Hydrogen-Induced Subsurface Reconstruction of Cu(110)

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Abstract
Room-temperature adsorption of atomic hydrogen on Cu(110) initially yields a (1×2)* phase visible with low-energy electron diffraction but not with atom diffraction; this surprising observation suggests that H moves below the surface and induces a reconstruction in deeper layers. Upon further H uptake the (1×2) periodicity extends to the surface and also becomes visible with atom diffraction. Low-temperature phases, in which H adsorbs above the surface, transform at ∼240 K into the (1×2) reconstructed phases, proving that H subsurface movement requires thermal activation.