Potassium promotion of carbon reactivity: 104-fold increase of oxidation rate in O2

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Abstract
We have investigated, experimentally and theoretically, the oxidation rate of UHV evaporated carbon films with added surface deposits of potassium. The oxidation rate in O2 increases faster than linearly with increasing K coverage. A monolayer of K increases the rate by a factor ∼104, in comparison with pure carbon. A theoretical calculation assumes that O2 dissociation is the rate limiting step. Based on a charge transfer mechanism, this calculation reproduces the order of magnitude of the rate increase.
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