Water Chemistry beneath Graphene: Condensation of a Dense OH-H2O Phase under Graphene

Room temperature oxygen hydrogenation below graphene flakes supported by Ir(111) is investigated through a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and density functional theory calculations using an evolutionary search algorithm. We demonstrate how the graphene cover and its doping level can be used to trap and characterize dense mixed O-OH-H2O phases that otherwise would not exist. Our study of these graphene-stabilized phases and their response to oxygen or hydrogen exposure reveals that additional oxygen can be dissolved into them at room temperature creating mixed O-OH-H2O phases with an increased areal coverage underneath graphene. In contrast, additional hydrogen exposure converts the mixed O-OH-H2O phases back to pure OH-H2O with a reduced areal coverage underneath graphene.