Absolute coverages of CO and O on Pt(111); Comparison of saturation CO coverages on Pt(100), (110) and (111) surfaces

Nuclear microanalysis (NMA) has been used to determine the absolute coverages of oxygen and CO adsorbed on Pt(111). The saturation oxygen coverage at 300 K is 3.9 ± 0.4 × 10¹⁴ O atoms cm^?2 (θ = 0.26 ± 0.03), confirming the assignment of the LEED pattern as p(2 × 2). The saturation CO coverage at 300 K is 7.4 ± 0.3 × 10¹⁴ CO cm^?2 (θ = 0.49 ± 0.02). The low temperature saturation CO coverages on Pt(100), (110) and (111) surfaces are compared.     

Unusually low stretching frequency for CO adsorbed on Fe(100)

For CO adsorption on Fe(100) different adsorption species are detected with high resolution EELS (electron energy loss spectroscopy) which sequentially fill in with increasing coverage. Up to ～ 350 K and low CO exposure (≦1 L), a predominant molecular species with an unusually low stretching frequency, 1180–1245 cm^?1, is detected. This unusual CO bond weakening is consistent with a “lying down” binding configuration of CO. For higher CO coverages at 110 K, further CO adsorption states with vibrational frequencies of 1900–2055 cm^?1 are populated which are due to CO bound with the molecular axis perpendicular to the surface.     

Adatom ascending at step edges and faceting on fcc metal (110) surfaces

Using first-principles total-energy calculations, we show that an adatom can easily climb up at monatomic-layer-high steps on several representative fcc metal (110) surfaces via a place exchange mechanism. Inclusion of such novel adatom ascending processes in kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of Al(110) homoepitaxy as a prototypical model system can lead to the existence of an intriguing faceting instability, whose dynamical evolution and kinetic nature are explored in comparison with experimental observations.     

A TDS and HREELS study of CO adsorbed on a potassium promoted Fe(111) surface

The adsorption behavior of CO on a potassium promoted Fe(111) surface was investigated in the range from zero to several monolayers of preadsorbed potassium. TD spectra show that the presence of potassium decreases the amount of CO which is desorbed in the α (molecular) desorption state and increases the desorption temperature of this state. In addition, it gives rise to second, β (recombination) desorption state which is correlated to K desorption. The total CO uptake is comparable to that for the clean surface for precoverages of up to one monolayer, beyond this, however, it increases and at three potassium monolayers it is about twice the clean surface value. At K precoverages above 0.5 monolayer the initial sticking coefficient for CO is greatly reduced so that CO exposures of up to several thousand Langmuirs are required in order to saturate the surface. The three stretch frequencies which are observed in HREELS for CO adsorbed on clean Fe(111) are all affected by the presence of potassium. At potassium precoverages between zero and 0.5 monolayers these frequencies shift both in energy and relative intensity; however, between 0.5 and 1 preadsorbed potassium monolayers the spectra are greatly modified and now show only two losses in the CO stretch region. The lower-frequency one of these gives evidence for a close interaction of CO with the coadsorbed potassium.     

Esdiad from CO on W(100): Evidence for non-vertically adsorbed CO

Mass-discriminating measurements of the angular distributions of electron-stimulated ion desorption (ESDIAD) from CO adsorbed on W(100) and coadsorbed with C and O have been performed. The O⁺ beams indicate normal and off-normal (by 5 to 13°) desorption which is interpreted as due to CO molecules bound in symmetric and in two types of unsymmetric bridges. Preadsorption of C suppresses the vertical state, while oxidation of the surface suppresses the off-normal states.     

The structure of oxygen on Cu(1 0 0) at low and high coverages

The local adsorption structure of oxygen on Cu(1 0 0) has been studied using O 1s scanned-energy mode photoelectron diffraction. A detailed quantitative determination of the structure of the 0.5 ML (√2×2√2)R45°-O ordered phase confirms the missing-row character of this reconstruction and agrees well with earlier structural determinations of this phase by other methods, the adsorbed O atoms lying only approximately 0.1 Å above the outermost Cu layer. At much lower coverages, the results indicate that the O atoms adopt unreconstructed hollow sites at a significantly larger O–Cu layer spacing, but with some form of local disorder. The best fit to these data is achieved with a two-site model involving O atoms at Cu–O layer spacings of 0.41 and 0.70 Å in hollow sites; these two sites (also implied by an earlier electron-energy-loss study) are proposed to be associated with edge and centre positions in very small c(2×2) domains as seen in a recent scanning tunnelling microscopy investigation.     

Unique geometric and electronic structure of CO adsorbed on Ge(100): A DFT study

CO adsorption on the Ge(100) surface has been investigated using a slab model with density functional theory implemented in SIESTA. CO was found to be exclusively adsorbed on the asymmetric dimer with C attaching on the lower Ge dimer atom. The adsorption process is barrierless. The calculated adsorption energy and vibration frequencies are comparable to previous experimental results. The crystal orbital Hamilton analysis showed that the bonding between Ge and CO is mainly attributable to the Ge 4p_z orbital overlapping with C 2 s, or with CO molecular orbitals 3σ and 4σ. The repulsive energy between adsorbed CO molecules is less than 1 kcal/mol. The diffusion barrier of CO on the Ge(100) surface is about 14 kcal/mol.     

Spatio-temporal pattern formation during CO oxidation on Pt(100) at low and intermediate pressures: A comparative study

Experimental studies of CO oxidation on Pt(100) over two different ranges of reactant pressures will be reviewed. Using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), spatio-temporal pattern formation was observed at temperatures between 420 and 540 K in the 10(-5) mbar pressure range. In an attempt to bridge the "pressure-gap," ellipsomicroscopy for surface imaging was used to follow pattern formation at temperatures around 600 K in the 10(-2) mbar pressure range. The features of the nonlinear phenomena, observed in these two different pressure regimes, are markedly different. This is shown by comparison of various qualitative and quantitative features of spatio-temporal pattern formation as well as the dynamics of the macroscopic reaction rate. Subsurface oxygen is proposed as a tentative alternative to the surface phase transition for oscillations in the reaction rate at higher temperatures and intermediate pressures. (c) 2002 American Institute of Physics.     

A LEED and AES study of the adsorption of bromine on W(100) at room temperature

Bromine gas adsorbs atomically on W(100) at room temperature to a saturation concentration of θ = 0.88 relative to the surface tungsten atom density (10¹⁹ m^?2). Below θ ～ 0.4, a c(2 × 2) overlayer is formed. Beyond this a ($\text{3}\text{4}$√2 × √2)R45° structure is preferred and this saturates at θ = 0.67. Higher surface bromine concentrations result in hexagonal variable compression structures on W(100). The sequence begins w structures on W(100). The sequence begins with a c(4 × 2) coincidence mesh which at higher coverages is compressed in one 〈0,1〉 substrate direction. At certain compressions the overlayer achieves p(5 × 2), c(6 × 2), p(7 × 2) coincident configurations and perhaps c(8 × 2) at saturation. This would correspond to θ = 0.875 and is the closest coincidence structure to a perfect hcp overlayer. Bromine prefers a rectangular overlayer geometry on W(100) and compression into an hexagonal array greatly reduces the overlayer stability. The nn repulsions incurred limit room temperature adsorption as the overlayer compresses to perfect hep. Halogen behaviour on W(100) is compared with that on Fe(100). Most differences can be explained in terms of geometrical and bond strength differences but chlorine on W(100) appears to be an exception to this rule.     

Clustering and layering of In adatoms on low and high index silicon surfaces: A comparative study

Using the morphological differences of low and high index surfaces as templates for metal growth, several low dimensional overlayer structures with novel structural and electronic properties can be formed. We present here a first report on submonolayer adsorption and residual thermal desorption studies of In adatoms on reconstructed high index Si (5 5 12)?2 × 1 surface and compare it with the observations on planar Si (111)?7 × 7 surface. The study is done by using in-situ Ultra High Vacuum surface sensitive probes like Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED). These conventional wide area techniques provide an understanding of atomistic issues involved in the evolution of the interface. We have observed an anomalous growth mode during adsorption at room temperature (RT) above 2ML, which includes adatom layering and clustering on Si (111) surface. This is also manifested during the desorption experiments on both surfaces, and the subtle differences on the two surfaces are discussed. The observation of LEED pattern during the adsorption process shows formation of different superstructural phases on Si (111)?7 × 7 surface. On Si (5 5 12) 2 × 1 surface we observe the sequential 2× (225), 2× (337) and 2× (113) facet formation during adsorption/desorption, which include quasi 1D-nanowire/chain structures. A combination of lattice strain effects, presence of step-edge barrier and quantum size effects are employed to speculate the differences in adsorption and desorption.     

First stages of the deposition of bismuth on copper examined by LEED: I. The (100) substrate

The different stages in the formation of monolayers of chemisorbed bismuth on the (100) face of copper have been followed by low-energy electron diffraction and Auger spectroscopy. The various LEED patterns obtained after evaporation of bismuth were studied from a structural viewpoint and also for their thermal behaviour. Measurements were made of diffracted intensities as a function of temperature, I(T). These measurements are part of a general study of the use of I(T) plots for characterizing adsorbed layers. Four well ordered structures are observed. The final one is interpreted in terms of a compact dense monolayer which has a quasi-hexagonal close packed arrangement - the interpretation illustrates the usefulness of optical transform methods for certain LEED patterns from adsorbed overlayers. None of the structures exhibits a melting-type transformation in the temperature range up to 400°C, although there is evidence for a solid-solid transformation. The behaviour of this system is compared with that of lead on copper (sharp melting transformations) and lead on nickel [some evidence of melting, but only on the (111) face]. Observations on the first stages of growth and epitaxy of bismuth crystallites on the (100) face are also reported.     

A model of structures of monolayers adsorbed on (100) faces of metals: A comparative study of various systems in the high symmetry coincidence mesh hypothesis

Recently, Huber and Oudar, have proposed a model for the structure of certain adsorbed layers. They have shown that an interpretation of LEED patterns based on the high symmetry of the coincidence mesh and a minimum number of different kinds of adsorption site gives rise to a structure of the adsorbate in rows or polygons. We propose here the application of the same model in the case of adsorption of a metal on (100) faces of cubic metals. We show that without knowing accurately the concentrations, but only the succession of the patterns, it is possible to deduce a model for the adsorbed layer. We give a classification of the different structures.     

Effect of ion bombardment at low energy on (100)InP surfaces,studied by Auger electron spectroscopy

Surface cleaning of (100)InP substrates with an Ar⁺ ion beam of 250–400 eV is analysed by AES and shown as a function of time. The results obtained show the possibility of removing the contamination layer without any significant chemical damage to the InP surface.     

Structure and vibrations of CO adsorbed on the Ni(100)p(2 × 2)O and c(2 × 2)O surfaces

Chemisorption of CO on the Ni(100)p(2 × 2)O and c(2 × 2)O surfaces has been investigated by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). At 175 K CO adsorption on Ni(100)p(2 × 2)O saturates at about 1 L exposure in a structure interpreted to be Ni(100)p(2 × 2)O—p(2 × 2)CO. The CO layer is stable at 175 K but desorbs readily around 300 K. The EEL spectrum for p(2 × 2)CO shows vibrational losses at 46 meV and 245 meV interpreted to be due to excitations of the Ni-C and C-O stretching vibrations of CO molecules bridge bonded to two nearest neighbour Ni atoms. This interpretation is also supported by the LEED observations. For the preceeding dilute CO layer the vibrational loss spectrum reveals CO adsorption both to Ni bridge sites and hollow sites. At 175 K CO does only adsorb stationary on p(2 × 2)O defects in the Ni(100)c(2 × 2)O surface and not at all on epitaxially grown NiO(111) and (100) surfaces.