Determination of the rate of H + O2 + M → HO2 + M (M = N2, Ar, H2O) from ignition of syngas at practical conditions

In H₂ and H₂/CO oxidation, the H + O₂ + M termination step is one of the most important reactions at elevated pressures. With the recent, increased interest in synthetic fuels, an accurate assessment of its rate coefficient becomes increasingly important, especially for real fuel/air mixtures. Ignition delay times in shock-tube experiments at the conditions selected in this study are only sensitive to the rates of the title reaction and the branching reaction H + O₂ = OH + O, the rate of which is known to a high level of accuracy. The rate coefficient of the title reaction for M = N₂, Ar, and H₂O was determined by adjusting its value in a detailed chemical kinetics model to match ignition delay times for H₂/CO/O₂/N₂, H₂/CO/O₂/Ar, and H₂/CO/O₂/N₂/H₂O mixtures with fuel/air equivalence ratios of ? = 0.5, 0.9, and 1.0. The rate of H + O₂ + N₂ = HO₂ + N₂ was measured to be 2.7 (−0.7/+0.8) × 10¹⁵ cm⁶/mol² s for T = 916-1265 K and P = 1-17 atm. The present determination agrees well with the recent study of Bates et al. [R.W. Bates, D.M. Golden, R.K. Hanson, C.T. Bowman, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 3 (2001) 2337-2342], whose rate expressions are suggested herein for modeling the falloff regime. The rate of H + O₂ + Ar = HO₂ + Ar was measured to be 1.9 × 10¹⁵ cm⁶/mol² s for T = 932-965 K and P = 1.4 atm. The rate of H + O₂ + H₂O = HO₂ + H₂O was measured to be 3.3 × 10¹⁶ cm⁶/mol² s for T = 1071-1161 K and P = 1.3 atm. These are the first experimental measurements of the rates of the title reactions in practical combustion fuel/air mixtures.     

High-temperature measurements of the rates of the reactions CH2O + Ar → Products and CH2O + O2 → Products

The two-channel thermal decomposition of formaldehyde [CH₂O], (1a) CH₂O + Ar → HCO + H + Ar, and (1b) CH₂O + Ar → H₂ + CO + Ar, was studied in shock tube experiments in the 2258-2687 K temperature range, at an average total pressure of 1.6 atm. OH radicals, generated on shock heating trioxane-O₂-Ar mixtures, were monitored behind the reflected shock front using narrow-linewidth laser absorption. 1,3,5 trioxane [C₃H₆O₃] was used as the CH₂O precursor in the current experiments. H-atoms formed upon CH₂O and HCO decomposition rapidly react with O₂ to produce OH via H + O₂ → O + OH. The recorded OH time-histories show dominant sensitivity to the formaldehyde decomposition pathways. The second-order reaction rate coefficients were inferred by matching measured and modeled OH profiles behind the reflected shock. Two-parameter fits for k_1a and k_1b, applicable in this temperature range, are:

     

Kinetic aspect of CO2 reforming of CH4 on Ni(1 1 1): A density functional theory calculation

Reaction pathways of CO₂ reforming of CH₄ on Ni(1 1 1) were investigated by using density functional theory calculation. The computed kinetic parameters agree with the available experimental data, and a new and simplified mechanism was proposed on the basis of computed energy barriers. The first step is CO₂ dissociation into surface CO and O (CO₂ → CO + O) and CH₄ sequentially dissociation into surface CH and H (CH₄ → CH₃ → CH₂ → CH). The second step is CH oxygenation into CHO (CH + O → CHO), which is more favored than its dissociation into C and hydrogen (CH → C + H). The third step is the dissociation of CHO into surface CO and H (CHO → CO + H). Finally, H₂ and CO desorb from Ni(1 1 1) and form free H₂ and CO. The rate-determining step is the CH₄ dissociative adsorption, and the key intermediate is surface adsorbed CHO. Parameters, which might modify the proposed mechanism, have been analyzed. In addition, the formation, deposition and elimination of surface carbon have been discussed accordingly.     

Adsorption of water on thin V2O3(0 0 0 1) films

V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) films have been grown epitaxially on Au(1 1 1) and W(1 1 0). Under typical UHV conditions these films are terminated by a layer of vanadyl groups as has been shown previously [A.-C. Dupuis, M. Abu Haija, B. Richter, H. Kuhlenbeck, H.-J. Freund, V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) on Au(1 1 1) and W(1 1 0): growth, termination and electronic structure, Surf. Sci. 539 (2003) 99]. Electron irradiation may remove the oxygen atoms of this layer. H₂O adsorption on the vanadyl terminated surface and on the reduced surface has been studied with thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), vibrational spectroscopy (IRAS) and electron spectroscopy (XPS) using light from the BESSY II electron storage ring in Berlin. It is shown that water molecules interact only weakly with the vanadyl terminated surface: water is adsorbed molecularly and desorbs below room temperature. On the reduced surface water partially dissociates and forms a layer of hydroxyl groups which may be detected on the surface up to T ∼ 600 K. Below ∼330 K also co-adsorbed molecular water is detected. The water dissociation products desorb as molecular water which means that they recombine before desorption. No sign of surface re-oxidation could be detected after desorption, indicating that the dissociation products desorb completely.     

CO2 adsorption on Cr(1 1 0) and Cr2O3(0 0 0 1)/Cr(1 1 0)

We attempt to correlate qualitatively the surface structure with the chemical activity for a metal surface, Cr(1 1 0), and one of its surface oxides, Cr₂O₃(0 0 0 1)/Cr(1 1 0). The kinetics and dynamics of CO₂ adsorption have been studied by low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Aug er electron spectroscopy (AES), and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), as well as adsorption probability measurements conducted for impact energies of E_i = 0.1-1.1 eV and adsorption temperatures of T_s = 92-135 K. The Cr(1 1 0) surface is characterized by a square shaped LEED pattern, contamination free Cr AES, and a single dominant TDS peak (binding energy E_d = 33.3 kJ/mol, first order pre-exponential 1 × 10¹³ s⁻¹). The oxide exhibits a hexagonal shaped LEED pattern, Cr AES with an additional O-line, and two TDS peaks (E_d = 39.5 and 30.5 kJ/mol). The initial adsorption probability, S₀, is independent of T_s for both systems and decreases exponentially from 0.69 to 0.22 for Cr(1 1 0) with increasing E_i, with S₀ smaller by ∼0.15 for the surface oxide. The coverage dependence of the adsorption probability, S(Θ), at low E_i is approx. independent of coverage (Kisliuk-shape) and increases initially at large E_i with coverage (adsorbate-assisted adsorption). CO₂ physisorbs on both systems and the adsorption is non-activated and precursor mediated. Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) have been used to parameterize the beam scattering data. The coverage dependence of E_d has been obtained by means of a Redhead analysis of the TDS curves.     

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.     

A theoretical study of the water gas shift reaction mechanism on Cu(1 1 1) model system

The water gas shift (WGS) reaction is an important reaction system and has wide applications in several processes. However, the mechanism of the reaction is still in dispute. In this paper we have investigated the reaction mechanism on the model Cu(1 1 1) system using the density functional method and slab models. We have characterized the kinetics and the thermodynamics of the four reaction pathways containing 24 elementary steps and computed the reaction potential energy surfaces. Calculations show that the formate (HCOO) intermediate mechanism (CO + OH → HCOO → CO₂ + H) and the associative mechanism (CO + OH → CO₂ + H) are kinetically unlikely because of the high formation barrier. On the other hand, the carboxyl (HOCO) intermediate mechanism (CO + OH → HOCO → CO₂ + H) and the redox mechanism (CO + O → CO₂) are demonstrated to be feasible. Our calculations also indicate that surface oxygen atoms can reduce the barriers of both water dissociation and HOCO decomposition significantly. The calculated potential energy surfaces show that the water dissociation which produces OH groups is the rate-determining step at the initial stage of the reaction or in the absence of surface oxygen atoms. With the development of the reaction or in the presence of oxygen atoms on the surface, CO + OH → HOCO and CO + O → CO₂ become the rate-limiting step for the carboxyl and redox mechanisms, respectively.     

The corrosion behavior of intermetallic compounds Ni3(Si,Ti) and Ni3(Si,Ti) + 2Mo in acidic solutions

The corrosion behavior of the intermetallic compounds homogenized, Ni₃(Si,Ti) (L1₂: single phase) and Ni₃(Si,Ti) + 2Mo (L1₂ and (L1₂ + Ni_ss) mixture region), has been investigated using an immersion test, electrochemical method and surface analytical method (SEM; scanning electron microscope and EPMA: electron probe microanalysis) in 0.5 kmol/m³ H₂SO₄ and 0.5 kmol/m³ HCl solutions at 303 K. In addition, the corrosion behavior of a solution annealed austenitic stainless steel type 304 was studied under the same experimental conditions as a reference. It was found that the intergranular attack was observed for Ni₃(Si,Ti) at an initial stage of the immersion test, but not Ni₃(Si,Ti) + 2Mo, while Ni₃(Si,Ti) + 2Mo had the preferential dissolution of L1₂ with a lower Mo concentration compared to (L1₂ + Ni_ss) mixture region. From the immersion test and polarization curves, Ni₃(Si,Ti) + 2Mo showed the lowest corrosion resistance in both solutions and Ni₃(Si,Ti) had the highest corrosion resistance in the HCl solution, but not in the H₂SO₄ solution. For instance, it was found that unlike type 304 stainless steel, these intermetallic compounds were difficult to form a stable passive film in the H₂SO₄ solution. The results obtained were explained in terms of boron segregation at grain boundaries, Mo enrichment and film stability (or strength).     

CO oxidation over Ru(0 0 0 1) at near-atmospheric pressures: From chemisorbed oxygen to RuO2

RuO₂(1 1 0) was formed on Ru(0 0 0 1) under oxygen-rich reaction conditions at 550 K and high pressures. This phase was also synthesized using pure O₂ and high reaction temperatures. Subsequently the RuO₂ was subjected to CO oxidation reaction at stoichiometric and net reducing conditions at near-atmospheric pressures. Both in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) and post-reaction Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements indicate that RuO₂ gradually converts to a surface oxide and then to a chemisorbed oxygen phase. Reaction kinetics shows that the chemisorbed oxygen phase has the highest reactivity due to a smaller CO binding energy to this surface. These results also show that a chemisorbed oxygen phase is the thermodynamically stable phase under stoichiometric and reducing reaction conditions. Under net oxidizing conditions, RuO₂ displays high reactivity at relatively low temperatures (?450 K). We propose that this high reactivity involves a very reactive surface oxygen species, possibly a weakly bound, atomic oxygen or an active molecular O₂ species. RuO₂ deactivates gradually under oxidizing reaction conditions. Post-reaction AES measurements reveal that this deactivation is caused by a surface carbonaceous species, most likely carbonate, that dissociates above 500 K.     

A theoretical investigation on Pt3Sn(1 0 2) surface alloy and CO-Pt3Sn(1 0 2) system

The adsorption properties of CO on experimentally verified stepped Pt₃Sn(1 0 2) surface were investigated using quantum mechanical calculations. The two possible terminations of Pt₃Sn(1 0 2) were generated and on these terminations all types of possible adsorption sites were determined. The adsorption energies and geometries of the CO molecule for all those sites were calculated. The most favorable sites for adsorption were determined as the short bridge site on the terrace of pure-Pt row of the mixed-atom-ending termination, atop site at the step-edge of the pure row of pure-Pt-ending termination and atop site at the step-edge of the pure-Pt row of the mixed-atom-ending termination. The results were compared with those for similar sites on the flat Pt₃Sn(1 1 0) surface considering the fact that Pt₃Sn(1 0 2) has terraces with (1 1 0) orientation. The LDOS analysis of bare sites clearly shows that there are significant differences between the electronic properties of Pt atoms at stepped Pt₃Sn(1 0 2) surface and the electronic properties of Pt atoms at flat (1 1 0) surface, which leads to changes in the CO bonding energies of these Pt atoms. Adsorption on Pt₃Sn(1 0 2) surface is in general stronger compared to that on Pt₃Sn(1 1 0) surface. The difference in adsorption strength of similar sites on these two surface terminations is a result of stepped structure of Pt₃Sn(1 0 2). The local density of states (LDOS) of the adsorbent Pt and C of adsorbed CO was utilized. The LDOS of the surface metal atoms with CO-adsorbed atop and of their bare state were compared to see the effect of CO chemisorption on the electron density distribution of the corresponding Pt atom. The downward shift in energy peak in the LDOS curves as well as changes in the electron densities of the corresponding energy levels indicate the orbital mixing between CO molecular orbitals and metal d-states. The present study showed that the adsorption strength of the sites has a direct relation with their LDOS profiles.     

Formation and characterization of the Cu2O overlayer on Zn-terminated ZnO(0 0 0 1)

Low-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron-radiation-excited angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to characterize Cu-oxide overlayers on the Zn-terminated ZnO(0 0 0 1) surface. Deposition of Cu on the ZnO(0 0 0 1)-Zn surface results in the formation of Cu clusters with (1 1 1) top terraces. Oxidation of these clusters by annealing at 650 K in O₂ atmosphere (1.3 × 10⁻⁴ Pa) leads to an ordered Cu₂O overlayer with (1 1 1) orientation. Good crystallinity of the Cu₂O(1 1 1) overlayer is proved by energy dispersion of one of Cu₂O valence bands. The Cu₂O(1 1 1) film exhibits a strong p-type semiconducting nature with the valence band maximum (VBM) of 0.1 eV below the Fermi level. The VBM of ZnO at the Cu₂O(1 1 1)/ZnO(0 0 0 1)-Zn interface is estimated to be 2.4 eV, yielding the valence-band offset of 2.3 eV.     

(Mo + N) codoped TiO2 for enhanced visible-light photoactivity

A series of Ti_1−xMo_xO_2−yN_y samples were prepared by using sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. All Ti_1−xMo_xO_2−yN_y samples are anatase phase. It is found that Mo, N mono-doping can increase visible light absorption, while (Mo + N) co-doping can greatly enhance absorption in whole visible region. Results of our first-principles band structure calculations reveal that (Mo + N)-doping, especially passivated co-doping can increase the up-limit of dopant concentration and create more impurity bands in the band gap of TiO₂, which leads to a greatly increase of its visible-light absorption without a decrease of its redox potential. It reveals that (Mo + N) co-doped TiO₂ is promising for a photocatalyst with high photocalystic activity under visible light.     

Density functional theory calculations of surface properties and H2 adsorption on the Cu2O (1 1 1) surface

First-principles calculation on the basis of the density functional theory (DFT) and generalized gradient approximation have been applied to study the adsorption of H₂ on the stoichiometric O-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1), Cu₂O (1 1 1)-Cu_CUS and Cu-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surfaces. The optimal adsorption position and orientation of H₂ on the stoichiometric O-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface and Cu-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface were determined and electronic structural changes upon adsorption were investigated by calculating the Local Density of States (LDOS) of the Cu_CUS 3d and Cu_CUS 4s of stoichiometric O-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface. These results showed that H₂ molecule adsorption on Cu_CUS site parallel to stoichiometric O-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface and H₂ molecule adsorption on Cu₂ site parallel to Cu-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) surface were the most favored, respectively. The presence of surface copper vacancy has a little influence on the structures when H₂ molecule adsorbs on Cu_CSA, O_CUS and O_CSA atoms and the H₂ molecule is only very weakly bound to the Cu₂O (1 1 1)-Cu_CUS surface. From the analysis of stoichiometric O-terminated Cu₂O (1 1 1) Local Density of States, it is observed that Cu_CUS 3d orbital has moved to a lower energy and the sharp band of Cu_CUS 4s is delocalized when compared to that before H₂ molecule adsorption, and overlapped substantially with bands due to adsorbed H₂ molecule. The Mulliken charges of H₂ adsorption on Cu_CUS site showed that H₂ molecule obtained electron from Cu_CUS which was consistent with the calculated electronic structural changes upon H₂ adsorption.     

Low temperature adsorption of oxygen on reduced V2O3(0 0 0 1) surfaces

Well ordered V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) films were prepared on Au(1 1 1) and W(1 1 0) substrates. These films are terminated by a layer of vanadyl groups under typical UHV conditions. Reduction by electron bombardment may remove the oxygen atoms of the vanadyl layer, leading to a surface terminated by vanadium atoms. The interaction of oxygen with the reduced V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) surface has been studied in the temperature range from 80 to 610 K. Thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS), high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) were used to study the adsorbed oxygen species. Low temperature adsorption of oxygen on reduced V₂O₃(0 0 0 1) occurs both dissociatively and molecularly. At 90 K a negatively charged molecular oxygen species is observed. Upon annealing the adsorbed oxygen species dissociates, re-oxidizing the reduced surface by the formation of vanadyl species. Density functional theory was employed to calculate the structure and the vibrational frequencies of the O₂ species on the surface. Using both cluster and periodic models, the surface species could be identified as η²-peroxo () lying flat on surface, bonded to the surface vanadium atoms. Although the O-O vibrational normal mode involves motions almost parallel to the surface, it can be detected by infrared spectroscopy because it is connected with a change of the dipole moment perpendicular to the surface.     

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.     

Formamide reactions on rutile TiO2(0 1 1) surface

The reaction of formamide over the (0 1 1) faceted TiO₂(0 0 1) surface has been studied by Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Two main reactions were observed: dehydration to HCN and H₂O and decomposition to NH₃ and CO. The dehydration reaction was found to be three to four times larger than the decomposition at all coverages. Each of these reactions is found to occur in two temperature domains which are dependent upon surface coverage. The low temperature pathway (at about 400 K) is largely insensitive to surface coverage while the high temperature pathway (at about 500 K) shifts to lower temperatures with increasing surface coverage. These two temperature pathways may indicate two adsorption modes of formamide: molecular (via an η¹(O) mode of adsorption) and dissociative (via an η²(O,N) mode of adsorption). C1s and N1s XPS scans indicated the presence of multiple species after formamide absorption at 300 K. These occurred at ca. 288.5 eV (-CONH-) and 285 eV (sp³/sp² C) for the C1s and 400 eV-(NH₂), 398 eV (-NH) and 396 eV (N) for the N1s and result from further reaction of formamide with the surface.     

Surface properties, textural features and catalytic performance for NO + CO abatement of spinels MAl2O4 (M = Mg, Co and Zn) developed by reverse and bicontinuous microemulsion method

Three typical spinels of general formula MAl₂O₄ (M = Mg, Co and Zn) have been successfully prepared via a microemulsion method both in the reverse and bicontinuous state. The final solids were characterized by X-ray diffraction followed by Rietveld analysis, N₂ adsorption-desorption porosimetry and SEM. Pore connectivity (c) was also calculated with Seaton's method. The analysis of all these properties shown that spinels prepared via reverse microemulsion route have better surface and textural properties than bicontinuous ones. The spinels were tested for NO + CO reaction and reverse spinels shown better catalytic activity than bicontinuous ones while the full sequence of catalytic activity is: ZnAl₂O₄-r > ZnAl₂O₄-b > MgAl₂O₄-r > MgAl₂O₄-b > CoAl₂O₄-r > CoAl₂O₄-b. The Rietveld analysis helped us to give an explanation about the catalytic activity and shown that the configuration of inverse spinel phase is the critical factor for the catalytic behavior of final solids. The reactants NO and CO react in a 2:1 ratio at low temperature but they convert in a 1:1 ratio at high temperatures. From the kinetic analysis the heats of NO adsorption are estimated and are in full agreement with the results of catalytic activity.     

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.     

Epitaxial MoOx nanostructures on TiO2(1 1 0) obtained using thermal decomposition of Mo(CO)6

Stoichiometric and highly-defective TiO₂(1 1 0) surfaces (called as yellow and blue, respectively) were exposed to Mo(CO)₆ vapours in UHV and in a reactive O₂ atmosphere. In the case of yellow-TiO₂, an O₂ reactive atmosphere was necessary to obtain the Mo(CO)₆ decomposition at 450 °C with deposition of MoO_x nanostructures where, according to core level photoemission data, the Mo⁺⁴ state is predominant. In the case of blue-TiO₂ it was possible to obtain Mo deposition both in UHV and in an O₂ atmosphere. A high dose of Mo(CO)₆ in UHV on blue-TiO₂ allowed the deposition of a thick metallic Mo layer. An air treatment of this sample at 580 °C led to the elimination of Mo as MoO₃ and to the formation of a transformed layer of stoichiometry of Ti_(1−x)Mo_xO₂ (where x is close to 0.1) which, according to photoelectron diffraction data, can be described as a substitutional near-surface alloy, where Mo⁺⁴ ions are embedded into the titania lattice. This embedding procedure results in a stabilization of the Mo⁺⁴ ions, which are capable to survive to air exposure for a rather long period of time. After exposure of the blue-TiO₂(1 1 0) substrate to Mo(CO)₆ vapours at 450 °C in an O₂ atmosphere it was possible to obtain a MoO₂ epitaxial ultrathin layer, whose photoelectron diffraction data demonstrate that is pseudomorphic to the substrate.     

Kinetics of the N2O-CO reaction on Rh(1 1 0)

Our recent studies of the steady-state kinetics of the N₂O-CO reaction on Rh(1 1 0) indicate that at CO excess, the reaction rate increases with increasing temperature. At N₂O excess, the reaction rate is nearly independent of temperature at T < 520 K and rapidly decreases with increasing temperature at T > 520 K. Our present analysis of the relevant data indicates that the latter feature seems to be related to surface-oxide formation. Following this line, we propose a mean-field kinetic model making it possible to describe and clarify the experiment.