Evidence for the diffusion of Au atoms into the Te UPD layer formed on a Au(111) substrate

Kawamura, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Masamitsu; Hojo, Nobuhiko*; Miyake, Masao*; Murase, Kuniaki*; Tamura, Kazuhisa*; Uosaki, Kohei*; Awakura, Yasuhiro*; Mizuki, Junichiro; Matsubara, Eiichiro*

The structure of a Te layer formed on a Au(111) substrate by underpotential deposition (UPD) in an electrolytic solution has been studied using in-situ surface X-ray diffraction technique. The measurements were carried out for a series of samples which were kept at UPD potential for 4 to 59 hours. The results revealed that the Te UPD layer is unstable. The top layer is analyzed to consist of the UPD Te atoms and Au atoms which diffuse from the Au(111) substrate. Also, the Te UPD layer does not have the structure with periodicity reported in previous works, such as () R30 after ample time elapses. Stripping voltammetry for the Te UPD layer shows that the interaction between Te and Au increases with time, supporting the finding that the top layer is a mixture of Te and Au.