Direct reaction of adsorbed molecular oxygen with hydrazine on a clean Pt(111) surface

The oxidation of hydrazine on the clean Pt(111) surface has been investigated by temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) in the temperature range 130–800 K. Direct reaction of molecular oxygen is observed on the Pt(111) surface for the first time, as indicated by the desorption of nitrogen beginning at 130 K with a maximum rate at 145 K, below the molecular oxygen dissociation temperature. Direct reaction of hydrazine with adsorbed molecular oxygen results in the formation of water and nitrogen. With excess hydrazine, all surface oxygen is reacted, forming water. When only adsorbed atomic oxygen is present, the low-temperature nitrogen yield decreases by a factor of 3 and the peak nitrogen desorption temperature increases to 170 K. No high-temperature (450–650 K) nitrogen desorption characteristic of nitrogen atom recombination is seen, indicating that during oxidation the nitrogen-nitrogen bond in hydrazine remains intact, as observed previously for hydrazine decomposition on the Pt(111) surface and hydrazine oxidation on rhodium. Two water desorption peaks are observed, characteristic of desorption-limited (175 K) and reaction-limited (200 K) water evolution from the Pt(111) surface. For low coverages of hydrazine, only the reaction-limited water desorption is observed, previously attributed to water formed from adsorbed hydroxyl groups. When excess hydrazine is adsorbed, the usual hydrazine decomposition products, H₂, N₂ and NH₃, are also observed. No nitrogen oxide species (NO, NO₂ and N₂O) were observed in these experiments, even when excess oxygen was available on the surface.     

Decomposition mechanism of triethylindium (TEI) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface studied by LEED, AES, TPD and HREELS

Adsorption and decomposition of triethylindium (TEI: (C₂H₅)₃In) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface have been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). It is found from the TPD result that ethyl radical and ethylene are evolved at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, respectively, as decomposition products of TEI on the surface. This result is quite different from that on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×4) surface. The activation energy of desorption of ethyl radical is estimated to be about 93 kJ/mol. It is suggested that TEI is adsorbed molecularly on the surface at 100 K and that some of TEI molecules are dissociated into C₂H₅ to form P–C₂H₅ bonds at 300 K. The vibration modes related to ethyl group are decreased in intensity at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, which is consistent with the TPD result. The TEI molecules (including mono- and di-ethylindium) are not evolved from the surface. Based on the TPD and HREELS results, the decomposition mechanism of TEI on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface is discussed and compared with that on the (2×4) surface.     

Formaldehyde decomposition and oxidation on Pt(110)

The decomposition reactions of formaldehyde on clean and oxygen dosed Pt(110) have been studied by LEED, XPS and TPRS. Formaldehyde is adsorbed in two states, a monolayer phase and a multilayer phase which were distinguishable by both TPRS and XPS. The saturated monolayer (corresponding to 8.06 × 10¹⁴ molecules cm⁻²) desorbed at 134 K and the multilayer phase (which could not be saturated) desorbed at 112 K. The only other reaction products observed at higher temperatures were CO and H₂ produced in desorption limited processes and these reached a maximum upon saturation of the formaldehyde monolayer. The desorption spectrum of hydrogen was found to be perturbed by the presence of CO as reported by Weinberg and coworkers. It is proposed that local lifting of the clean surface (1 × 2) reconstruction is responsible for this behaviour. Analysis of the TPRS and XPS peak areas demonstrated that on the clean surface approximately 50% of the adsorbed monolayer dissociated with the remainder desorbing intact. Reaction of formaldehyde with preadsorbed oxygen resulted in the formation of H₂O (hydroxyl recombination) and CO₂ (decomposition of formate) desorbing at 200 and 262 K, respectively. The CO and H₂ desorption peaks were both smaller relative to formaldehyde decomposition on the clean surface and in particular, H₂ desorbed in a reaction limited process associated with decomposition of the formate species. No evidence was found for methane or hydrocarbon evolution in the present study under any circumstances. The results of this investigation are discussed in the light of our earlier work on the decomposition of methanol on the same platinum surface.     

Mechanical anisotropy and electronic properties of X2N2 (XH2 ): first-principles calculations*

The mechanical anisotropy, structural properties, electronic band structures and thermal properties of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are detailed and investigated in this work. The novel silicon nitride phase Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and germanium nitride phase Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) in the Cmc 2₁ structure are proposed in this work. The novel proposed Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are both mechanically and dynamically stable. The electronic band calculation of the HSE06 hybrid functional shows that C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are all wide band gap semiconductor materials, and C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ) and Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) are direct band gap semiconductor materials, while Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) is a quasi-direct band gap semiconductor material, the band gap of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) are 5.634 eV, 3.013 eV, and 2.377 eV, respectively. The three-dimensional and plane distributions of Young’s modulus, shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ), Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) show that these materials have different degrees of mechanical anisotropy. The order of Young’s modulus of Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ) and Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ) in different directions is different from that of C₂ N₂ (CH₂ ). When the tensile axis is in a particular direction, the order of the Young’s modulus of Si₂ N₂ (SiH₂ ): E _[110] <E _[120] <E _[111] <E _[101] <E _[010] =E _[100] <E _[011] <E _[001], and the order of the Young’s modulus of Ge₂ N₂ (GeH₂ ): E _[110] <E _[111] <E _[101] <E _[120] <E _[100] <E _[010] <E _[011] <E _[001] .     

石墨烯在Al_2O_3(0001)表面生长的模拟研究

基于密度泛函理论的广义梯度近似法,对用化学气相沉积法在蓝宝石(α-Al_2O_3)(0001)表面上生长石墨烯进行理论研究.研究结果表明:CH_4在α-Al_2O_3(0001)表面上的分解是吸热过程,由CH_4完全分解出C需要较高能量及反应能垒,这些因素不利于C在衬底表面的存在.在α-Al_2O_3(0001)表面,石墨烯形核的活跃因子并不是通常认为的C原子,而是CH基团.通过CH基团在α-Al_2O_3(0001)表面上的迁移聚集首先形成能量较低的(CH)_x结构.模拟研究(CH)_x对揭示后续石墨烯的形核生长机理具有重要意义.     

Investigation of the role of oxygen in NO reduction by C2H4 on the surface of stepped Pt(3 3 2)

The influence of pre-dosed oxygen on NO–C₂H₄ interactions on the surface of stepped Pt(3 3 2) has been investigated using Fourier transform infrared reflection–absorption spectroscopy (FTIR-RAS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The presence of oxygen significantly suppresses the adsorption of NO on the steps of Pt(3 3 2), leading to a very specific adsorption state for NO molecules when oxygen–NO co-adlayers are annealed to 350 K (assigned as atop NO on step edges). An oxygen-exchange reaction also takes place between these two kinds of adsorbed molecules, but there appears to be no other chemical reaction, which can result in the formation of higher-valence NOx.

C₂H₄ molecules which are post-dosed at 250 K to adlayers consisting of ¹⁸O and NO do not have strong interactions with either the NO or the ¹⁸O atoms. In particular, interactions which may result in the formation of new surface species that are intermediates for N₂ production appear to be absent. However, C₂H₄ is oxidized to C¹⁸O₂ by ¹⁸O atoms at higher annealing temperature. This reaction scavenges surface ¹⁸O atoms quickly, and the adsorption of NO molecules on step sites is therefore quickly restored. As a consequence, NO dissociation on steps proceeds very effectively, giving rise to N₂ desorption which closely resembles that following only NO exposure on a clean Pt(3 3 2), both in peak intensity and desorption temperature. It is concluded that the presence of ¹⁸O₂ in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with C₂H₄ on the surface of Pt(3 3 2) does not play a role of activating reactants.     

DFT modeling of the hydrolysis of isocyanic acid over the TiO2 anatase (1 0 1) surface: Adsorption of HNCO species

The nature of the interaction of isocyanic acid (HNCO) with the active centers at the ideal anatase TiO₂ (1 0 1) surface were studied using ab initio density functional theory (DFT) method with a cluster model. Two types of adsorption of isocyanic acid are found to be likely at (1 0 1) surface – dissociative and molecular adsorption. Only molecular adsorption of HNCO leads to the direct weakening and further splitting of the NC bond, which is a necessary step for the hydrolysis of isocyanic acid. During molecular adsorption of HNCO, an energetically stable intermediate surface complex is created with an adsorption energy of −1.33 eV, in which the HNCO skeleton is changing due to new strong bonds between C–O_s and N–Ti_s. Based on the existence of this intermediate complex a probable reaction pathway for the hydrolysis of HNCO over the ideal anatase (1 0 1) surface was developed. A surface oxygen vacancy was formed after the decomposition of the intermediate complex and CO₂ desorption. Afterwards, water adsorbs at the oxygen vacancy site and NH₃ is successively formed. The HNCO hydrolysis over TiO₂ was found to be energetically favorable with global energy gain of about −2.08 eV.     

Propylene deep oxidation on the Pt(111) surface: temperature programmed studies over extended coverage ranges

Propylene oxidation was studied on the Pt(111) surface over a wide range of reaction stoichiometries using temperature programmed methods. Reaction of propylene with excess oxygen results in complete oxidation to water and carbon dioxide, with oxydehydrogenation to form water beginning at 290 K. The initiation of skeletal oxidation occurs after water formation begins, except for the highest propylene coverages. A stable dehydrogenated intermediate with a C₃H₅ stoichiometry is formed in the 300 K temperature range during oxidation. Reaction of propylene with substoichiometric amounts of oxygen results in incomplete oxidation with hydrocarbon decomposition dominating after depletion of surface oxygen. Increasing oxygen coverage results in more complete oxidation. Oxidation processes result in water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, while decomposition results in hydrogen, propylene, and propane desorption with some surface carbon remaining. Propylene-d₆ and selectively labeled propylene-3,3,3-d₃ (CH₂CHCD₃) experiments indicated initial water formation results from oxydehydrogenation of one of the olefinic hydrogens. At the highest propylene and oxygen coverages studied, we observed small amounts of partial oxidation which indicate that the vinyl hydrogen is removed initially, resulting in the formation of an adsorbed H₂CCCH₃ intermediate. The partial oxidation products observed are acetone desorbing at 200 K and acetic acid at 320 K. Removal of the first skeletal carbon begins at 320 K, except for the highest propylene coverages. Preadsorption of molecular oxygen limits adsorption of propylene and preadsorption of propylene limits molecular oxygen adsorption at 110 K. Similar oxidation mechanisms are observed following initial adsorption of both molecular and atomic oxygen, which is expected since molecular oxygen dissociates and/or desorbs well below oxidation temperatures.     

Effects of preadsorbed oxygen on the formation and decomposition of NCO on Rh(111) surfaces

The interaction of HNCO with oxygen dosed Rh(111) surface has been investigated by Auger electron, electron energy loss and thermal desorption spectroscopy. The presence of adsorbed oxygen exerted no apparent influence on the weakly adsorbed HNCO (T_p = 130 K). It promoted, however, the dissociative adsorption of HNCO by forming a strong O—H bond which prevented the associative desorption of HNCO. As a result no H₂ and NH₃ formation occurred, in contrast with the clean surface, and the surface concentration of irreversibly bonded NCO was also increased. New products of the surface reaction were H₂O and CO₂, in addition to CO and N₂ observed on a clean surface. From the behavior of the losses characteristic for the adsorbed NCO it appeared that the preadsorbed oxygen exerted a significant stabilizing effect on the NCO bonded to the Rh.     

Glycine on Pt(111): a TDS and XPS study

The adsorption and desorption of in situ deposited glycine on Pt(111) were investigated with thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Glycine adsorbs intact on Pt(111) at all coverages at temperatures below 250 K. The collected results suggest that the glycine molecules adsorb predominantly in the zwitterionic state both in the first monolayer and in multilayers. Upon heating, intact molecules start to desorb from multilayers around 325 K. The second (and possibly third) layer(s) are somewhat more strongly bound than the subsequent layers. The multilayer desorption follows zero order kinetics with an activation energy of 0.87 eV molecule⁻¹. From the first saturated monolayer approximately half of the molecules desorbs intact with a desorption peak at 360 K, while the other half dissociates before desorption. Below 0.25 monolayer all molecules dissociate upon heating. The dissociation reactions lead to H₂, CO₂, and H₂O desorption around 375 K and CO desorption around 450 K. This is well below the reported gas phase decomposition temperature of glycine, but well above the thermal desorption temperatures of the individual H₂, CO₂, and H₂O species on Pt(111), i.e. the dissociation is catalyzed by the surface and H₂, CO₂, and H₂O immediately desorb upon dissociation. For temperatures above 500 K the remaining residues of the dissociated molecules undergo a series of reactions leading to desorption of, for example, H₂CN, N₂ and C₂N₂, leaving only carbon left on the surface at 900 K. Comparison with previously reported studies of this system show substantial agreement but also distinct differences.