Temperature dependence of adlayers on Pt(1 1 1) and Au(1 1 1) in a sulfuric acid solution studied by in situ IRAS

Temperature dependence studies of adsorption of sulfuric acid species on Pt(1 1 1) and Au(1 1 1) electrodes were carried out using in situ infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. A temperature-dependent shift of the interconversion potential between HSO4−/H3O+ and H2SO4 on a Pt(111) electrode was observed. A temperature-dependent frequency shift of the absorption bands of HSO4− was also observed on both Pt(1 1 1) and Au(1 1 1) electrodes in the potential region where a √3×√7 structure evolved. Modelling experiments in ultrahigh vacuum revealed that ordering of the overlayer water molecules played an important role in the frequency of the absorption bands of HSO4−.