The adsorption of Xenon on both low and high work-function metals

Abstract

The structure of unoccupied electronic states in Xe condensed on differently prepared metal surfaces has been observed by inverse photoemission spectroscopy. The Xe/metal interface is interpreted in the framework of Schottky barrier theory. On low workfunction surfaces a wetting to non-wetting phase transition is inferred from dramatic changes in the unoccupied level structure. Existing data in the literature indicate non-wetting behaviour of Xe on low work-function materials to be a quite general phenomenon.