Methanol on Co(0 0 0 1): XPS, TDS, WF and LEED results

The adsorption and decomposition of methanol on clean Co(0 0 0 1) was studied as a function of temperature and exposure by means of TDS (thermal desorption spectroscopy), XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), WF (work function measurements) and LEED (low energy electron diffraction). Methanol was adsorbed by OH-bond scission as methoxide on the cobalt surface. TD and XP spectra revealed that beside a small amount of molecularly desorbing methanol, it decomposed during heating to the final products: CO and H2. Desorption of H2 took place around 356 K and desorption of CO around 390 K. These temperatures are characteristic for desorption of these species on clean cobalt. Work function measurements showed that the adsorption of methanol resulted in a lowering of the WF by 1.1 eV. Heating – and therewith decomposition – led to an increase in the WF of +0.4 eV. After all decomposition products had desorbed, the WF returned to the value for the clean Co(0 0 0 1) surface. LEED exhibited a combination of two ordered structures: p(2 × 2) and ( 7 × 7 ) 19.1 ° . The ( 7 × 7 ) 19.1 ° pattern was formed by methoxide or hydrogen and vanished below 340 K. The p(2 × 2) structure was still found above 380 K and was therefore assigned to CO.