Configurational correlations in the coverage dependent adsorption energies of oxygen atoms on late transition metal fcc(111) surfaces

The coverage dependence of oxygen adsorption energies on the fcc(111) surfaces of seven different transition metals (Rh, Ir, Pd, Pt, Cu, Au, and Ag) is demonstrated through density functional theory calculations on 20 configurations ranging from one to five adsorption sites and coverages up to 1 ML. Atom projected densities of states are used to demonstrate that the d-band mediated adsorption mechanism is responsible for the coverage dependence of the adsorption energies. This common bonding mechanism results in a linear correlation that relates the adsorption energies of each adsorbate configuration across different metal surfaces to each other. The slope of this correlation is shown to be related to the characteristics of the valence d-orbitals and band structure of the surface metal atoms. Additionally, it is shown that geometric similarity of the configurations is essential to observe the configurational correlations.