Designable Functionality of Metal-supported Ultrathin Oxide Films

Ultrathin oxide films have attracted a great deal of interest due to their importance in a broad range of technological applications, such as gas sensors, fuel cells, protective coatings, and heterogeneous catalysis. Recent theoretical and experimental works of catalysis demonstrated the importance of the electronic states of metal atoms adsorbed on ultrathin oxide films grown on metal substrates. In this talk, I will first present a brief review of various properties obtained for metal-supported ultrathin oxide films. Next I will show some ab initio calculation results carried out in our group to understand the physical properties of metal atoms on metal-supported ultrathin MgO films. Finally possible implications for designable material systems will be discussed.