Carbon dissolution and segregation in Pd(110)

The bulk-surface diffusion of carbon in Pd(110) has been investigated using molecular beams to examine the clean-off of carbon with gas-phase oxygen. The dominant product of the reaction above 600 K is CO; CO2 is only produced at much lower temperatures where the lifetime of adsorbed CO is significant. The segregation from the bulk only occurs at a measurable rate at >750 K, while loss of carbon into the bulk can occur at much lower temperatures. The reaction of carbon at high temperatures shows two regimes: (i) a non steady-state evolution of CO due to the clean-off of surface carbon already present on the surface, followed by (ii) a near steady-state reaction due to the continuous diffusion of carbon to the surface