Abstract
The formation of chemisorbed O phases on Ru(0001) by exposure to at low pressures is apparently limited to coverages . Using low-energy electron diffraction and density-functional theory we show that this restriction is caused by kinetic hindering and that a dense O overlayer can be formed with a periodicity. The structural and energetic properties of this new adsorbate phase are analyzed and discussed in view of attempts to bridge the so-called “pressure gap” in heterogeneous catalysis. It is argued that the identified system actuates the unusually high rate of oxidizing reactions at Ru surfaces under high oxygen pressure conditions.
- Received 27 February 1996
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.3371
©1996 American Physical Society