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Modification of the properties of metal overlayers on Nb(110) and Ta(110)

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7123040

Modification of the physical and chemical properties of noble and near-noble metal monolayer films supported on Nb(110) and Ta(110) is demonstrated using photoemission and LEED. Strong adlayer-substrate bonding leads to the formation of two-dimensional coherent Pd or Pt overlayers at low coverage (theta < 0.7 ML). Ni and Cu form one-dimensional coherent structures because the additional interfacial misfit cannot be overcome by substrate-overlayer bonding. In the case of Ag and Au overlayers, slightly strained pseudomorphic structures are formed because the lattice misfit is small. The strong overlayer-substrate bonding produces large changes in the chemical activity of near-noble metal overlayers. Photoemission measurements on Pt monolayers show that the hybridized metal d-states are shifted further below the Fermi level ''E/sub F/'' and show a reduction in the surface density of states at E/sub F/. This absence of bonding d-states near E/sub F/ effects CO chemisorption. However, as additional layers of Pd and Pt are deposited, the d-occupancy at E/sub F/ grows, with ''constant'' atomic structure and the amount of CO increases. Hence, in these systems chemisorption changes can be studied as a function of changing electronic structure while holding the surface structure fixed.

Research Organization:
Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA); Queens Coll., New York (USA). Dept. of Physics
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-76CH00016
OSTI ID:
7123040
Report Number(s):
BNL-39096; CONF-861207-44; ON: DE87004606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English