Surface segregation of a Pt–Au alloy: An atom-probe field ion microscope investigation

Abstract

An absolute composition depth profile of a dilute gold alloy of platinum is obtained with a true atomic layer depth resolution. At 600±20 °C, the top {001} layer Au concentration is found to be as high as 99±20% for a sample with a bulk gold concentration of 4.1±0.7%. The Au concentration decreases monotonically into the bulk, with a characteristic depth of about three atomic layers.