Ethene stabilization on Cu(111) by surface roughness.
The molecular vibrations of ethene adsorbed on roughened Cu(111) surfaces have been investigated with high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy and density-functional-theory calculations. The roughness was introduced by sputtering or evaporation of copper, respectively, on the cooled surface. We found stabilization of the ethene layer compared to ethene adsorbed on pristine Cu(111). Furthermore, two new vibrational features observed on the rough surface can be assigned to frustrated translations and rotations of the ethene molecule on surface defects and are indicative of a different binding on the rough surface.
Skibbe
Olaf
O
Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Im Neuenheimer Feld 227, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. skibbe@kip.uni-heidelberg.de
Vogel
Diana
D
Binder
Martin
M
Pucci
Annemarie
A
Kravchuk
Tatyana
T
Vattuone
Luca
L
Venugopal
Vinay
V
Kokalj
Anton
A
Rocca
Mario
M