High-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the ethanol oxidation reaction on Pd(110)

The adsorption, decomposition, and oxidation of ethanol on Pd(110) has been studied using high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and t emperature-programmed XPS. The decomposition pathways of ethanol on the cle an surface (to methane, hydrogen and carbon monoxide; and to methane, hydro gen, and carbon and oxygen adatoms) previously studied using molecular beam and thermal desorption spectroscopy were confirmed by this study. The pres ence of an overlayer of oxygen did not significantly alter the major or min or decomposition pathways observed on the clean surface, except for the pro duction of water and, at temperatures above 380 K, carbon dioxide as oxidat ion products. It also resulted in the formation of acetate, which was first seen during temperature-programmed desorption as coincident carbon dioxide and hydrogen desorption, and was confirmed by XPS. Two C 1s peaks, one ass igned to the methyl carbon in acetate and the other to the carboxylate carb on, developed simultaneously during TPXPS. The disappearance of these peaks in XPS occurred at a similar temperature (400 K) to that seen during tempe rature-programmed desorption. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S002 1-9606(99)70217-5].