Electronic structure and reactivity of ultra-thin Fe films on a Rh(100) surface

The electronic structure and reactivity of ultra-thin Fe films on a Rh(100) surface have been investigated by angle-resolved ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (ARUPS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The dispersion of d-bands of a clean Rh surface is consistent with the projection of the bulk band structure. One monolayer of Fe film shows a systematic shift of d-bands toward large binding energy by 0.4 eV and a large reduction in the density of states just below the Fermi level, in particular, around the M point. In accordance with the decrease in the density of states at the Fermi level, the bonding energy of hydrogen is greatly reduced to 245 kJ/mol on a 1 ML (ML = monolayer) Fe film, although the sticking coefficient is still in the range of 0.1–0.3. The successive increase in activation energy for the desorption of hydrogen with the increase of Fe film thickness from 1 to 3 ML is associated with a recovery of the density of states at the Fermi level.