The adsorption of oxygen on a stepped platinum single crystal surface

The adsorption of oxygen on the Pt(S)-12(111) × (111) surface has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction and thermal desorption spectroscopy. Two types of adsorbed oxygen have been identified by thermal desorption spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction: (a) atoms adsorbed on step sites; (b) atoms adsorbed on terrace sites. The kinetics of adsorption into these two states can be modeled by considering sequential filling of the two adsorbed atomic states from a mobile adsorbed molecular precursor state. Adsorption on the step sites occurs more rapidly than adsorption onto the terraces. The sticking coefficient for oxygen adsorption is initially 0.4 on the step sites and drops when the step sites are saturated. The heat of desorption from the step site (45 ± 4 kcal/mole) is about 15% larger than the heat of desorption from the terraces.