Behavior of Hydrogen and Hydrogen-Containing Molecules on Metal Surfaces

As the lightest element, hydrogen is typically used as a test particle to establish the fundamental concepts in surface science and to evaluate surface reactivity and relevant surface processes. Aside from this, hydrogen attracts enormous interests for industrial and technological applications due to its potential use as the key energy carrier in the future. If realized, it will provide an environmental friendly alternative to conventional fossil fuels. This chapter aims to discuss the interaction of hydrogen and other compounds such as methane and water with transition metal surfaces. Also, induced surface reconstructions and induced surface segregations in bimetallic systems will be tackled. Such processes are usually taking place on surfaces in the presence of adsorbates. As much as possible, the role of metal surfaces in hydrogen-related applications will be evaluated based on their reactivities and properties that could possibly bring important ideas to further improve existing technologies that will aid in the realization of hydrogen-based technologies.