Ellipsometric measurements made during potential pulse experiments showed that the electrosorption of Br from 10−3M solutions of KBr proceeded in 2 discernible steps. These were interpreted as Br absorption followed by a reconstruction of the surface. The reconstruction involves a partial transformation from an overlayer of adsorbed bromide to a mixed layer of bromine and platinum atoms. There was a parallel to be found in the adsorption of Br2 from the gas phase onto a Pt(111) surface. The reversibility of the electrochemically induced reconstruction suggests that it was not as extreme as the place exchange mechanism proposed for the gas phase experiment.

Time-Resolved Ellipsometric Detection of an Anodic Surface Reconstruction of Pt in Bromide Solutions. P.J.Hyde, S.Gottesfeld: Surface Science, 1985, 149[2-3], 601-8