Surface polymeric structures, growth

The results presented here seem to indicate that 1) the local order about ruthenium centers in the polymers is essentially unchanged from that in the monomer complex and 2) that the interaction with the electrode surface occurs without appreciable electronic and structural change. This spectroscopic information corroborates previous electrochemical results which showed that redox properties (e.g. as measured by formal potentials) of dissolved species could be transferred from solution to the electrode surface by electrodepositions as polymer films on the electrode. Furthermore, it is apparent that the initiation of polymerization at these surfaces (i.e. growth of up to one monolayer of polymer) involves no gross structural change. 

Polymeric carbon refers to chains of carbon monomers (surface carbide) that are connected by covalent bonds. It has been shown recently47 that the barrier for C-C coupling on flat surfaces (1.22 eV) is half that for a step site (2.43 eV), and may indicate that the growth of these polymeric species is favored on terraces. Polymeric carbon may also refer to carbon chains that contain hydrogen. In the case of CO hydrogenation on ruthenium catalysts, polymeric carbon has been identified as a less reactive carbon that forms from polymerization of CHX and has an alkyl group structure.48... 

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