Infrared absorption enhancement for CO adsorbed on Au films in perchloric acid solutions and effects of surface structure studied by cyclic voltammetry, scanning tunneling microscopy, and surface-enhanced IR spectroscopy
Sg. Sun et al., Infrared absorption enhancement for CO adsorbed on Au films in perchloric acid solutions and effects of surface structure studied by cyclic voltammetry, scanning tunneling microscopy, and surface-enhanced IR spectroscopy, J PHYS CH B, 103(13), 1999, pp. 2460-2466
The adsorption of CO on Au thin film electrodes vacuum-deposited on silicon
substrate has been studied in 0.1 M perchloric acid solution by surface-en
hanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) with the Kretschmann atten
uated-total-reflection configuration. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) w
as used to investigate the surface structures of the Au films subjected to
different treatments. The IR absorption of CO adsorbed on the Au film elect
rodes is 20 times larger than that of CO adsorbed on bulk Au electrodes mea
sured by reflection-absorption spectroscopy. When the Au film is subjected
to flame annealing, which reorients the crystallites of the Au film and res
ults in a highly ordered (1 I I) surface, the enhancement factor is increas
ed further to ca. 40. Cyclic voltammetric studies demonstrated that the hig
hly ordered Au(lll) films possess a higher electrocatalytic activity toward
CO oxidation than polycrystalline Au films without flame annealing. Two di
fferent linearly bonded CO species, COL and COL(s), were identified on the
polycrystal Au surface without flame annealing. The COL is the predominant
adsorbate that yields the IR absorption at 2110-2136 cm(-1) The COL(s) spec
ies is a minor adsorbate and gives rise to the IR absorption at 2020-2045 c
m(-1) cm which is assigned to CO adsorbed at specific surface sites located
at boundaries of Au crystallites and very close to the surface of the sili
con substrate. On the highly ordered Au(1 1 1) surface prepared by flame an
nealing, an additional weak band assigned to bridge-bonded CO species (COB)
was detected at 1925-1975 cm(-1) in a narrow potential range (0.0-0.4 V vs
SCE). The present study puts emphasis on effects of surface structures of
Au films for IR absorption enhancement and demonstrates also that the Au fi
lms prepared by vacuum evaporation is of great importance in fundamental st
udies as well as in electrocatalysis applications.