Auger lineshape analysis as a tool to study surface reactions: kinetics of the dissociation of NO on Rh(110)

We present a new method for following the kinetics of the dissociation of chemisorbed molecules, by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in the pulse counting mode. By following the time evolution of the Auger lineshape, it is possible to quantify the relative weight of the dissociated and undissociated chemisorbed species as a function of time. As an example, we have applied the method to the case of NO chemisorbed on rhodium (110). The high signal to noise ratio which can be obtained by AES in the pulse counting mode makes it possible to measure the kinetics with good accuracy, without affecting the reaction.