Carbon monoxide and hydrogen coadsorption on polycrystalline platinum

The coadsorption of carbon monoxide and hydrogen was studied on a polycrystalline platinum foil. In a comparison with single crystal surfaces, the desorption kinetics of the individual species most closely resemble those on Pt(110). In coadsorption there is competition between CO and H₂. Carbon monoxide completely blocks hydrogen adsorption, but on a hydrogen-saturated surface only two-thirds of the carbon nomoxide adsorption is blocked. Shifts in peak temperatures for hydrogen desorption indicate that repulsive interactions between adsorbed CO and H₂ are important, and lead to segregated islands of the two adsorbates. Under some conditions there is also a new low temperature desorption peak for hydrogen which indicates that there are regions on the surface where carbon monoxide and hydrogen are intermixed.