Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) were used to characterize highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) which was oxidized by two different methods, furnace heating in atmosphere and immersion in oxygen plasma. The character of the surfaces was found to be dissimilar on a micron scale but comparable on a nanometer scale, at which both appear to be comprised of sharp step edges. Variations in local electronic structure near a step edge were compared.