Formic acid on aluminum oxide: A comparison between inelastic-electron-tunneling spectroscopy and high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy

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Abstract
An extensive interpretation of the vibrational spectra of formic acid adsorbed on alumina at room temperature is given: Peak positions and intensity ratios of adsorbate vibrations are compared for high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectra and inelastic-electron-tunneling spectra (IETS). The different electron-vibration interaction mechanisms involved in the two methods are pointed out: in addition to dipolar scattering, impact scattering is also found to contribute considerably to IETS intensities, whereas resonant scattering contributions could not be significantly demonstrated for IETS of adsorbed formate ions.