I. Au thin film for ATR-FTIR experiments To amplify the infrared signals, the Au thin film deposited on the Si crystal underwent electrochemical activation before conducting IR experiments. The activation process encompassed three cyclic voltage cycles, alternating between -0.4 and 1.2 V (versus Ag/Ag+), utilizing a scan rate of 50 mV/s. Prior to utilization, the Au thin film was characterized by AFM (image shown in Figure S6.1) and XPS (data presented in Table S6.1). The thickness of the Au film was approximated to be around 20 nm. Figure S6.1. AFM image of the Au film deposited on an ATR - Si crystal. The area scanned was 10 by 10 micrometer. Table S6.1. XPS analysis of Au thin film deposited on ATR Si crystal.
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