Diffusion of O Atoms on a CO-Covered Ru(0001) Surface─A Combined High-Speed Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Density Functional Theory Study at an Enhanced CO Coverage

Abstract

The diffusion of adsorbed O atoms on a CO-covered Ru(0001) surface has recently been explained by a “door-opening” mechanism which is driven by fluctuations in the CO layer. Here, we analyze how this mechanism changes at a higher CO coverage than the 0.33 monolayers applied in the previous study and, therefore, lower concentrations of empty sites. High-speed scanning tunneling microscopy was used to track the O atoms. A statistical model based on nearest-neighbor jumps and uniform hopping probabilities into the six equivalent directions of the Ru(0001) lattice describes the data well. Surprisingly, the hopping rates, which involve site exchanges with CO molecules, are higher than the site exchanges at 0.33 monolayers. Density functional theory calculations were performed to explain these observations. The configurations of the CO molecules around the adsorbed O atoms obtained at the higher CO coverage are disordered. Displacements of CO molecules cost less energy than displacements in the ordered (3×3)R30° structure of the previous study. In addition, the activation energies for the jumps of the O atoms are lowered by enhanced O/CO repulsions. The atomic processes are thus faster at the higher coverage, but the general features of the door-opening mechanism remain valid.