Influence of coverage on adsorbate diffusion measurements at electrode surfaces by in situ linear optical diffraction.

In situ linear optical diffraction is a new method for studies of surface mass transport in electrochemical environments that is based on the equilibration of coverage gratings in an adlayer on the electrode surface. We, here, discuss the temporal evolution of the diffraction intensity on the basis of experimental data for sulfur adsorbates on Pt(111) electrodes in 0.1M H2SO4 and simulations of the time-dependent diffusion profiles.

Measurement of Surface Diffusion at the Electrochemical Interface by In Situ Linear Optical Diffraction.

A new in situ method for measuring the surface diffusion rates of adsorbates on electrode surfaces in electrolyte solution is presented. The method is based on the generation of a periodic spatial modulation of the adsorbate coverage via interfering laser pulses and subsequent monitoring of the diffusion-induced decay of this pattern using the optical diffraction signal of a second laser. Proof-of-principle measurements of the surface diffusion of adsorbed sulfur on Pt(111) electrodes in 0.