A STM Investigation of Pt‐Single Crystal Surfaces in Air and Electrolyte Solutions

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We describe the construction of a beetle‐type scanning tunneling microscope optimized for in situ measurements. The influence of the crystal preparation technique on the surface structure is reported. Whereas annealing of platinum single crystals in iodine vapour yields smooth surfaces for the low index faces, which are protected from contamination in air by the adsorbed iodine, facetting occurs in the case of stepped surfaces. — The iodine adlattices are resolved both in air and electrolyte: Pt(111) (3 × 3)‐I and Pt(100) (√2 × 5√2)R45°I, thus confirming previous LEED results.