Two-dimensional Cu deposition on Pt(100) and stepped surfaces of platinum single crystals

Abstract

The initial stages of Cu deposition at low overpotentials have been studied on the Pt(100) and Pt(111) basal faces and stepped surfaces Pt(610), Pt(410) of platinum single crystal electrodes. The process includes formation of a Cuad adlayer, an epitaxial monolayer of a two dimensional phase and three dimensional copper crystallites on the (100) terraces, while on the Pt(111) face the two dimensional Cu layer is absent as in this case 3-fold coordination of deposited Cu atoms probably cannot provide sufficient decrease in surface energy of the system. At high enough cathodic overpotentials, the 3D-phase of copper is formed on the monolayer of copper adatoms Pt(111)-Cuad. The Stranski-Krastanov mechanism of nucleation and growth is realized on all the studied electrodes.