ArticleChemistryOxygen intercalation under hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on Pt(111)

The interface between a two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystal and a metal surface can be regarded as a nanoreactor, in which molecule adsorption and catalytic reactions may occur. In this work, we demonstrate that oxygen intercalation and desorption occur at the interface between hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) overlayer and Pt(111) surface by using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS), photoemission electron microscopy, and low-energy electron microscopy. Furthermore, CO oxidation under the h-BN cover was also observed by NAP-XPS. The present results indicate that the nanospace under the 2D cover can be used for surface reactions, in which novel surface chemistry may be induced by the nanoconfinement effect.