A vibrational study of the adsorption and decomposition of formic acid and surface formate on Al(111)

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Abstract
The adsorption and decomposition of formate and formic acid have been studied on the Al(111) surface using high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Formic acid reacts with clean Al(111) at 120 K to form a surface formate species. Molecular adsorption of formic acid occurs at 120 K only after saturation of the surface formate layer has been reached. Off-specular vibrational measurements have determined that the formate species is symmetrically bridge bonded through both oxygen atoms with C2v symmetry. A lower symmetry formate species of C1 symmetry is produced upon heating or electron bombardment of a condensed formic acid layer. Thermal or electron induced decomposition of a formate or a condensed formic acid layer is controlled by oxygen incorporation into the aluminum lattice, and results in complete decomposition and production of a carbon and oxygen covered surface. Only hydrogen is evolved from a formate-covered Al(111) surface.