Adsorption and coadsorption of carbon monoxide and hydrogen on Pd(111)

The adsorption and coadsorption of CO and H₂ have been studied by means of thermal desorption (TD) and electron stimulated desorption (ESD) at temperatures ranging from 250 to 400 K. Three CO TD states, labelled as β₂, β₁, and β₀ were detected after adsorption at 250 K. The population of β₂ and β₁ states which are the only ones observed upon adsorption at temperatures higher than 300 K was found to depend on adsorption temperature. The correlation between the binding states in the TD spectra and the ESD O⁺ and CO⁺ ions observed was discussed. Hydrogen is dissociatively adsorbed on Pd(111) and no ESD H⁺ signal was recorded following H₂ adsorption on a clean Pd surface. The presence of CO was found to cause an appearance of a H⁺ ESD signal, a decrease of hydrogen surface population and an arisement of a broad H₂ TD peak at about 450 K. An apparent influence of hydrogen on CO adsorption was detected at high hydrogen precoverages alone, leading to a decrease in the CO sticking coefficient and the relative population of CO β₂ state. The coadsorption results were interpreted assuming mutual interaction between CO and H at low and medium CO coverages, the “cooperative” species being responsible for the H⁺ ESD signal. Besides, the presence of CO was proved to favour hydrogen penetration into the bulk even at high CO coverage when H atoms were completely displaced from the surface.