Monitoring the transitions of the charge-induced reconstruction of Aau(110) by reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy.

Missing-row reconstructions on Au(110) immersed in electrolytes have been studied by in situ reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy. Transitions between the 1 x 3, 1 x 2, and 1 x 1 surface structures were monitored as a function of the applied potential. A kinetic model allowed us to reproduce the data satisfactorily. These results confirm the theoretical predictions showing that the surface charge determines the surface reconstruction. The transition potentials and the activation barriers were determined.