Alkali adsorption on Ni(111) and their coadsorption with CO and O

摘要

The adsorption of alkalis (Na, K) on Ni(111) and their coadsorption with CO and O were studied by high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. Loss measurements of clean alkali adlayers provided the expected behaviour of the alkali-substrate vibration energy as a function of the alkali coverage. This result was achieved by eliminating any trace of CO contamination from the alkali adlayer. As a matter of fact, a significant softening of the alkali-Ni vibration energy was revealed in the alkali + CO coadsorbed phase. Moreover, alkali coadsorption with oxygen caused a weakening of the O-Ni bond and a strengthening of the alkali-Ni bond.