Unterpotentiale
Unterpotentiale is a term used in electrochemistry to describe the deposition of a metal adatom onto a substrate at potentials more positive than the equilibrium potential for bulk deposition. This underpotential deposition occurs because strong interactions between the adatoms and the substrate stabilize a submonolayer or monolayer film, making it energetically favorable before the potential reaches the value where bulk metal would nucleate and grow.
The mechanism rests on the adatom–substrate binding energy being sufficiently large to lower the chemical potential
Commonly studied systems include copper on gold, bismuth on copper, and lead on gold, among others. Cu
Applications of Unterpotentiale research include the controlled fabrication of ultrathin films for catalysis and sensor technologies,
See also: underpotential deposition, overpotential deposition, electrodeposition, surface science.