Characterization of a Hexagonal Phosphorus Adlayer on Platinum (111)

Platinum is a well-known catalytic metal whose efficiency can be degraded by the adsorption of impurities. Using different characterization techniques, such as scanning tunnelling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we present a study of phosphorus adsorption on a platinum (111) surface. Under saturation and after annealing at 750 degrees C, phosphorus was Observed to form an ordered hexagonal adlayer with a (4 root 3 x 4 root 3)-R30 degrees symmetry. On the basis. of density functional theory calculations, we propose a model for the phosphorus adlayer, consisting of either P-13 or P-14 clusters. In addition, carbon monoxide adsorption as a function of the phosphorus coverage was also investigated. We found that the phosphorus adlayer prevents carbon monoxide adsorption on Pt(111) reducing its catalytic efficiency.