Surface reconstruction of gold single crystals: electrochemical evidence of the effect of adsorbed anions and influence of steps and terraces

Electrochemical evidence of the surface reconstruction, induced thermally or potentially, was sought for ten gold single crystals with high Miller index faces, in order to assess the influence of the nature and density of steps. Occurrence of thermally and electrochemically induced surface reconstruction was deduced for the following stepped faces: Au(755), Au(332), Au(533), Au(410), Au(771) and Au(331). The structure of the reconstructed surfaces seems to be-dictated by the geometry of the terraces, while the extension of the phenomena is constrained by the density and orientation of steps. This study was conducted in the presence of the following oxoanions: perchlorate, nitrate, sulphate and phosphate, in order to rationalize the influence of adsorption on the surface structure transitions. Results were interpreted in the light of the known reconstruction mechanisms for the gold low index faces. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.