LEED and thermal desorption studies of small molecules (H2, O2, CO,CO2, NO,C2H4, C2H2 and C) chemisorbed on the stepped rhodium (755) and (331) surfaces

The chemisorption of H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, NO, C₂H₂, C₂H₄ and C has been studied on the clean stepped Rh(755) and (331) surfaces. Low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) were used to determine the size and orientation of the unit cells, desorption temperatures and decomposition characteristics for each adsorbate. All of the molecules studied readily chemisorbed on both stepped surfaces and several ordered surface structures were observed. The LEED patterns seen on the (755) surface were due to the formation of surface structures on the (111) terraces, while on the (331) surface the step periodicity played an important role in the determination of the unit cells of the observed structures. When heated in O₂ or C₂H₄ the (331) surface was more stable than the (755) surface which readily formed (111) and (100) facets. In the CO and CO₂ TDS spectra a peak due to dissociated CO was observed on both surfaces. NO adsorption was dissociative at low exposures and associative at high exposures. C₂H₄ and C₂H₂ had similar adsorption and desorption properties and it is likely that the same adsorbed species was formed by both molecules.     

The adsorption of CO,H2, H2, CO2 and H2O on carburized and graphitized Ni(110)

A study of the adsorption/desorption behavior of CO, H₂O, CO₂ and H₂ on Ni(110)(4 × 5)-C and Ni(110)-graphite was made in order to assess the importance of desorption as a rate-limiting step for the decomposition of formic acid and to identify available reaction channels for the decomposition. The carbide surface adsorbed CO and H₂O in amounts comparable to the clean surface, whereas this surface, unlike clean Ni(110), did not appreciably adsorb H₂. The binding energy of CO on the carbide was coverage sensitive, decreasing from 21 to 12 $\text{kcal}\text{mol}$ as the CO coverage approached 1.1 × 10¹⁵ molecules cm^?2 at 200K. The initial sticking probability and maximum coverage of CO on the carbide surface were close to that observed for clean Ni(110). The amount of H₂, CO, CO₂ and H₂O adsorbed on the graphitized surface was insignificant relative to the clean surface. The kinetics of adsorption/desorption of the states observed are discussed.     

The adsorption of CO,O2, and H2 on Pt(100)-(5×20)

The adsorption/desorption characteristics of CO, O₂, and H₂ on the Pt(100)-(5 × 20) surface were examined using flash desorption spectroscopy. Subsequent to adsorption at 300 K, CO desorbed from the (5×20) surface in three peaks with binding energies of 28, 31.6 and 33 kcal gmol^?1. These states formed differently from those following adsorption on the Pt(100)-(1 × 1) surface, suggesting structural effects on adsorption. Oxygen could be readily adsorbed on the (5×20) surface at temperatures above 500 K and high O₂ fluxes up to coverages of $\text{2}\text{3}$ of a monolayer with a net sticking probability to ssaturation of ? 10^?3. Oxygen adsorption reconstructed the (5 × 20) surface, and several ordered LEED patterns were observed. Upon heating, oxygen desorbed from the surface in two peaks at 676 and 709 K; the lower temperature peak exhibited atrractive lateral interactions evidenced by autocatalytic desorption kinetics. Hydrogen was also found to reconstruct the (5 × 20) surface to the (1 × 1) structure, provided adsorption was performed at 200 K. For all three species, CO, O₂, and H₂, the surface returned to the (5 × 20) structure only after the adsorbates were completely desorbed from the surface.     

Adsorption studies on a stepped Pt(111) surface: O2, CO,C2H4, C2N2

A comparative study of the adsorption of several gases on a Pt(S)-[9(111) × (111)] surface was performed using LEED, Auger spectroscopy, flash desorption mass spectrometry and work function changes as surface sensitive techniques. Adsorption was found to be generally less ordered on the stepped surface than on the corresponding flat surface with the exception of the oxygen, where r well ordered overlayer in registry over many terraces was found. Absolute coverages were determined from flash desorption experiments for O₂, CO and C₂N₂. Similar values were obtained as on flat Pt surfaces. Two different surface species seem to be formed upon adsorption of C₂H₄ depending on the adsorption temperature. Contrary to reports from Pt(111) surfaces conversion between the two surface species is heavily restricted on the stepped surface. Work function changes revealed nonlinear adsorbate effects where the adsorbate is electronegative with respect to the substrate. Various adsorption models are discussed in the light of complementary experimental evidence. The results of this study are compared with data available from flat Pt surfaces and possible influences of steps are discussed. No general trends, however, emerge from this comparison and it seems that eventual influences of steps have to be considered individually for every adsorbate.     

Leed and thermal desorption studies of small molecules (H2, O2, CO,CO2, NO,C2H4, C2H2 AND C) chemisorbed on the rhodium (111) and (100) surfaces

The chemisorption of H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, NO, C₂H₄, C₂H₂ and C has been studied on the clean Rh(111) and (100) surfaces. LEED, AES and thermal desorption were used to determine the surface structures, disordering and desorption temperatures, displacement and decomposition characteristics for each species. All of the molecules studied readily chemisorbed on both surfaces. A large variety of ordered structures was observed, especially on the (111) surface. The disordering temperatures of most ordered surface structures on the (111) surface were below 100°C. It was necessary to adsorb the gases at 25° C or below in order to obtain well-ordered surface structures. Chemisorbed oxygen was readily removed from the surface by H₂ or CO gas at crystal temperatures above 50°C. CO₂ appears to dissociate to CO upon adsorption on both rhodium surfaces as indicated by the identical ordering and desorption characteristics of these two molecules. C₂H₄ and C₂H₂ also had very similar ordering and desorption characteristics and it is likely that the adsorbed species formed by both molecules is the same. Decomposition of ethylene produced a sequence of ordered carbon surface structures on the (111) face as a result of a bulk-surface carbon equilibrium. The chemisorption properties of rhodium appear to be generally similar to those of iridium, nickel and palladium.     

The chemisorption of CO,CO2, C2H2, C2H4, H2 and NH3 on the clean Fe(100) and (111) crystal surfaces

The chemisorption of small molecules (CO, CO₂, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, H₂ and NH₃) has been studied on the clean Fe(110) and (111) crystal faces by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and thermal desorption. C₂H₄ and C₂H₂ yield the same sequence of surface structures that change with temperature and crystal orientation. CO and CO₂ chemisorption similarly results in the formation of the same types of surface structures that change with surface temperature and crystal orientation. Ammonia forms several ordered surface structures on both iron crystal faces. All of the molecules decompose as a function of temperature on the iron surfaces as indicated by the Auger and thermal desorption spectra.     

The growth and alloy formation of copper on the platinum (111) and stepped (553) crystal surfaces; characterization by Leed,AES, and CO thermal desorption

Epitaxial layers of copper were formed on Pt(111) and Pt(553) single crystal surfaces by condensation of copper atoms from the vapor. Surface alloys were formed by diffusing the copper atoms into the platinum substrate at temperatures above 550 K. The activation energy for this process was found to be ~ 120 $\text{kJ}\text{mol}$. These Pt/Cu surfaces were characterized by LEED, AES, and TDS of CO. The copper grows in islands on the Pt(111) surface and one monolayer is completed before another begins. There is an apparent repulsive interaction between the copper atoms and the step sites of the Pt(553) surface which causes a second layer of copper to begin forming before the first layer is complete. Epitaxial copper atoms block CO adsorption sites on the platinum surface without affecting the CO desorption energy. When the copper is alloyed with the platinum however, the energy of desorption of CO from the platinum was reduced by as much as 20 $\text{kJ}\text{mol}$. This reduction in the desorption energy suggests an electronic modification that weakens the Pt-CO bond.     

Adsorption of CO on clean and oxygen covered Ni(111) surfaces

Adsorption of CO on Ni(111) surfaces was studied by means of LEED, UPS and thermal desorption spectroscopy. On an initially clean surface adsorbed CO forms a √3 × $\text{√3}\text{R30°}$ structure at θ = 0.33 whose unit cell is continuously compressed with increasing coverage leading to a c4 × 2-structure at θ = 0.5. Beyond this coverage a more weakly bound phase characterized by a $\text{√7}\text{2}$ × $\text{√7}\text{2R19°}$ LEED pattern is formed which is interpreted with a hexagonal close-packed arrangement (θ = 0.57) where all CO molecules are either in “bridge” or in single-site positions with a mutual distance of 3.3 Å. If CO is adsorbed on a surface precovered by oxygen (exhibiting an O 2 × 2 structure) a partially disordered coadsorbate 2 × 2 structure with θ_o = θ_co = 0.25 is formed where the CO adsorption energy is lowered by about 4 kcal/mole due to repulsive interactions. In this case the photoemission spectrum exhibits not a simple superposition of the features arising from the single-component adsorbates (i.e. maxima at 5.5 eV below the Fermi level with O_ad, and at 7.8 (5σ + 1π) and 10.6 eV (4σ) with CO_ad, respectively), but the peak derived from the CO 4σ level is shifted by about 0.3 eV towards higher ionization energies.     

Interaction of NO and O2 with Pd(111) surfaces. II

At least three different types of oxygen atoms may be present in the surface region of Pd(111) which may be distinguished by their thermal, chemical, structural and electronic properties. Exposure to O₂ at low temperatures causes the formation of 2 × 2 and $\text{3}\text{×}\text{3}\text{R30°}$ structures from chemisorbed oxygen, the latter being probably stabilized by small amounts of H_ab or CO_ab on the surface. The initial sticking coefficient was estimated to be about s₀ ≈ 0.3, the adsorption energy ~55 kcal/mole. The photoelectron spectrum exhibits an additional maximum at 5 eV below E_F. During thermal desorption dissolution of oxygen in the bulk strongly competes; on the other hand absorbed oxygen may diffuse to the surface giving rise to high temperature peaks in the flash desorption spectra. High temperature (~1000 K) treatment of the sample with O₂ causes the formation of a more tightly bound surface species also characterized by a 2 × 2 LEED pattern which is chemically rather stable and which is considered to be a transition state to PdO. The latter compound is only formed by interaction with NO at about 1000 K via the reaction $\text{Pd}\text{+}\text{NO}\text{→}\text{PdO}\text{+}\text{1}\text{2N}{}_2$ which offers a rather high “virtual” oxygen pressure. This reaction leads to drastic changes of the photoelectron spectrum and is also identified within the LEED pattern.     

The adsorption of CO,O2, and H2 on Pt: I. Thermal desorption spectroscopy studies

Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) has been used to study the chemisorption of CO, O₂, and h₂ on Pt. It has been found that TDS is quite sensitive to local surface structure. Three single crystal and two polycrystalline Pt surfaces were studied. One single crystal was cut to expose the smooth, hexagonally close-packed plane of the fee Pt crystal (the (111) surface). The other two single crystals were cut to expose stepped surfaces consisting of smooth, hexagonally close-packed terraces six atoms wide separated by one atom high steps (the 6(111) × (100) and 6(111) × (111) surfaces). Only one predominant desorption state was observed for CO and H adsorbed on the smooth (111) single crystal surface, while two predominant desorption states were observed for these gases adsorbed on the stepped single crystal surfaces. The low temperature desorption states on the stepped surfaces are attributed to desorption from the terraces, while the high temperature desorption states are attributed to desorption from the steps. TDS of CO from the polycrystalline foils exhibited some desorption states which were similar to those observed on the stepped single crystal surfaces, indicating the presence of adsorption sites on the polycrystalline foils that were similar to the terrace and step sites on the stepped single crystals. In general, these results suggest a high density of defect sites on the polycrystalline foils which can not be attributed simply to adsorption at grain boundaries. Oxygen was found to adsorb well on the stepped single crystals and on the polycrystalline foils, but not on the smooth (111) single crystal, under the conditions of these experiments. This is attributed to a higher sticking probability for dissociative O₂ adsorption at steps or defects than on terraces.     

Co chemisorption on PtCu surfaces II. (1 × 1)-CO/Pt0.98Cu0.02(110)

The chemisorption of CO on the Pt atoms of an initially (1 × 3) reconstructed Pt_0.98Cu_0.02(110) surface at ~ 373 K can lead to the formation of a (1 × 1) surface. Comparisons are made with (1 × 3)-CO surfaces formed by CO exposures at 293 or 155 K. Thermal desorption shows that the (1 × 1)-CO surface has an enhanced population of high temperature CO peak ( ~ 543 K) from Pt sites. The CO-induced structural conversion also leads to a decrease in the subsequent CO uptake on the low temperature Pt sites and on the Pt-Cu “mixed” sites, with a concomitant increase in adsorption on the Cu-like sites. Such a reduction in the number of the Pt-Cu “ mixed” sites is also reflected in the CO-induced changes of the Cu 3d-derived states and the $\text{Cu 2p}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>3</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ core levels. A dynamic interplay between chemisorption and surface structure is thus demonstrated.     

Adsorption and surface structural chemistry of Na and Na + O2 on Ag(110)

The adsorption of Na and the coadsorption of Na and O₂ on Ag(110) have been studied by LEED, thermal desorption, and Auger spectroscopy. For Na coverages in the regime 0 < θ_Na < 2 the Na desorption spectra show a single peak (β) corresponding to a desorption energy of ～195 kJ mol^?1, and at θ_Na ～ 2 a (1 × 2) LEED pattern appears. At still higher coverages (2 < θ_Na < 5), a (1 × 3) surface phase is formed, and a new peak (α) appears in the desorption spectra; this is identified with Na desorption from an essentially Na surface. The desorption energy of αNa (～174 kJ mol^?1) indicates that Na adatoms beyond the first chemisorbed layer are significantly influenced by the presence of the Ag substrate. The initial sticking probability of O₂ on Na-dosed Ag(110) is enormously enhanced over the clean surface value, being of the order of unity, and O₂ chemisorption ultimately leads to a (4 × 1) surface structure. The presence either subsurface Na alone, or of both Na and O below the surface, causes substantial changes in surface behaviour. In the former case, submonolayer doses of Na lead to the appearance of a (1 × 2) structure; and in the latter case, Na + O₂ coadsorption results in a c(4 × 2) structure. Auger spectroscopy indicates that the Ag(110)-c(4 × 2)$\text{Na}\text{O}$ phase forms with a constant stoichiometry which is independent of the initial Na dose. The Na:O ratio in this adlayer is believed to be of the order of unity. The structures of the various ordered phases, the nature of the AgNa bonding, and the interatomic spacing between the alkali adatoms on Ag(110) are discussed.     

Reactive scattering of small molecules from platinum crystal surfaces: D2CO,CH3OH,HCOOH, and the nonanomalous kinetics of hydrogen atom recombination

The decomposition of D₂CO, CH₃OD and HCOOH on Pt(110) and of D₂CO on Pt(S)-[9(111) × (100)] was studied by molecular beam relaxation spectroscopy. D₂CO and CH₃OD evolved CO and H₂ via a desorption limited sequence of elementary steps. The rate constant for CO desorption from Pt(110) was 6 × 10¹⁴exp(? 35.5 $\text{kcal}\text{gmol}$ · RT) s^?1, and from Pt(S)-[9(111) × (100)] it was 1 × 10¹⁵ exp(?36.2 $\text{kcal}\text{gmol}\text{·RT}$) s^?1. On Pt(110) the rate constant for hydrogen formation was 10^{0 ± 1}exp(?24 $\text{kcal}\text{gmol}\text{·RT}$) $\text{m}\text{?}{}^2\text{atom}$ · s. On Pt(S)-[9(111) × (100)] two pathways for H₂ formation existed with rate constants of 8.7 × 10^?2exp( ?24.9 $\text{kcal}\text{gmol}\text{· RT}$) $\text{cm}{}^2\text{atom}$· s and 3.2 × 10^?3 exp(?19.5 $\text{kcal}\text{gmol}\text{·RT}$) $\text{cm}{}^2\text{atom}\text{·}$ s. These pre-exponential factors are in order of magnitude agreement with values typical of hydrogen recombination on other metals. When a small amount of sulfur ( ~ 0.1 ML) was adsorbed on the stepped Pt surface, only one pathway for H₂ formation existed due to blockage of stepped sites. A similar result was obtained when a beam of CO was impinged on the surface. Formic acid decomposed via a branched process to form primarily CO₂ and H₂.     

Characterization of oxygen,carbon, and sulfur adlayers on W(211)

Adlayers of oxygen, carbon, and sulfur on W(211) have been characterized by LEED, AES, TPD, and CO adsorption. Oxygen initially adsorbs on the W(211) surface forming p(2 × 1)O and p(1 × 1)O structures. Atomic oxygen is the only desorption product from these surfaces. This initial adsorption selectively inhibits CO dissociation in the CO(β₁) state. Increased oxidation leads to a p(1 × 1)O structure which totally inhibits CO dissociation. Volatile metal oxides desorb from the p(1 × 1)O surface at 1850 K. Oxidation of W(211) at 1200 K leads to reconstruction of the surface and formation of p(1 × n)O LEED patterns, 3 ? n ? 7. The reconstructed surface also inhibits CO dissociation and volatile metal oxides are observed to desorb at 1700 K, as well as at 1850 K. Carburization of the W(211) surface below 1000 K produced no ordered structures. Above 1000 K carburization produces a c(6 × 4)C which is suggested to result from a hexagonal tungsten carbide overlayer. CO dissociation is inhibited on the W(211)?c(6×4)C surface. Sulfur initially orders into a c(2 × 2)S structure on W(211). Increased coverage leads to a c(2×6)S structure and then a complex structure. Adsorbed sulfur reduces CO dissociation on W(211), but even at the highest sulfur coverages CO dissociation was observed. Sulfur was found to desorb as atomic S at 1850 K for sulfur coverages less than $\text{7}\text{6}$ monolayers. At higher sulfur coverages the dimer, S₂, was observed to desorb at 1700 K in addition to atomic sulfur desorption.     

The properties of K and coadsorbed CO + K on Ru(001): I. Adsorption,desorption, and structure

An extensive photoemission and LEED study of K and CO+K on Ru(001) has been carried out. In this paper the LEED and some XPS results together with TPD and HREELS data are presented in terms of adsorption, desorption. and structural properties, and their compatibility is discussed. Potassium forms (2 × 2) and $\text{(}\text{3}\text{×}\text{3}\text{)R30°}$ overlayers below and near monolayer coverage, and multilayer bonding and desorption is similar to that of bulk K. The initial sticking coefficients for CO adsorption on K predosed surfaces are correlated with the initial K structure, and s₀ and CO saturation coverages decrease with increasing K coverage. Two well-characterized mixed CO+K layers have been found which are correlated with predosed (2 × 2) K and $\text{(}\text{3}\text{×}\text{3}\text{)R30°}\text{K}$. They have CO to K ratios of 3:2 and 1:1, and lead to LEED patterns with (2 × 2) and (3 × 3) symmetry, respectively. The molecule is believed to be sp² rehybridized under the influence of coadsorbed K, leading to stronger CO-Ru and weaker C-O bonds as indicated by the TPD and HREELS results, and to stand upright in essentially twofold bridges.     

The decomposition of formic acid on Ni(100)

The decomposition of HCOOD was studied on Ni(100). Low temperature adsorption of HCOOD resulted in the desorption of D₂O, CO₂, CO, and H₂. The D₂O was evolved below room temperature. CO₂ and H₂ were evolved in coincident peaks at a temperature above that at which h₂ desorbed following H₂ adsorption and well above that for CO₂ desorption from CO₂ adsorption; CO desorbed primarily in a desorption limited step. The decomposition of formic acid on the clean surface was found to yield equal amounts of H₂, CO, and CO₂ within experimental error. The kinetics and mechanism of the decomposition of formic acid on Ni (110) and Ni(100) single crystal surfaces were compared. The reaction proceeded by the dehydration of formic acid to formic anhydride on both surfaces. The anhydride intermediate condensed into islands due to attractive dipole-dipole interactions. Within the islands the rate of the decomposition reaction to form CO₂ was given by:

$\text{Rate = 6 × 10}{}^{15}\text{exp{?[25,500 + ω(}\text{c}\text{c}{}_{\mathrm{sat}}\text{)]/RT} × c}$

, where c is the local surface concentration, c_sat is the saturation coverage for the particular crystal plane, and ω is the interaction potential. The interaction potential was determined to be 2.7 kcal/mole on Ni(110) and 1.4 kcal/mole on Ni(100); the difference observed was due to structural differences of the surfaces relating to the alignment of the dipole moments within the islands. These attractive interactions resulted in an autocatalytic reaction on Ni(110), whereas the interaction was not strong enough on Ni(100) to sustain the autocatalytic behavior. Formic acid decomposition oxidized the Ni(100) surface resulting in the formation of a stable surface oxide. The buildup of the oxide resulted in a change in the selectivity reducing the amount of CO formed. This trend indicated that on the oxide surface the decomposition proceeded via a formate intermediate as on Ni(110) O.     

Oxygen adsorption and oxidation reactions on Au(2 1 1) surfaces: Exposures using O2 at high pressures and ozone (O3) in UHV

Nanosized gold particles supported on reducible metal oxides have been reported to show high catalytic activity toward CO oxidation at low temperature. This has generated great scientific and technological interest, and there have been many proposals to explain this unusual activity. One intriguing explanation that can be tested is that of Nørskov and coworkers [Catal. Lett. 64 (2000) 101] who suggested that the “unusually large catalytic activity of highly-dispersed Au particles may in part be due to high step densities on the small particles and/or strain effects due to the mismatch at the Au-support interface”. In particular, their calculations indicated that the Au(2 1 1) stepped surface would be much more reactive towards O₂ dissociative adsorption and CO adsorption than the Au(1 1 1) surface. We have now studied the adsorption of O₂ and O₃ (ozone) on an Au(2 1 1) stepped surface. We find that molecular oxygen (O₂) was not activated to dissociate and produce oxygen adatoms on the stepped Au(2 1 1) surface even under high-pressure (700 Torr) conditions with the sample at 300-450 K. Step sites do bind oxygen adatoms more tightly than do terrace sites, and this was probed by using temperature programmed desorption (TPD) of O₂ following ozone (O₃) exposures to produce oxygen adatoms up to a saturation coverage of θ_O = 0.90 ML. In the low-coverage regime (θ_O ? 0.15 ML), the O₂ TPD peak at 540 K, which does not shift with coverage, is attributed to oxygen adatoms that are bound at the steps on the Au(2 1 1) surface. At higher coverages, an additional lower temperature desorption peak that shifts from 515 to 530 K at saturation coverage is attributed to oxygen adsorbed on the (1 1 1) terrace sites of the Au(2 1 1) surface. Although the desorption kinetics are likely to be quite complex, a simple Redhead analysis gives an estimate of the desorption activation energy, E_d, for the step-adsorbed oxygen of 34 kcal/mol and that for oxygen at the terraces near saturation coverage of 33 kcal/mol, values that are similar to others reported on Au surfaces. Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) indicates an oxygen-induced step doubling on the Au(2 1 1) surface at low-coverages (θ_O = 0.08-0.17 ML) and extensive disruption of the 2D ordering at the surface for saturation coverages of oxygen (θ_O ? 0.9 ML). Overall, our results indicate that unstrained step sites on Au(2 1 1) surfaces of dispersed Au nanoparticles do not account for the novel reactivity of supported Au catalysts for CO oxidation.     

Low-energy electron diffraction,Auger electron spectroscopy,and thermal desorption studies of chemisorbed CO and O2 on the (111) and stepped [6(111) × (100)] iridium surfaces

The adsorption of CO, O₂, and H₂O was studied on both the (111) and [6(111) × (100)] crystal faces of iridium. The techniques used were LEED, AES, and thermal desorption. Marked differences were found in surface structures and heats of adsorption on these crystal faces. Oxygen is adsorbed in a single bonding state on the (111) face. On the stepped iridium surface an additional bonding state with a higher heat of adsorption was detected which can be attributed to oxygen adsorbed at steps. On both (111) and stepped iridium crystal faces the adsorption of oxygen at room temperature produced a (2 × 1) surface structure. Two surface structures were found for CO adsorbed on Ir(111); a (√3 × √3)R30° at an exposure of 1.5–2.5 L and a (2√3 × 2√3)R30° at higher coverage. No indication for ordering of adsorbed CO was found on the Ir(S)-[6(111) × (100)] surface. No significant differences in thermal desorption spectra of CO were found on these two faces. H₂O is not adsorbed at 300 K on either iridium crystal face. The reaction of CO with O₂ was studied on Ir(111) and the results are discussed. The influence of steps on the adsorption behaviour of CO and O₂ on iridium and the correlation with the results found previously on the same platinum crystal faces are discussed.     

Iodine adsorption on a platinum stepped surface: Pt(s)[6(111) × (111)]

I₂ adsorption on Pt(s)[6(111) × (111)] surfaces under vacuum and atmospheric pressure conditions was studied by LEED, AES and thermal desorption. In contrast to smooth Pt(111), the surface structures were composed of multiple phase domains having (3 × 3) or ($\text{3}\text{×}\text{3}$)R30° local geometry and structural coincidence of the adjacent terraces. No special stability or instability of iodine adsorption at steps was observed.     

Adsorption of NO and CO on a Ru(1010) surface

A combination of modern surface measurement techniques such as LEED, AES and Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy were used to study the chemisorptive behavior of NO and CO on a $\text{(10}\text{1}\text{0)Ru}$ surface. The experimental evidence strongly favors a model in which NO adsorbs and rapidly dissociates into separate nitrogen and oxygen adsorbed phases, each exhibiting ordered structures: the C(2 × 4) and (2 × 1) structures at one-half and full saturation coveilage, respectively. At temperatures as low as 200°C, the nitrogen phase begins to desorb, and continuous exposure to NO in this temperature range results in an increasing oxygen coverage until the surface is saturated with oxygen and no further NO dissociation can take place. The nitrogen desorption spectrum depends strongly on coverage and exhibits several peaks which are related to structure of the adsorbed phase. There is evidence that once the surface is saturated with the dissociated NO phase further NO adsorption occurs in a molecular state. Carbon monoxide adsorbs in a molecular state and does not exhibit an ordered structure. The implications of the results with respect to the catalytic reduction of NO by H₂ and CO and the N₂ selectivity of Ru catalysts are discussed.