An angle resolved photoemission determination of the coordination of CO on the ZnO(0001) surface

Abstract

Angle resolved ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy employing polarized He ii resonance radiation has been used to determine the bonding geometry of CO to ZnO(0001) at 80 K. Bound CO molecules are oriented perpendicular to the zinc-terminated surface forming a linear Zn–C–O complex. This result, along with earlier work on the ZnO(101̄0) surface, is explained by a concise and coherent model for CO chemisorption on ZnO surfaces. The role of defect sites for CO chemisorption is considered.