 |
Structure
and Bonding of Water on Pt(111)
We address
the adsorption of water on Pt(111) using x-ray absorption, x-ray emission,
and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy along with calculations in the
framework of density functional theory. Using the direct relationship
between the electronic structure and adsorbate geometry, we show that
in the first layer all the molecules bind directly to the surface
and
to each othe through the in in-layer H bonds without dissociation,
creating a nearly flat overlayer. The water molecules are adsorbed
through alternating metal-oxygen (M-O) and metal-hydrogen
(M-HO) bonds. This gives new insight to a fundamental question
in electrochemistry that has been the subject of much controversy
for the last two decades. This finding may help to better understand
corrosion and the ca
talytic reactions exploited by hydrogen fuel cells.
|
