Influence of the metal–insulator phase transition on low-energy Ar+ ions scattering from an Fe3O4 (001) surface

Abstract We investigated a single crystalline Fe 3 O 4 (0 0 1) surface by using a temperature-dependent low-energy ion spectroscopy with an Ar + ion beam. The energy spectra have revealed distinguished peaks corresponding to the Ar + –Fe single scattering, the recoil Fe and recoil O ions. Two step-like increases were revealed in the temperature-dependent curves of the positive-charged scattered ion yield in the metal–insulator phase transition region. A very weak phase-transition effect was observed on the oxygen emissions from the magnetite surface.