Time-resolved surface-enhanced infra-red study of molecular adsorption at the electrochemical interface

The adsorption and desorption of fumaric acid at a highly oriented Au(111) electrode surface have been investigated in perchloric acid by surface-enhanced infra-red spectroscopy with time resolutions ranging from microseconds to seconds. The time-resolved spectral measurements can provide information on the kinetics and dynamics occurring at the interface. Fumaric acid is adsorbed on the surface through one of its two carboxyl groups by releasing a proton and orients perpendicularly with respect to the surface. The molecule is randomly adsorbed without lateral interactions and desorbed from the surface by a hole-nucleation and growth mechanism. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.