Piezochemisorption effect: A new method for modulating the rate of chemisorption on polar crystals

Abstract
It was found that mechanical strain has a striking effect on the chemisorption rate of the polar surfaces of ZnO. Depending on its sign, a strain as low as 10−3 can increase or decrease the rate of chemisorption by more than an order of magnitude. This piezochemisorption effect was shown to be consistent with a model based on strain‐induced changes in the height of the surface potential barrier and the surface barrier‐controlled transfer of electrons between the semiconductor and the adsorbed species.