Dynamic reconstructuring during surface compound formation on Ag(111): Incorporation of metal atoms in the adsorbate structures on close-packed surface

AEI 42

Ling Zhou, lingzhou@seas.harvard.edu and Robert J Madix. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Pierce Hall, 29 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138
High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are employed to study the formation of surface compounds on the close-packed Ag(111) surface. Dynamic restructuring of the surface occurs during the reaction of sulfur dioxide with Ag(111)- p(4×4)-O at 300 K. XPS reveals the formation of sulfite and sulfate on Ag(111). The reaction-induced deconstruction of the p(4×4)-O structures releases Ag atoms that partly form islands with Ag monatomic height on the original large terrace. Sulfite and sulfate structures contain added Ag atoms and order on both the terrace and the islands. We clearly demonstrate that incorporation of metal atoms in adsorbate and reaction intermediate structures is a general phenomenon on metal surfaces, and shed light on the structural complexity of the catalytic surfaces.