Isotope effects in the interaction of hydrogen and deuterium with a rhodium (110) surface

The adsorption of H₂ and D₂ on a Rh (110) surface at 100 K leads to a sequence of ordered phases, among others 1×2 phases at_H=0.5 and at_H=1.5 which likely involve a partial surface reconstruction consisting of a small perpendicular displacement of Rh surface atoms. The structure of the adsorbate phases is strongly correlated with the binding energy of the adsorbed phases. Three H (D) binding states (₁,₂ and) are populated at saturation as determined by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). Whereas the peak temperature of the state is invariant with the hydrogen isotope, the D ₁ state appears at a 8 Klower and theD ₂ state at a 5 Khigher temperature than the respective H states. Generally the D phases exhibit a better long-range order than the H phases. The rate of adsorption is identical for the first three adsorbed phases but D₂ adsorbs appreciably faster in the 1×2–3H and the final l×1–2H phases.Zero point energy effects as well as a H coverage dependent local interaction model could account for the observed effects.