The influence of step geometry on the desorption characteristics of O2, D2, and H2O from stepped Pt surfaces

We have compared the desorption characteristics of O-2, D-2, and H2O from the Pt(533) surface to the Pt(553) surface using temperature programmed desorption. Both surfaces consist of four atom wide (111) terraces interrupted by monoatomic steps of the different step geometries: (100) versus (110), respectively. We find that desorption is influenced significantly by the presence of step sites and the geometry of those sites. In general, molecules and atoms are thought to be bound more strongly to step sites than to terrace sites. Our D-2 desorption data from Pt(553) provide an anomalous counterexample to this common belief since D atoms on this surface appear to be bound stronger by terrace sites. We also show that it is not possible to say a priori which step geometry will bind atoms or molecules stronger: recombinatively desorbing O atoms are bound stronger to (100) sites, whereas H2O molecules are bound stronger to (110) sites. Furthermore, the amount of adatoms or molecules that are affected by the presence of steps varies for the different species, as is evident from the various step: terrace ratios of similar to 1:1.3 for O-2 (O), similar to 1:3 for D-2 (D), and similar to 1:1 for H2O. This indicates that, in contrast to deuterium, more oxygen atoms and water molecules are affected by the presence of steps than would be expected on geometrical arguments alone. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3407434]