The adsorption of carbon monoxide on Cu(110)-Ni surfaces prepared by dissociation of nickel carbonyl

Abstract

Cu(110)-Ni surface alloys were prepared by dissociation of nickel carbonyl on clean Cu(110). The adsorption of CO is reversible in the temperature region of 22–200°C and the pressure range of 5 × 10 −8-0.7 Torr, as monitored with ellipsometry and AES. The amount of adsorbed CO depends on the amount of preadsorbed oxygen but not on the amount of carbon present at the surface. The isosteric heat of adsorption decreases from 31 ± 3kcal/mole to 18 ± 2 kcal/mole with increasing CO coverage (up to θ = 0.14 θ max) but is constant for higher coverages (up to θ = 0.4θ max).