Room Temperature Oxidation of the Surface of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) with Nitrogen Dioxide in the Presence of Supported Palladium Particles

The interaction of palladium nanoparticles (average size, ∼3 nm) deposited on the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) with nitrogen dioxide at room temperature and a pressure of 10–6 or 10–5 mbar was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was shown that the structure of several surface graphene layers was destroyed under these conditions due to the oxidation of carbon at the interface between Pd and HOPG. The reaction proceeded with the participation of oxygen atoms, which were formed as a result of the dissociation of NO2 molecules on the palladium surface. Palladium particles retained their metallic nature, but they penetrated deep into graphite in this case.