The determination of absolute oxygen coverage by nuclear reaction analysis

Abstract The saturation of a Ni(100) surface with oxygen is demonstrated by NRA for both 16 O and 18 O. A value of 2.5 monolayers is found. The same saturation value is obtained for a surface first converted to the chemisorbed c(2 × 2) phase in 18 O, then taken to saturation in 16 O. This simple demonstration suggests that surface reaction mechanisms may be studied through isotopic labelling in conjuction with NRA methods.