Site specific effects in alloy surface reactivity probed by Li ions

We investigated site specific reactivity of the α-Cu-Al(17 at.%)(1 0 0) alloy surface versus that of Al and Cu by measuring neutralisation of Li⁺ ions. Experiments show that Li⁺ neutralisation on the α-CuAl(1 0 0) alloy surface does not occur efficiently on Al and is somewhat more efficient on Cu as compared to a pure Cu sample, indicating depletion of electron density on Al and transfer to neighboring Cu. It can thus be concluded that Cu sites in presence of Al are more reactive in the sense that processes involving electron capture from the surface would proceed more efficiently on these.