Identification of an Adsorbed Hydroxyl Species on the Pt(111) Surface

Abstract

The electronic structure and vibrations of an adsorbed hydroxyl (OH) species are identified and characterized for the first time on a transition-metal surface. In this study of water's interaction with clean Pt(111) in ultrahigh vacuum, water adsorbed at 100 K desorbs at 180 K without appreciable dissociation. However, in the presence of adsorbed atomic oxygen, water dissociates above 150 K to form adsorbed hydroxyl species. The O-H axis appears to be bent relative to the surface normal.