H2S interaction with Cu(100)-(2 √2 × √2 )R45°-O: Formation of a metastable ‖05 52sulfur surface reconstruction

This paper utilizes scanning tunneling microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, Auger-electron spectroscopy, and temperature-programmed desorption to examine a metastable \(52)(05)\-S structure which forms after the interface reaction of H2S with a Cu(100)-(2 root (2) over bar X root (2) over bar)R45 degrees-O surface.

This preoxidized copper surface displays an entranced reactivity towards H2S compared to the clean and annealed Cu(100) surface. Exposing 15 L of H2S onto a Cu(100)-(2 root (2) over bar X root (2) over bar)R45 degrees-O surface causes all the adsorbed oxygen to desorb as H2O at 164 K, while leaving approximately 0.5 ML of adsorbed sulfur on the surface.

When this sulfur overlayer is annealed between 525 and 600 K, a metastable \(52)(05)\-S reconstruction forms that is not observed after annealing similar coverages of sulfur adsorbed on an initially clean Cu(100) surface. Heating the \(52)(05)\-S surface to temperatures above 600 K converts this structure to the thermally stable Cu(100)rootX root)R14 degrees-S (i.e., \((1) over bar 4)(41)\-S overlayer.

A model for the metastable \(52)(05)\-S reconstruction is proposed.