Hydrogen-induced reconstruction on W(100) and Mo(100) by surface infrared spectroscopy

Abstract

Infrared absorption and low-energy electron-diffraction measurements of H adsorbed on W(100) and Mo(100) show that on each surface, distinct wavenumbers characterize the H-substrate stretching modes associated with the different long-range structures of the complicated T-θ phase diagram. Hydrogen is bonded at a two-fold bridge site at all temperatures and coverages investigated and the wavenumber of the symmetric stretch mode, v 1, is determined by the local geometry, i.e. the substrate dimer length. Analysis of the coverage dependence of the v 1 wavenumber shows that, at low coverages (θ ≲0.3), the effective H-H interactions are very different for the two substrates, leading to a uniform H layer on W(100) and to island formation on Mo(100). In general, the phase transitions are continuous on W(100), with regions of intermediate structures, and first order on Mo(100), with regions of coexisting phases.