Mixed water/OH structures on Pd(1 1 1)

Chemisorbed O and water react on Pd(1 1 1) at low temperatures to form a mixed OH/H₂O layer with a (√3 × √3)R30° registry. Reaction requires at least two water molecules to each O before the (2 × 2)O islands are consumed, the most stable OH/water structure being a (OH + H₂O) layer containing 0.67 ML of oxygen, formed by the reaction 3H₂O + O → 2(H₂O + OH). This structure is stabilised compared to pure water structures, decomposing at 190 K as OH recombines and water desorbs. The (√3 × √3)R30° − (OH + H₂O) phase cannot be formed by O/H reaction and is distinct from the (√3 × √3)R30° structure formed by O/H coadsorption below 200 K. Mixed OH/water structures do not react with coadsorbed H below 190 K on Pd(1 1 1), preventing this phase catalyzing the low temperature H₂/O₂ reaction which only occurs at higher temperatures.     

Adsorption of water on TiN (1 0 0), (1 1 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces: A first-principles study

We use first-principles density functional theory-based calculations in the analysis of the interaction of H₂O with (1 0 0), (1 1 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces of TiN, and develop understanding in terms of surface energies, polarity of the surface and chemistry of the cation, through comparison with H₂O adsorption on ZrN. While water molecule physisorbs preferentially at Ti site of (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces, it adsorbs dissociatively on (1 1 0) surface of TiN with binding stronger than almost 1.32 eV/molecule. Our analysis reveals the following general trends: (a) surfaces with higher energies typically lead to stronger adsorption, (b) dissociative adsorption of H₂O necessarily occurs on a charge neutral high energy surface and (c) lower symmetry of the (1 1 0) plane results in many configurations of comparable stability, as opposed to the higher symmetry (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces, which also consistently explain the results of H₂O adsorption on MgO available in literature. Finally, weaker adsorption of H₂O on TiN than on ZrN can be rationalized in terms of greater chemical stability of Ti arising from its ability to be in mixed valence.     

Molecularly intact and dissociative adsorption of water on clean Cu(1 1 0): A comparison with the water/Ru(0 0 1) system

An X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study was undertaken of the water/Cu(1 1 0)-system finding non-dissociative adsorption on clean Cu(1 1 0) at temperatures below 150 K. Thermally induced dissociation of D₂O is observed to occur above 150 K, similar to the H₂O/Ru(0 0 1) system, with an experimentally derived activation barrier of 0.53-0.56 eV which is very close in magnitude to the derived activation barrier for desorption of 0.50-0.53 eV. X-ray and electron induced damage to the water overlayer was quantified and used to rationalize the results of a recent XPS study of the water/Cu(1 1 0)-system where partial dissociation was observed already at 90 K.     

Chemical reactions of water molecules on Ru(0 0 0 1) induced by selective excitation of vibrational modes

Tunneling electrons in a scanning tunneling microscope were used to excite specific vibrational quantum states of adsorbed water and hydroxyl molecules on a Ru(0 0 0 1) surface. The excited molecules relaxed by transfer of energy to lower energy modes, resulting in diffusion, dissociation, desorption, and surface-tip transfer processes. Diffusion of H₂O molecules could be induced by excitation of the O-H stretch vibration mode at 445 meV. Isolated molecules required excitation of one single quantum while molecules bonded to a C atom required at least two quanta. Dissociation of single H₂O molecules into H and OH required electron energies of 1 eV or higher while dissociation of OH required at least 2 eV electrons. In contrast, water molecules forming part of a cluster could be dissociated with electron energies of 0.5 eV.     

Reaction of water with Ce-Au(1 1 1) and CeOx/Au(1 1 1) surfaces: Photoemission and STM studies

This article reports photoemission and STM studies for the adsorption and dissociation of water on Ce-Au(1 1 1) alloys and CeO_x/Au(1 1 1) surfaces. In general, the adsorption of water at 300 K on disordered Ce-Au(1 1 1) alloys led to O-H bond breaking and the formation of Ce(OH)_x species. Heating to 500-600 K induced the decomposition or disproportionation of the adsorbed OH groups, with the evolution of H₂ and H₂O into gas phase and the formation of Ce₂O₃ islands on the gold substrate. The intrinsic Ce ↔ H₂O interactions were explored by depositing Ce atoms on water multilayers supported on Au(1 1 1). After adsorbing Ce on ice layers at 100 K, the admetal was oxidized immediately to yield Ce³⁺. Heating to room temperature produced finger-like islands of Ce(OH)_x on the gold substrate. The hydroxyl groups dissociated upon additional heating to 500-600 K, leaving Ce₂O₃ particles over the surface. On these systems, water was not able to fully oxidize Ce into CeO₂ under UHV conditions. A complete Ce₂O₃ → CeO₂ transformation was seen upon reaction with O₂. The particles of CeO₂ dispersed on Au(1 1 1) did not interact with water at 300 K or higher temperatures. In this respect, they exhibited the same reactivity as does a periodic CeO₂(1 1 1) surface. On the other hand, the Ce₂O₃/Au(1 1 1) and CeO_2−x/Au(1 1 1) surfaces readily dissociated H₂O at 300-500 K. These systems showed an interesting reactivity for H₂O decomposition. Water decomposed into OH groups on Ce₂O₃/Au(1 1 1) or CeO_2−x/Au(1 1 1) without completely oxidizing Ce³⁺ into Ce⁴⁺. Annealing over 500 K removed the hydroxyl groups leaving behind CeO_2−x/Au(1 1 1) surfaces. In other words, the activity of CeO_x/Au(1 1 1) for water dissociation can be easily recovered. The behavior of gold-ceria catalysts during the water-gas shift reaction is discussed in light of these results.     

In situ XPS study of Pd(1 1 1) oxidation. Part 1: 2D oxide formation in 10 mbar O2

The oxidation of the Pd(1 1 1) surface was studied by in situ XPS during heating and cooling in 3 × 10⁻³ mbar O₂. A number of adsorbed/dissolved oxygen species were identified by in situ XPS, such as the two dimensional surface oxide (Pd₅O₄), the supersaturated O_ads layer, dissolved oxygen and the R 12.2° surface structure.Exposure of the Pd(1 1 1) single crystal to 3 × 10⁻³ mbar O₂ at 425 K led to formation of the 2D oxide phase, which was in equilibrium with a supersaturated O_ads layer. The supersaturated O_ads layer was characterized by the O 1s core level peak at 530.37 eV. The 2D oxide, Pd₅O₄, was characterized by two O 1s components at 528.92 eV and 529.52 eV and by two oxygen-induced Pd 3d_5/2 components at 335.5 eV and 336.24 eV. During heating in 3 × 10⁻³ mbar O₂ the supersaturated O_ads layer disappeared whereas the fraction of the surface covered with the 2D oxide grew. The surface was completely covered with the 2D oxide between 600 K and 655 K. Depth profiling by photon energy variation confirmed the surface nature of the 2D oxide. The 2D oxide decomposed completely above 717 K. Diffusion of oxygen in the palladium bulk occurred at these temperatures. A substantial oxygen signal assigned to the dissolved species was detected even at 923 K. The dissolved oxygen was characterised by the O 1s core level peak at 528.98 eV. The “bulk” nature of the dissolved oxygen species was verified by depth profiling.During cooling in 3 × 10⁻³ mbar O₂, the oxidised Pd²⁺ species appeared at 788 K whereas the 2D oxide decomposed at 717 K during heating. The surface oxidised states exhibited an inverse hysteresis. The oxidised palladium state observed during cooling was assigned to a new oxide phase, probably the R 12.2° structure.     

Density functional theory study of hydrogenation mechanism in Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surface

Using density functional theory (DFT) in combination with nudged elastic band (NEB) method, the dissociative chemisorptions and diffusion processes of hydrogen on both pure and Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surfaces are studied. Firstly, the dissociation pathway of H₂ and the relative barrier were investigated. The calculated dissociation barrier (1.08 eV) of hydrogen molecule on a pure Mg(0 0 0 1) surface is in good agreement with comparable experimental and theoretical studies. For the Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surface, the activated barrier decreases to 0.101 eV due to the strong interaction between the s orbital of H and the d orbital of Fe. Then, the diffusion processes of atomic hydrogen on pure and Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) are presented. The obtained diffusion barrier to the first subsurface is 0.45 eV and 0.98 eV, respectively. Finally, Chou method was used to investigate the hydrogen sorption kinetic mechanism of pure MgH₂ and Mg mixed with 5 at.% Fe atoms composites. The obtained activation energies are 0.87 ± 0.02 and 0.31 ± 0.01 eV for H₂ dissociation on the pure surface and H atom diffusion in Fe-doped Mg surfaces, respectively. It suggests that the rate-controlling step is dissociation of H₂ on the pure Mg surface while it is diffusion of H atom in the Fe-doped Mg surface. And both of fitting data are matching well with our calculation results.     

Hydroxylated α-Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) surfaces and metal/α-Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) interfaces

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was applied to study the hydroxylation of α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) surfaces and the stability of surface OH groups. The evolution of interfacial chemistry of the α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) surfaces and metal/α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) interfaces are well illustrated via modifications of the surface O1s spectra. Clean hydroxylated surfaces are obtained through water- and oxygen plasma treatment at room temperature. The surface OH groups of the hydroxylated surface are very sensitive to electron beam illumination, Ar⁺ sputtering, UHV heating, and adsorption of reactive metals. The transformation of a hydroxylated surface to an Al-terminated surface occurs by high temperature annealing or Al deposition.     

Spectroscopic study on thermal reaction and desorption of sulfur/Rh(1 0 0) induced by oxygen-containing molecules

The surface reaction and desorption of sulfur on Rh(1 0 0) induced by O₂ and H₂O are investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The Rh(1 0 0) sample covered with atomic sulfur is prepared by means of the exposure to H₂S gas, and subsequently the sample is annealed under O₂ or H₂O atmosphere. The XPS results show that atomic sulfur adsorbed on Rh(1 0 0) reacts with O₂ and desorbs from the surface at 473 K or more. On the other hand, atomic sulfur can not be removed from Rh(1 0 0) surface by H₂O at any temperature.     

Formic acid decomposition on palladium-coated Pt(1 1 0)

Pt/Pd anode catalysts for direct formic acid polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells outperform both Pt and Pd in steady-state electrooxidation trials. Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) experiments in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) were performed with 1 L formic acid on clean Pt(1 1 0), 0.6 monolayers Pd/Pt(1 1 0), and multilayer Pd/Pt(1 1 0) to gain a better understanding of the effect of Pd additions to a Pt catalyst. Both dehydration and dehydrogenation of formic acid occur on all three surfaces. As Pd coverage increases, the activation barrier for formate decomposition to CO₂ decreases, but the effect does not explain the unusual activity of Pt/Pd in the electrochemical environment.     

Reaction of O2 with the boron-terminated TaB2(0 0 0 1) surface

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study the clean TaB₂(0 0 0 1) surface and its reaction with O₂. In agreement with previous studies, XPS indicates that the clean surface is boron terminated. The topmost boron layer shows a chemically shifted B 1s peak at 187.1 eV compared to a B 1s peak at 188.6 eV for boron layers below the surface. The 187.1-188.6 eV peak intensity ratio and its variation with angle between the crystal normal and the detector is well described by a simple theoretical model based on an independently calculated electron inelastic mean free path of 15.7 Å for TaB₂. The dissociative sticking probability of O₂ on the boron-terminated TaB₂(0 0 0 1) surface is lower by a factor of 10⁴ than for the metal-terminated HfB₂(0 0 0 1) surface.     

A DFT study on the formation of CH3O on Cu2O(1 1 1) surface by CH3OH decomposition in the absence or presence of oxygen

The formation mechanism of CH₃O by the adsorption and decomposition of CH₃OH on clean and oxygen-precovered Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface has been investigated with density functional theory method together with the periodic slab models. Two possible formation pathways of CH₃O by CH₃OH decomposition on oxygen-precovered (O_pre) Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface were proposed and discussed. One is the O-H bond-cleavage of CH₃OH with H migration to O_pre to form CH₃O; the other is the C-O bond-scission of CH₃OH with CH₃ migration to O_pre leading to CH₃O_pre. The calculated results show that the O-H bond-breaking path has the lowest activation barrier 26.8 kJ mol⁻¹, the presence of oxygen-precovered on Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface exhibits a high surface reactivity toward the formation of CH₃O by the O-H bond-cleavage of CH₃OH, and reduce the activation barrier of O-H bond-cleavage. The C-O bond-breaking path was inhibited by dynamics, suggesting that the O atom of CH₃O is not from the oxygen-precovered, but comes from the O of CH₃OH. Meanwhile, the calculated results give a clear illustration about the formation mechanism of CH₃O in the presence of oxygen and the role of oxygen at the microscopic level.     

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on Pd(3 1 1) and (2 1 1) surfaces

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on Pd(3 1 1) and (2 1 1) stepped surfaces has been investigated by the extended London-Eyring-Polyani-Sato (LEPS) method constructed using a 5-parameter Morse potential. The calculated results show that there exist common characteristics of CO adsorption on the two surfaces. At low coverage, CO occupies threefold hollow site of the (1 1 1) terrace and is tilted with respect to the surface normal. Among the threefold hollow sites on the (1 1 1) terrace, the nearer the site is to the step, the greater is the influence of the step. The twofold bridge site on the (1 0 0) step is also a stable adsorption site at high coverage. Because of the different lengths of the (1 1 1) terraces, the (3 1 1) and (2 1 1) stepped surfaces have different characteristics. A number of new sites are exposed on the boundary regions, including the fourfold hollow site (H₄) of the (3 1 1) surface and the fivefold hollow site (H₅) of the (2 1 1) surface. At high coverage, CO resides in the H₅ site of the (2 1 1) surface, but the H₄ site of the (3 1 1) surface is not a stable adsorption site. This study further shows that the on-top site on the (1 0 0) step of Pd(3 1 1) is a stable adsorption site, but the same type of site on Pd(2 1 1) is not.     

Sum frequency generation and density functional studies of CO-H interaction and hydrogen bulk dissolution on Pd(1 1 1)

CO-H interaction and H bulk dissolution on Pd(1 1 1) were studied by sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT). The theoretical findings are particularly important to rationalize the experimentally observed mutual site blocking of CO and H and the effect of H dissolution on coadsorbate structures. Dissociative hydrogen adsorption on CO-precovered Pd(1 1 1) is impeded due to an activation barrier of ∼2.5 eV for a CO coverage of 0.75 ML, an effect which is maintained down to 0.33 ML CO. Preadsorbed hydrogen prevented CO adsorption at 100 K, while hydrogen was replaced from the surface by CO above 125 K. The temperature-dependent site blocking of hydrogen originates from the onset of hydrogen diffusion into the Pd bulk around 125 K, as shown by SFG and theoretical calculations using various approaches. When Pd(1 1 1) was exposed to 1:1 CO/H₂ mixtures at 100 K, on-top CO was absent in the SFG spectra although hydrogen occupies only threefold hollow sites on Pd(1 1 1). DFT attributes the absence of on-top CO to H atoms diffusing between hollow sites via bridge sites, thereby destabilizing neighboring on-top CO molecules. According to the calculations, the stretching frequency of bridge-bonded CO with a neighboring bridge-bonded hydrogen atom is redshifted by 16 cm⁻¹ when compared to bridging CO on the clean surface. Implications of the observed effects on hydrogenation reactions are discussed and compared to the C₂H₄-H coadsorption system.     

Solvent effects for CO and H2 adsorption on Cu2O (1 1 1) surface: A density functional theory study

To investigate solvent effects, CO and H₂ adsorption on Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface in vacuum, liquid paraffin, methanol and water are studied by using density functional theory (DFT) combined with the conductor-like solvent model (COSMO). When H₂ and CO adsorb on Cu_cus of Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface, solvent effects can improve CO and H₂ activation. The H-H bond increases with dielectric constant increasing as H₂ adsorption on O_suf of Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface, and the H-H bond breaks in methanol and water. It is also found that both the structural parameters and Mulliken charges are very sensitive to the COSMO solvent model. In summary, the solvent effects have obvious influence on the clean surface of Cu₂O (1 1 1) and the adsorptive behavior.     

Angular distribution of desorbing/permeating deuterium from modified Pd(1 1 1) surfaces

The angular distribution of desorbing deuterium molecules was investigated for the clean Pd(1 1 1) surface and for modified Pd(1 1 1) surfaces, either pre-covered with 0.2 ML potassium or with an ultra-thin V₂O₃ surface oxide. The palladium sample was part of a permeation source and the angular distribution was measured by lateral displacement of the sample in front of a differentially pumped flux detector. For the clean surface at 523 K, the angular distribution is close to a cosine distribution, but changes to a cos^1.9Θ distribution at 700 K. Potassium on the surface alters the angular distribution to a cos³Θ function at 523 K. The ultra-thin vanadium oxide layer on the Pd(1 1 1) surface has no significant influence on the angular distribution of deuterium desorption. The experimental results were compared with existing data of the energy dependent sticking coefficient and the energy distribution of the desorption flux as measured by time-of-flight spectroscopy. This made it possible to get information on the applicability of detailed balance and normal energy scaling.     

First principles study of H2S adsorption and dissociation on Fe(1 1 0)

We report first principles density functional theory (DFT) results of H₂S and HS adsorption and dissociation on the Fe(1 1 0) surface. We investigate the site preference of H₂S, HS, and S on Fe(1 1 0). H₂S is found to weakly adsorb on either the short bridge (SB) or long bridge (LB) site of Fe(1 1 0), with a binding energy of no more than 0.50 eV. The diffusion barrier from the LB site to the SB site is found to be small (∼0.10 eV). By contrast to H₂S, HS is predicted to be strongly chemisorbed on Fe(1 1 0), with the S atom in the LB site and the HS bond oriented perpendicular to the surface. Isolated S atoms also are predicted to bind strongly to the LB sites of Fe(1 1 0), where the SB is found to be a transition state for S surface hopping between neighboring LB sites. The minimum energy paths for H₂S and HS dehydrogenation involve rotating an H atom towards a nearby surface Fe atom, with the S-H bonds breaking on the top of one Fe atom. The barrier to break the first S-H bond in H₂S is low at 0.10 eV, and breaking the second S-H bond is barrierless, suggesting deposition of S on Fe(1 1 0) via H₂S is kinetically and thermodynamically facile.     

O2 dissociation on Pd(2 1 1) and Cu(2 1 1) surfaces

We have performed ab initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) based calculations to observe the reactivity of the Pd(2 1 1) and Cu(2 1 1) surfaces towards O₂. In order to properly address the adsorption dynamics, the static potential energy surface calculations have been complemented with first principles molecular dynamics calculations, which reveal interesting steering effects that complicate the dissociation dynamics. We have found that on both surfaces the step microfacets are very reactive and the dissociation of the O₂ molecule at room temperature occurs mostly on those sites.     

Adsorption of 2-chlorophenol on Cu2O(1 1 1)-CuCUS: A first-principles density functional study

First-principles density functional theory and a periodic-slab model have been utilized to investigate the adsorption of a 2-chlorophenol molecule on a CuO(1 1 1) surface with a vacant Cu surface site, namely Cu₂O(1 1 1)-Cu_CUS. Several vertical and flat orientations have been studied. All of these molecular configurations interact very weakly with the Cu₂O(1 1 1)-Cu_CUS surface, an observation which also holds for clean copper surfaces and the Cu₂O(1 1 0):CuO surface. Hydroxyl-bond dissociation assisted by the surface was found to be endoergic by 0.42-1.72 eV, depending predominantly on the position of the isolated H on the surface. In addition, the corresponding adsorbed 2-chlorophenoxy moiety was found to be more stable than a vacuum 2-chlorophenoxy radical by about 0.76 eV. Despite these predicted endoergicities, however, we would predict the formation of 2-chlorophenoxy radicals from gaseous 2-chlorophenol over the copper (I) oxide Cu₂O(1 1 1)-Cu_CUS surface to be a feasible and important process in the formation of PCDD/Fs in the post-flame region where gas-phase routes are negligible.     

Adsorption and dissociation of H2 on the Cu2O(1 1 1) surface: A density functional theory study

Interactions of atomic and molecular hydrogen with perfect and deficient Cu₂O(1 1 1) surfaces have been investigated by density functional theory. Different kinds of possible modes of H and H₂ adsorbed on the Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface and possible dissociation pathways were examined. The calculated results indicate that O_SUF, Cu_CUS and O_vacancy sites are the adsorption active centers for H adsorbed on the Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface, and for H₂ adsorption over perfect surface, Cu_CUS site is the most advantageous position with the side-on type of H₂. For H₂ adsorption over deficient surface, two adsorption models of H₂, H₂ adsorbing perpendicularly over O_vacancy site and H₂ lying flatly over singly-coordinate Cu-Cu short bridge, are typical of non-energy-barrier dissociative adsorption leading to one atomic H completely inserted into the crystal lattice and the other bounded to Cu_CUS atom, suggesting that the dissociative adsorption of H₂ is the main dissociation pathway of H₂ on the Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface. Our calculation result is consistent with that of the experimental observation. Therefore, Cu₂O(1 1 1) surface with oxygen vacancy exhibits a strong chemical reactivity towards the dissociation of H₂.