Interface magnetism of Fe in p(2x2) K/Fe(1 1 0)

The interaction of alkali metal adsorbates with transition metal surfaces has received much attention for practical and academic reasons. The interface magnetism of Fe in p(2x2) K/Fe(1 1 0) is investigated by using the all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method within the local spin density approximation (LSDA). We found that the magnetism of interface Fe is suppressed by the interaction with adsorbed K: the magnetic moment of interface Fe atom (2.57 μB) is slightly smaller than that of clean Fe(1 1 0) surface (2.65 μB). The calculated work function (3.16 eV) for p(2x2) K on Fe(1 1 0) is smaller than that of Fe (4.31 eV) while larger than those of the experimental one (2.32 eV) for a perfect single K layer on Fe(1 1 0) and K (2.22 eV). Calculated density of states are presented and discussed in relation with magnetic properties of interface Fe