydride films with defects and protrusions was illustrated by means of atomic force microscopy. For comparison, the paper discusses work function changes caused by H_2 interaction with thin films of metals which do not form hydrides (for example platinum), or when this interaction is performed under conditions excluding hydride formation for thermodynamic reasons. Almost complete diminishing of ΔΦp was observed, in spite of significant hydrogen uptake on some rare earth metals, caused by formation of the ordered H-Y-H surface phase.
Thin europium films (20-50 nm thick) on a glass substrate were transformed into EuH_x (0 < x < 2) by interaction with H_2 introduced into the reactor in successive calibrated doses. By measuring the pressure, the hydrogen uptake (H/Eu) was determined at every step of the reaction. In situ monitoring of bulk properties (electrical resistance R(H/Eu), relative transparency to light T(H/Eu)/T_0 and (H/Eu) dependent light transparency spectrum) confirms metal-semiconductor transition at room temperature. Both the electrical resistance and optical transparency of the film strongly increase with hydrogen concentration as a consequence of the resulting increase of the content of semiconducting dihydride. Moreover, the course of work function changes ΔΦ(H/Eu) indicates inversion of the charge-transfer direction on the surface. The transition at room temperature from positively to negatively polarized hydrogen adsorbate was observed in situ during hydrogen uptake. As a result, the work function at equilibrium state varies with hydrogen content from +18 to -18 mV with respect to pure metal film, reflecting the change of "mirror potential" generated on the surface due to the accumulation of hydrogen adsorbates in the subsurface region.
We present millikelvin studies of magnetoresistance for epitaxial films and wires of CdTe:In. In comparison to the data with theoretical predictions for the weakly localized regime we put into the evidence the presence of the temperature-induced dimensional crossovers in the studied systems. Our measurements probe the electron phase-breaking rate and indicate that the main dephasing mechanism arises from electron scattering from thermal fluctuations of three- or two-dimensional electron liquid.
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