Surface science studies on single crystal model systems performed under rarefied conditions, (i.e. ultra-high vacuum and cryogenic temperatures) have contributed significantly to our present understanding of the elementary mechanisms governing carbon monoxide adsorption. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has the major advantage of providing information at the atomic level. In our research, STM is operated at room temperature and at Torr pressures, becausethe pressure dependent entropy, kT*logP, significantly contributes to the Gibbs free energy of the system which may result in a surface structure different from idealized conditions. In other words, surfaces are in steady state equilibrium with the gas, as they are in the technologically important field of heterogeneous catalysis.<br/>In this study, we are particularly interested in low-coordinated cobalt and copper surfaces. Cobalt has a very high catalytic activity in Fischer Tropsch reaction to facilitate the conversion of hydrocarbons from carbon monoxide. Copper as a relatively cheap catalyst, not only has a high catalytic activity to facilitate the C-O hydrogenalysis reaction, but is also very selective to breaking C-O bond without significantly breaking C-C bond in the reaction process. Here, we present STM images of single crystal copper and cobalt surfaces in equilibrium with the gas phase carbon monoxide. Moreover, first results on carbon monoxide adsorption on single copper and cobalt atoms in metallic centers of flat molecules are also presented.

High pressure STM studies on carbon monoxide adsorption on copper and cobalt sites

249th National Meeting (2015)

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