Temperature dependent water adsorption on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 single crystal

Temperature dependent infrared study of water adsorption on the bc-plane of a Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 (Bi2212) single crystal reveals that water is molecularly physisorbed, and forms hydrogen-bonded clusters in the temperature range of 85-150 K. Although dissociative adsorption is expected on surfaces terminated with Ca-O and Cu-O groups, no dissociated species is detected. The main absorption bands occur between 3200 and 3500 cm−1 and are assigned to the O-H stretching and the overtone of O-H bending. For exposures higher than 1.0 L, the sticking coefficients are similar for different temperatures. The features in the O-H stretch region for water clusters red-shift as a function of temperature between 85 and 140 K. Water clusters have an amorphous structure between 85 and 140 K, and form a crystalline structure at 150 K.