Carbon monoxide adsorption on the metastable fcc-Co/Cu(1 0 0) surface

The adsorption properties of CO on the epitaxial five-monolayer Co/Cu(1 0 0) system, where the Co overlayer has stabilized in the metastable fcc-phase, are reported. This system is known to exhibit metallic quantum well (MQW) states at energies 1 eV or greater above the Fermi level, which may influence CO adsorption. The CO/fcc-Co/Cu(1 0 0) system was explored with low energy electron diffraction (LEED), inverse photoemission (IPE), reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Upon CO adsorption, a new feature is observed in IPE at 4.4 eV above E_F and is interpreted as the CO 2π^∗ level. When adsorbed at room temperature, TPD exhibits a CO desorption peak at ∼355 K, while low temperature adsorption reveals additional binding configurations with TPD features at ∼220 K and ∼265 K. These TPD peak temperatures are correlated with different C-O stretch vibrational frequencies observed in the IR spectra. The adsorption properties of this surface are compared to those of the surfaces of single crystal hcp-Co, as well as other metastable thin film systems.     

Adsorption of glycine on a NiAl(1 1 0) alloy surface

The adsorption and desorption of glycine (NH₂CH₂COOH), vacuum deposited on a NiAl(1 1 0) surface, were investigated by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), temperature-programmed desorption, work function (Δφ) measurements, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). At 120 K, glycine adsorbs molecularly forming mono- and multilayers predominantly in the zwitterionic state, as evidenced by the UPS results. In contrast, the adsorption at room temperature (310 K) is mainly dissociative in the early stages of exposure, while molecular adsorption occurs only near saturation coverage. There is evidence that this molecularly adsorbed species is in the anionic form (NH₂CH₂COO⁻). Analysis of AES data reveals that upon adsorption glycine attacks the aluminium sites on the surface. On heating part of the monolayer adsorbed at 120 K is converted to the anionic form and at higher temperatures dissociates further before desorption. The temperature-induced dissociation of glycine (<400 K) leads to a series of similar reaction products irrespective of the initial adsorption step at 120 K or at 310 K, leaving finally oxygen, carbon and nitrogen at the surface. AES and LEED measurements indicate that oxygen interacts strongly with the Al component of the surface forming an “oxide”-like Al-O layer.     

Characterization of methylidyne on Pt(1 1 1) with infrared spectroscopy

Methylidyne (CH) was prepared on Pt(1 1 1) by three methods: thermal decomposition of diiodomethane (CH₂I₂), ethylene decomposition at temperatures above 450 K, and surface carbon hydrogenation. Methylidyne and its precursors are characterized by reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). The C-I bond of diiodomethane breaks upon adsorption to produce methylene (CH₂), which decomposes to methylidyne at temperatures above 130 K. Above 200 K, methylidyne is the only hydrocarbon species observed with RAIRS, although reaction channels for the formation of methane (CH₄) and ethylene (C₂H₄) are indicated by temperature programmed desorption (TPD). As is well known from numerous previous studies, ethylene decomposes to ethylidyne (CCH₃) upon exposure to Pt(1 1 1) at 410 K. Upon annealing to 450 K, ethylidyne dissociates through two reaction pathways, dehydrogenation to ethynyl (CCH) and C-C bond scission to methylidyne. Ethylene dehydrogenation on the surface at 750 K and under low ethylene exposures produces surface carbon that can be hydrogenated to methylidyne with C-H and C-D stretch frequencies of 2956 and 2206 cm⁻¹, respectively. Hydrogen co-adsorption on the surface causes these frequencies to shift to higher values. Methylidyne is stable on Pt(1 1 1) to temperatures up to 500 K.     

The adsorption of and reaction of NO2 on Ag(1 1 1)-p(4 × 4)-O and formation of surface nitrate

The adsorption and reaction of nitrogen dioxide on the Ag(1 1 1)-p(4 × 4)-O surface has been investigated with RAIRS, TPRS and STM. At 300 K NO₂ initially reacts with the oxygen overlayer to form nitrate in p(3 × 3) and p(4 × 4) structures, which convert to a new p(3 × 3) at saturation coverage. Surface pitting during nitrate adsorption is suggestive of the incorporation of silver atoms into the NO₃ structure. With heating NO₃ decomposes into NO₂ and O at 396 K and 497 K, and oxygen desorbs at 578 K.     

Sulphur overlayers on the Au(1 1 0) surface: LEED and TPD study

The adsorption and desorption of sulphur on the clean reconstructed Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2) surface has been studied by low energy electron diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. The results obtained show a complex behaviour of the S/Au(1 1 0) system during sulphur desorption at different temperatures. Two structures of the stable ordered sulphur overlayer on the Au(1 1 0) surface, p(4 × 2) and c(4 × 4), were found after annealing the S/Au(1 1 0) system at 630 K and 463 K, respectively. The corresponding sulphur coverage for these overlayers was estimated by AES signal intensity analysis of the Au NOO and S LMM Auger lines to be equal to 0.13 ML and 0.2 ML, respectively. Both sulphur structures appear after removing an excess of sulphur, which mainly desorbs at 358 K as determined from TPD spectra. Furthermore, it was not possible to produce the lower coverage p(4 × 2) sulphur structure by annealing the c(4 × 4) surface. In the case of the p(4 × 2) S overlayer on the Au(1 1 0)-(1 × 2) surface it is proposed that the sulphur is attached to “missing row” sites only. The c(4 × 4) S overlayer arises via desorption of S₂ molecules that are formed on the surface due to mobility of sulphur atoms after a prolonged anneal.     

Adsorption, ordering, and chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1

Surface chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 has been investigated using multiple internal reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (MIR-FTIR), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and thermal desorption mass spectrometry. Molecular adsorption of nitrobenzene at submonolayer coverages is dominating at cryogenic temperatures (100 K). As the surface temperature is increased to 160 K, chemical reaction involving nitro group occurs, while the phenyl entity remains intact. Thus, a barrier of approximately 40.8 kJ/mol is established for the interaction of the nitro group of nitrobenzene with the Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surface. Further annealing of the silicon surface leads to the decomposition of nitrobenzene. The concentration of nitrogen and oxygen remains constant on a surface within the temperature interval studied here. AES studies also suggest that the majority of carbon-containing products remain bound to the surface at temperatures as high as 1000 K. The only chemical reaction leading to the release of the gaseous products is benzene formation around 670 K. The amount of benzene accounts only for a few percent of the surface species, while the rest of the phenyl groups connected to the silicon surface via a nitrogen linker remain stable even at elevated temperatures, opening an opportunity for stable surface coatings.     

Phase mixing and phase separation accompanying the catalytic oxidation of CO on Ir{1 0 0}

The co-adsorption of CO and O on the unreconstructed (1 × 1) phase of Ir{1 0 0} was examined by low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). When CO is adsorbed at 188 K onto the Ir{1 0 0} surface precovered with 0.5 ML O, a mixed c(4 × 2)-(2O + CO) overlayer is formed. All CO is oxidised upon heating and desorbs as CO₂ in three distinct stages at 230 K, 330 K and 430 K in a 2:1:2 ratio. The excess oxygen left on the surface after all CO has reacted forms an overlayer with a LEED pattern with p(2 × 10) periodicity. This overlayer consists of stripes with a local p(2 × 1)-O arrangement of oxygen atoms separated by stripes of uncovered Ir. When CO is adsorbed at 300 K onto the surface precovered with 0.5 ML O an apparent (2 × 2) LEED pattern is observed. LEED IV analysis reveals that this pattern is a superposition of diffraction patterns from islands of c(2 × 2)-CO and p(2  × 1)-O structures on the surface. Heating this co-adsorbed overlayer leads to the desorption of CO₂ in two stages at 330 K and 430 K; the excess CO (0.1 ML) desorbs at 590 K.LEED IV structural analysis of the mixed c(4 × 2) O and CO overlayer shows that both the CO molecules and the O atoms occupy bridge sites. The O atoms show significant lateral displacements of 0.14 Å away from the CO molecules; the C-O bond is slightly expanded with respect to the gas phase (1.19 Å); the modifications of the Ir substrate with respect to the bulk-terminated surface are very small.     

Infrared reflection absorption study of carbon monoxide adsorption on Cu(1 0 0)-c(2 × 2)-Pd surfaces formed by palladium vacuum-depositions at various temperatures

Using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), we investigated carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption and desorption behaviors on atomic checkerboard structures of Cu and Pd formed by Pd vacuum deposition at various temperatures of Cu(1 0 0). The 0.15-nm-thick Pd deposition onto a clean Cu(1 0 0) surface at room temperature (RT) showed a clear c(2 × 2) low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) pattern, i.e. Cu(1 0 0)-c(2 × 2)-Pd. The RT-CO exposure to the c(2 × 2) surfaces resulted in IRRAS absorption caused by CO adsorbed on the on-top sites of Pd. The LEED patterns of the Pd-deposited Cu(1 0 0) at higher substrate temperatures revealed less-contrasted c(2 × 2) patterns. The IRRAS intensities of the linearly bonded CO bands on 373-K-, 473-K-, and 673-K-deposited c(2 × 2) surfaces are, respectively, 25%, 22%, and 10% less intense than those on the RT-deposited surface, indicating that Pd coverages at the outermost c(2 × 2) surfaces decrease with increasing deposition temperature. In the initial stage of the 90-K-CO exposure to the RT surface, the band attributable to CO bonded to the Pd emerged at 2067 cm⁻¹ and shifted to higher frequencies with increasing CO exposure. At saturation coverage, the band was located at 2093 cm⁻¹. In contrast, two distinct bands around 2090 cm⁻¹ were apparent on the spectrum of the 473-K-deposited surface: the CO saturation spectrum was dominated by an apparent single absorption at 2090 cm⁻¹ for the 673-K-deposited surface. The TPD spectra of the surfaces showed peaks at around 200 and 300 K, which were ascribable respectively to Cu-CO and Pd-CO. Taking into account the TPD and IRRAS results, we discuss the adsorption-desorption behaviors of CO on the ordered checkerboard structures.     

Comparison of the adsorption of N2 on Ru(1 0 9) and Ru(0 0 1) - A detailed look at the role of atomic step and terrace sites

We present a direct side-by-side comparison of the adsorption and desorption of nitrogen on the atomically-stepped Ru(1 0 9) surface and the atomically-flat Ru(0 0 1) surface. Both infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) are employed in this study, along with density functional theory (DFT). We find that the chemisorptive terminal binding of N₂ is stronger on the atomic step sites than on the terrace sites of Ru(1 0 9) as indicated by TPD and by a reduction of the singleton vibrational frequency, ν(N₂), by ∼9 cm⁻¹, comparing steps to terraces. In addition, we find that metal-metal compression effects on the terrace sites of Ru(1 0 9) cause stronger binding of N₂ than found on the Ru(0 0 1) surface, as indicated by a reduction of the terrace-N₂ singleton vibrational frequency by ∼11 cm⁻¹ when compared to the singleton N₂ mode on Ru(0 0 1). These spectroscopic results, comparing compressed terrace sites to Ru(0 0 1) sites and confirmed by TPD and DFT, indicate that N₂ bonds primarily as a σ-donor to Ru. Using equimolar ¹⁵N₂ and ¹⁴N₂, it is found that dynamic dipole coupling effects present at higher N₂ coverages may be partially eliminated by isotopically detuning neighbor oscillators. These experiments, considered together, indicate that the order of the bonding strength for terminal-N₂ on Ru is: atomic steps > atomic terraces > Ru(0 0 1). DFT calculations also show that 4-fold coordinated N₂ may be stabilized in several structures on the double-atom wide steps of Ru(1 0 9) and that this form of bonding produces substantial decreases in the N₂ vibrational frequency and increases in the binding energy, compared to terminally-bound N₂. These highly coordinated N₂ species are not observed by IRAS.     

Methanol adsorption on a CeO2(1 1 1)/Cu(1 1 1) thin film model catalyst

Adsorption and desorption of methanol on a CeO₂(1 1 1)/Cu(1 1 1) thin film surface was investigated by XPS and soft X-ray synchrotron radiation PES. Resonance PES was used to determine the occupancy of the Ce 4f states with high sensitivity. Methanol adsorbed at 110 K formed adsorbate multilayers, which were partially desorbed at 140 K. Low temperature desorption was accompanied by formation of chemisorbed methoxy groups. Methanol strongly reduced cerium oxide by forming hydroxyl groups at first, which with increasing temperature was followed by creation of oxygen vacancies in the topmost cerium oxide layer due to water desorption. Dissociative methanol adsorption and creation of oxygen vacancies was observed as a Ce⁴⁺ → Ce³⁺ transition and an increase of the Ce 4f electronic state occupancy.     

Oxygen-induced nano-faceting of Ir(2 1 0)

The adsorption of oxygen and the nanometer-scale faceting induced by oxygen have been studied on Ir(2 1 0). Oxygen is found to chemisorb dissociatively on Ir(2 1 0) at room temperature. The molecular desorption process is complex, as revealed by a detailed kinetic analysis of desorption spectra. Pyramid-shaped facets with {3 1 1} and (1 1 0) orientations are formed on the oxygen-covered Ir(2 1 0) surface when annealed to T?600 K. The surface remains faceted for substrate temperatures T<850 K. For T>850 K, the substrate structure reverts to the oxygen-covered (2 1 0) planar state and does so reversibly, provided that oxygen is not lost due to desorption or via chemical reactions upon which the planar (2 1 0) structure remains. A clean faceted surface was prepared through the use of low temperature surface cleaning methods: using CO oxidation, or reaction of H₂ to form H₂O, oxygen can be removed from the surface while preserving (“freezing”) the faceted structure. The resulting clean faceted surface remains stable for T<600 K. For temperatures above this value, the surface irreversibly relaxes to the planar state.     

The effect of ferroelectric polarization on the interaction of water and methanol with the surface of LiNbO3(0 0 0 1)

Water and methanol temperature programmed desorption (TPD) measurements were performed on the positive (c⁺) and negative (c⁻) surfaces of poled ferroelectric lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) single crystals. The results indicate that the molecule-surface interactions are both coverage and polarization-dependent. From a comparison of the TPD spectra for the positive and negative surfaces, it is shown that the desorption temperatures of water and methanol are consistently lower on the negative surface by 15 K and 20 K, respectively. The TPD spectra were simulated using the Polanyi-Wigner equation with a coverage-dependent energy term. These calculations show that the polarization dependence of the desorption temperature is due to a difference in the zero-coverage desorption energies on the two surfaces equal to a few kJ per mole. The mechanism for the polarization effect is explored with in situ pyroelectric voltage measurements, which indicate that a surface voltage of ±2 mV develops in the LiNbO₃(0 0 0 1) samples during TPD measurements. The magnitude of the pyroelectric-induced surface charge is heating rate dependent.     

Adsorption of carbon monoxide Au/Pd(1 0 0) alloys in ultrahigh vacuum: Identification of adsorption sites

The adsorption of carbon monoxide is studied on Au/Pd(1 0 0) alloys by means of reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). The alloy was formed by adsorbing a four-monolayer thick gold film on a Pd(1 0 0) substrate and by heating to various temperatures to form alloys with a range of palladium coverages. The alloy was characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the composition of the outermost layer measured using low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy. CO adsorbs on palladium bridge sites only for palladium coverages greater than 0.5 monolayers (ML) suggesting that next-nearest neighbor sites are preferentially populated by palladium atoms. CO adsorbs on atop palladium sites and desorbs at ∼350 K corresponding to a desorption activation energy of ∼117 kJ/mol. However, at lower palladium coverages, these sites are not occupied and CO desorption states are detected 170 and 112 K corresponding to desorption activation energies of ∼53 kJ/mol and ∼35 kJ/mol, respectively, for these states. It is suggested that these states are due to a restructuring of the surface to form low-coordination gold sites that obscure the atop palladium site.     

Adsorption and reactivity of SO2 on Ir(1 1 1) and Rh(1 1 1)

The adsorption and reactivity of SO₂ on the Ir(1 1 1) and Rh(1 1 1) surfaces were studied by surface science techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements showed that SO₂ was molecularly adsorbed on both the Ir(1 1 1) surface and the Rh(1 1 1) surface at 200 K. Adsorbed SO₂ on the Ir(1 1 1) surface disproportionated to atomic sulfur and SO₃ at 300 K, whereas adsorbed SO₂ on the Rh(1 1 1) surface dissociated to atomic sulfur and oxygen above 250 K. Only atomic sulfur was present on both surfaces above 500 K, but the formation process and structure of the adsorbed atomic sulfur on Ir(1 1 1) were different from those on Rh(1 1 1). On Ir(1 1 1), atomic sulfur reacted with surface oxygen and was completely removed from the surface, whereas on Rh(1 1 1), sulfur did not react with oxygen.     

Adsorption and reaction of methanethiol on the Ru(0 0 0 1)-p(2 × 2)O surface: A TPD and XPS study

Methanethiol adsorbed on Ru(0 0 0 1)-p(2 × 2)O has been studied by TPD and XPS. The dissociation of methanethiol to methylthiolate and hydrogen at 90 K is evidenced by the observation of hydroxyl and water. The saturation coverage of methylthiolate is ∼0.15 ML, measured by both XPS and TPD. A detailed analysis suggests that only the hcp-hollow sites have been occupied. Upon annealing the surface, water and hydroxyl desorb from the surface at ∼210 K. Methylthiolate decomposes to methyl radical and atomic sulphur via C-S cleavage between 350 and 450 K. Some methyl radicals (0.05 ML) have been transferred to Ru atoms before they decompose to carbon and hydrogen. The rest of methyl radicals desorb as gaseous phase. No evidence for the transfer of methyl radical to surface oxygen has been found.     

In-situ study on thermal decomposition of 1,3-disilabutane to silicon carbide on Si(1 0 0) surface

The intermediates of thermal decomposition of 1,3-disilabutane (SiH₃CH₂SiH₂CH₃, DSB) to form SiC on Si(1 0 0) surface were in situ investigated by reactive ion scattering (RIS), temperature programmed reactive ion scattering (TPRIS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and auger electron spectroscopy (AES). DSB as a single molecular precursor was exposed on Si(1 0 0) surface at a low temperature less than 100 K, and then the substrate was heated up to 1000 K. RIS, TPD, and AES investigations showed that DSB adsorbed molecularly and decomposed to SiC via some intermediates on Si(1 0 0) surface as substrate temperature increasing. Between 117 and 150 K molecularly adsorbed DSB desorbed partially and decomposed to CH₄Si₂, which is the first observation on Si(1 0 0) surface, and further decomposed to CH₄Si between 150 and 900 K. CH₄Si lost hydrogen and formed SiC over 900 K.     

Oxidation of Pt(1 0 0)-hex-R0.7° by gas-phase oxygen atoms

We utilized temperature programmed desorption (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) to investigate the oxidation of Pt(1 0 0)-hex-R0.7° at 450 K. Using an oxygen atom beam, we generated atomic oxygen coverages as high as 3.6 ML (monolayers) on Pt(1 0 0) in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), almost 6 times the maximum coverage obtainable by dissociatively adsorbing O₂. The results show that oxidation occurs through the development of several chemisorbed phases prior to oxide growth above about 1 ML. A weakly bound oxygen state that populates as the coverage increases from approximately 0.50 ML to 1 ML appears to serve as a necessary precursor to Pt oxide growth. We find that increasing the coverage above about 1 ML causes Pt oxide particle growth and significant surface disordering. Decomposition of the Pt oxide particles produces explosive O₂ desorption characterized by a shift of the primary TPD feature to higher temperatures and a dramatic increase in the maximum desorption rate with increasing coverage. Based on thermodynamic considerations, we show that the thermal stability of the surface Pt oxide on Pt single crystal surfaces significantly exceeds that of bulk PtO₂. Furthermore, we attribute the high stability and the acceleratory decomposition rates of the surface oxide to large kinetic barriers that must be overcome during oxide formation and decomposition. Lastly, we present evidence that structurally similar oxides develop on both Pt(1 1 1) and Pt(1 0 0), therefore concluding that the properties of the surface Pt oxide are largely insensitive to the initial structure of the Pt single crystal surface.     

Adsorption and decomposition of triethylsilane on Si(1 0 0)

The adsorption and decomposition of triethylsilane (TES) on Si(1 0 0) were studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), electron stimulated desorption (ESD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TPD and HREELS data indicate that carbon is thermally removed from the TES-dosed Si(1 0 0) surface via a β-hydride elimination process. At high exposures, TPD data shows the presence of physisorbed TES on the surface. These species are characterized by desorption of TES fragments at 160 K. Non-thermal decomposition of TES was studied at 100 K by irradiating the surface with 600 eV electrons. ESD of mass 27 strongly suggests that a β-hydride elimination process is a channel for non-thermal desorption of ethylene. TPD data indicated that electron irradiation of physisorbed TES species resulted in decomposition of the parent molecule and deposition of methyl groups on the surface that desorbed thermally at about 900 K. Without electron irradiation, mass 15 was not detected in the TPD spectra, indicating that the production of methyl groups in the TPD spectra was a direct result of electron irradiation. XPS data also showed that following electron irradiation of TES adsorbed on Si(1 0 0), carbon was deposited on the surface and could not be removed thermally.     

Adsorption and reactions of ethanol on Mo2C/Mo(1 0 0)

The adsorption, desorption and dissociation of ethanol have been investigated by work function, thermal desorption (TPD) and high resolution electron energy loss (HREELS) spectroscopic measurements on Mo₂C/Mo(1 0 0). Adsorption of ethanol on this sample at 100 K led to a work function decrease suggesting that the adsorbed layer has a positive outward dipole moment By means of TPD we distinguished three adsorption states, condensed layer with a Tp = 162 K, chemisorbed ethanol with Tp = 346 K and irreversibly bonded species which decomposes to different compounds. These are hydrogen, acetaldehyde, methane, ethylene and CO. From the comparison of the Tp values with those obtained following their adsorption on Mo₂C it was inferred that the desorption of methane and ethylene is reaction limited, while that of hydrogen is desorption limited process. HREEL spectra obtained at 100 K indicated that at lower exposure ethanol undergoes dissociation to give ethoxy species, whereas at high exposure molecularly adsorbed ethanol also exists on the surface. Analysis of the spectral changes in HREELS observed for annealed surface assisted to ascertain the reaction pathways of the decomposition of adsorbed ethanol.     

HREELS study of the adsorption and evolution of diethylamine (DEA) on Si(1 0 0) surfaces

The adsorption of diethylamine (DEA) on Si(1 0 0) at 100 K was investigated using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and electron stimulated desorption (ESD). The thermal evolution of DEA on Si(1 0 0) was studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Our results demonstrate DEA bonds datively to the Si(1 0 0) surface with no dissociation at 100 K. Thermal desorption of DEA takes place via a β-hydride elimination process leaving virtually no carbon behind. Electronic processing of DEA/Si(1 0 0) at 100 K results in desorption of ethyl groups; however, carbon and nitrogen are deposited on the surface as a result of electron irradiation. Thermal removal of carbon and nitrogen was not possible, indicating the formation of silicon carbide and silicon nitride.