Controlled ultra-thin oxidation of graphite promoted by cobalt oxides: Influence of the initial 2D CoO wetting layer

•Formation of a 2D CoO wetting layer with (D4h) instead of the conventional 3D character(Oh) of bulk CoO.•This wetting layer breaks the Carbon σ bonds of the graphite surface.•It allows the injection of oxygen into the graphite substrate.•The thickness of the oxidised graphite can be controlled via deposition of CoO.•These findings could be of great interest in applications using carbon-based materials. The interaction of CoO with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was studied using a set of complementary techniques. The morphology of the CoO thin film was determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM), whereas the electronic structure was investigated using X-ray absorption (XAS) and photoemission (PES) spectroscopies. The experimental spectra were analyzed using a configuration interaction CoO6 cluster model calculation. The early stages of growth are characterized by the formation of a CoO wetting layer at the CoO/HOPG interface. The electronic structure of the CoO wetting layer presents a clear 2D character, which is closer to the 2D HOPG substrate than to the 3D CoO bulk. This character of the wetting layer explains the posterior formation of CoO islands and excludes the alternative layer by layer growth mode. Further, the interaction between the CoO wetting layer and the outermost graphite layer favors the oxidation of the HOPG substrate which can be controlled by the thickness of the deposited CoO overlayer.