Electrocompression of the Au(111) surface layer during Au electrodeposition.
In situ grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction studies of reconstructed Au(111) electrodes in aqueous electrolyte solutions are presented, which reveal a significantly increased compression of the Au surface layer during Au electrodeposition as compared to Au(111) surfaces under ultrahigh vacuum conditions or in the Au-free electrolyte. The compression increases towards more negative potentials, reaching 5.3% at the most negative potentials studied. It may be explained within a simple thermodynamic model by a release of potential-induced surface stress.
Ayyad
A H
AH
Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Universität Kiel, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24098 Kiel, Germany.
Stettner
J
J
Magnussen
O M
OM