Surface Chemistry of Cu in the Presence of CO₂ and H₂O

The chemical nature of copper and copper oxide (Cu 2O) surfaces in the presence of CO 2 and H 2O at room temperature was investigated using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The studies reveal that in the presence of 0.1 torr CO 2 several species form on the initially clean Cu, including carbonate CO 3 (2) (-), CO 2 (delta-) and C (0), while no modifications occur on an oxidized surface. The addition of 0.1 ML Zn to the Cu results in the complete conversion of CO 2 (delta-) to carbonate. In a mixture of 0.1 torr H 2O and 0.1 torr CO 2, new species are formed, including hydroxyl, formate and methoxy, with H 2O providing the hydrogen needed for the formation of hydrogenated species.