Probing the surface of pyrite

Pyrite -- perhaps better known as "fool's gold" for its yellowish metallic appearance -- is a common, naturally occurring mineral. It holds promise as a high-tech material, with potential uses in solar cells, spintronic devices and catalysts, but is also a byproduct of corrosion of steel in deep-sea oil and gas wells. Both its potential usefulness in devices and its role in corrosion are largely influenced by the fundamental electronic properties of its surface -- which have remained relatively ...