Jack H. Baricuatro, Mohammad A. Hossain, Yeon-Su Park, Manuel P. Soriaga
A combination of conventional electrochemistry (cyclic voltammetry and coulometry) and ultrahigh vacuum electron spectroscopies (Auger electron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction) was used to characterize the interfacial chemistry of ultrathin Pd films in the presence of adsorbed and aqueous bromide. Potential-controlled adsorption-desorption cycles of aqueous bromide exerted surface smoothening effects on ultrathin Pd films with defect sites (steps); this procedure, dubbed as electrochemical (EC) annealing, constituted a nonthermal analog to conventional annealing. EC-annealed ultrathin Pd films exhibited long-range surface order and remained free of oxygen adspecies. Pd adatoms occupying step sites were selectively dissolved and/or rearranged to assume equilibrium positions in a well-ordered (1 × 1) film. © 2010 Springer.
Department of Chemistry, University of San Carlos, Cebu City 6000, Philippines; Department of Chemistry, Texas A and M University, College Station, TX 77843, United States
