Manipulation and patterning of the surface hydrogen concentrationon Pd(111) electric fields

Modification of the structure of materials at the nanoscale level is one goal of current nanoscience research. For example, by purposefully modifying the spatial distribution of adsorbates one could control the rate of chemical reactions on a local scale. Here we show how this can be accomplished in the case of H on Pd(111) through the application of local electric fields. Hydrogen adsorption on the platinum group metals is particularly interesting because these metals are used as catalysts in a variety of industrial processes, including hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Electric fields on surfaces are also of primary interest in electrochemistry where despite the considerable amount of experimental and theoretical work done to date, there still remains more work to be done before a clear understanding of phenomena at the atomic scale can be accomplished