Adsorption States and Dissociation Processes of Oxygen Molecules on Cu(100) at Low Temperature

Abstract

The adsorption states and dissociation process of oxygen on Cu(100) at 40 K were investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. The dissociation of O2 occurs on the bare Cu(100) surface via a mobile precursor at 40 K. This precursor was not observed as a stable intermediate. The chemisorption state of O2 is a single peroxo species with the O−O stretching energy at 631 cm-1. This peroxo species is stabilized by the interaction with the dissociated oxygen species, and the dissociation barrier from the chemisorbed O2 depends on the coverage of atomic oxygen.