Elsevier, Surface Science, 1-3(475), p. 73-82
DOI: 10.1016/s0039-6028(00)01075-x
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The electronic structure of polycrystalline monoclinic WO3 has been investigated by means of scanning tunneling spectroscopy in ultrahigh vacuum. Current image tunneling spectroscopy maps show a clear and systematic increase of the conductance of the surface at the WO3 crystallite boundaries, with a corresponding decrease of the bandwidth. This effect is assigned to the occurrence of σ bonded electronic states lying deep in the bulk band gap, and due to pairing of reduced W ions at intersection planes between adjacent crystallites. Significant presence of π bonding states at the Fermi level has been also detected at these crystallites boundaries.