A nonthermal chemicurrent effect of hydrogen adsorption on Pt/SiC planar nanostructures at normal ambient conditions

Reaction induced currents in planar metal/semiconductor nanostructures can provide a direct insight into underlying charge transfer processes involved in chemical energy dissipation at solid surfaces. This letter provides clear evidence of the nonthermal nature of chemicurrent induced by H2 adsorption on a Pt/SiC nanostructure at room temperature in 760 Torr N2/O2 mixtures with various oxygen fractions. The thermal effect of the reaction is reproduced also with admission of N2 molecules to the sample. Only the process with H2 leads to a detectable chemicurrent proving participation of nonthermal electrons in the charge transfer induced by hydrogen evolution on the nanostructure surface.