Infrared study of ZnO surface properties I. Hydrogen and deuterium chemisorption at room temperature

Abstract Hydride and hydroxyl groups formed by reversible hydrogen chemisorption at room temperature give rise to bands which have escaped previous observation. Close examination of the coverage dependence of the ZnH and OH band frequencies reveals appreciable interaction between surface groups, which are regarded as confined in densely populated patches. Novel bands due to irreversibly adsorbed hydrogen, which are associated with bridged OH…O and ZnHZn structures, are also described. A dissociative chemisorption process is proposed.