Iodine-Catalyzed Dissolution Of Pd(100) In Inert Electrolyte: Studies By Leed, Aes, Stm And Electrochemistry

The anodic dissolution of a Pd(100) single-crystal surface catalyzed by an single ordered layer of iodine atoms has been studied by a combination of ex situ (low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy) and in situ (scanning tunneling microscopy and electrochemistry) techniques. Initial studies based on the ex situ methods indicated that neither the adlattice structure nor the interfacial composition were altered by the dissolution process, Subsequent experiments further showed that an extensively roughened (ion-sputtered) surface could be rendered atomically smooth by selective dissolution of the disordered domains. Implementation of the in site techniques afforded an atomic-level glimpse of this adsorbate-catalyzed dissolution reaction.