RESUMO
With the aid of density functional theory (DFT)-based calculations, we investigate the adsorption of C2H4 on Cu(210). We found two C2H4 adsorption sites, viz., the top of the step-edge atom (S) and the long bridge between two step-edge atoms (SS) of Cu(210). The step-edge atoms on Cu(210) block the otherwise active terrace sites found on copper surfaces with longer step sizes. This results in the preference for π-bonded over di-σ-bonded C2H4. We also found two stable C2H4 adsorption orientations on the S- and SS-sites, viz., with the C2H4 C[double bond, length as m-dash]C bond parallel (fit) and perpendicular (cross) to [001]. Furthermore, we found that the three peaks observed in previous temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiment [Surf. Sci., 2011, 605, 934-940] could be attributed to C2H4 in the S-fit or S-cross, S-fit and S-cross-fit (S-cross and S-fit configurations that both exist in the same unit cell) configurations on Cu(210).