Octane adsorbed on Cu

Adsorption of saturated hydrocarbons on a Cu substrate provides a good model system for investigating the electronic structure since the rf-band interaction appears entirely in the occupied states, making the effects more clearly visible and the analysis of the electronic structure easier. There is an advantage to use the (110) surface with a two-fold symmetry if the molecule adsorbs with preferential alignment allowing projection of the electronic structure in three directions as discussed in the previous sections. 

Adsorbate Electronic Structure and Bonding on Metal Surfaces 

As shown in previous work by Hammer and Nprskov [31], the nobility of metals is directly related to the position of the metal d-band with respect to the Fermi level. Can we predict the differences in interaction of octane with different transition metals, based on that picture  

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Figure 2.46. Experimental symmetry-resolved XES and XAS spectra of n-octane adsorbed on Cu(l 10). The spectra are projected along the three high-symmetry directions of the surface. The alignment of the n-octane molecule on the surface is shown in the inset. From Ref. [95].

Ostrom H, Triguero L, Weiss K, Ogasawara H, Gamier MG, Nordlund D, Nyberg M, Pettersson LGM, Nilsson A (2003) Orbital rehybridization in n-octane adsorbed on Cu(llO). J Chem Phys 118 3782... 

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