Chameleon Metals: Autonomous Nano‐Texturing and Composition Inversion on Liquid Metals Surfaces

Studies on passivating oxides on liquid metals are challenging, in part, due to plasticity, entropic, and technological limitations. In alloys, compositional complexity in the passivating oxide(s) and underlying metal interface exacerbates these challenges. This nanoscale complexity, however, offers an opportunity to engineer the surface of the liquid metal under felicitous choice of processing conditions. We inferred that difference in reactivity, coupled with inherent interface ordering, presages exploitable order and selectivity to autonomously present compositionally biased oxides on the surface of these metals. Besides compositional differences, sequential release of biased (enriched) components, via fractal‐like paths, allows for patterned layered surface structures. We, therefore, present a simple thermal‐oxidative compositional inversion (TOCI) method to introduce fractal‐like structures on the surface of these metals in a controlled (tier, composition, and structure) manner by exploiting underlying stochastic fracturing process. Using a ternary alloy, a three‐tiered (in structure and composition) surface structure is demonstrated.     

Probing the Structure and Chemistry of Perylenetetracarboxylic Dianhydride on Graphene Before and After Atomic Layer Deposition of Alumina

The superlative electronic properties of graphene suggest its use as the foundation of next generation integrated circuits. However, this application requires precise control of the interface between graphene and other materials, especially the metal oxides that are commonly used as gate dielectrics. Towards that end, organic seeding layers have been empirically shown to seed ultrathin dielectric growth on graphene via atomic layer deposition (ALD), although the underlying chemical mechanisms and structural details of the molecule/dielectric interface remain unknown. Here, confocal resonance Raman spectroscopy is employed to quantify the structure and chemistry of monolayers of 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) on graphene before and after deposition of alumina with the ALD precursors trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and water. Photoluminescence measurements provide further insight into the details of the growth mechanism, including the transition between layer-by-layer growth and island formation. Overall, these results reveal that PTCDA is not consumed during ALD, thereby preserving a well-defined and passivating organic interface between graphene and deposited dielectric thin films.     

Corrosion and passivity of metals in methanol solutions of electrolytes

Electrochemical and corrosion behaviour of metals in alcohols are the subject of numerous investigations because of the application of mentioned solvents in chemical engineering, production of oxide nanoparticles (sol-gel techniques) and application of alcohols as fuels. Despite relatively rich bibliography related to electro-catalytic oxidation of alcohols on metal surface in mixed aqueous–alcohol solutions, the knowledge of the mechanism of reactions on metal/anhydrous alcohol interface is still not sufficient. Anodic oxidation of metal surface in alcohol leads to several electro-catalytic reactions with formation of surface compounds being the product of metal and alcohol oxidation. Identification of these products is very difficult. Therefore, our knowledge of the composition and structure of passive films or corrosion products on metal surface in anhydrous alcohol solvents is poor. Our paper presents the investigations of anodic behaviour of metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Ni, Al and Ti) and semiconductors (p-Si) in methanol solutions of electrolytes, performed in our laboratory within the last 10 years. On the base of electrochemical measurements (linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy), spectroscopic investigations (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy electron diffraction) and scanning electron microscopy techniques, the role of metal–alcohol intermediates in the formation of surface and soluble compounds is discussed. The practical application of electrochemical etching of metals as a method of production of micro- and nanoparticles of metals and oxides is also shown.     

Characterization of metal oxide surfaces and thin semiconductor films by inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy.

Inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS) is a unique surface and interface analytical technique using electron tunneling through a metal/insulator/metal tunneling junction at cryogenic temperatures. It gives the vibrational spectrum of a very thin (nm) insulator film and the adsorbed species on it. The high sensitivity, good resolution, and wide spectral range inherent in IETS enable us to analyze the surface and interface of the insulator in detail. The tunneling junction is a good model system for oxide catalysts, electronic devises, and solid state sensors. Information about the surfaces of alumina and magnesia, the adsorption states and chemical reactions of adsorbed species occurring on these oxides can be obtained through an analysis of the tunneling spectra. The structures and properties of evaporated thin semiconductor films can also be studied. In this review, the surface characterization of alumina and magnesia, the adsorption and surface reactions of organic acids, esters, amides, and nitryls on these oxides, and the characterization of thin evaporated films of Si, Ge, and the oxides are summarized.     

Metal adsorption on oxide polar ultrathin films

The adsorption of Au and Pd atoms on two nanostructured titania monolayers grown on the Pt(111) surface is investigated via a computational approach. These phases present compact regions (zig-zag-like stripes) with titanium atoms at the oxide-metal interface and oxygen in the top-most overlayer, sometimes intercalated by point defects, i.e. holes exposing the bare metal support, and give rise to very regular patterns extending for large distances. A Pd atom experiences a rather flat energy landscape on the compact regions whereas it is strongly bound to the defects which act as nucleation centers, whence the interest of these substrates as nanotemplates for the growth of metal clusters. The interaction of a Au atom with these phases is peculiarly different: a charge transfer from the underlying Pt(111) support occurs so that Au gets negatively charged and strongly interacts with a titanium atom extracted from the interface in the compact regions, whereas it penetrates less easily than Pd into the defective holes due to its larger size. These results are discussed as paradigmatic examples of the interaction of metals with polar ultrathin films of oxides grown on metal supports, a novel and promising field in materials science.     

贵金属在Ag_2S纳米颗粒中由内向外的迁移现象

纳米颗粒具有明显区别于块体材料的新奇特性,本文利用透射电镜观察,描述并讨论一种发生在贵金属(Au、Ag、Pd和Pt)和硫化银(Ag_2S)构成的核壳结构纳米颗粒中的有趣现象,即贵金属在Ag_2S纳米颗粒中由内向外的迁移。迁移可在室温下进行,其最终结果使最初的核壳结构颗粒演变成由贵金属和Ag_2S构成的异质纳米二聚体结构,如Au-Ag_2S、Ag-Ag_2S、PdAg_2S和Pt-Ag_2S。电镜表征表面实验条件下贵金属在Ag_2S的迁移类似于一种整体迁移的模式且迁移过程中伴随着颗粒形貌结构的演变。贵金属在Ag_2S中的经空位互换的扩散机制或半导体纳米颗粒的自纯化机制可以用来解释这种迁移现象。     

Surface Tension Calculations for Liquid Metals

Abstract

We present a class of models for the surface of a liquid metal, which may be part of an electrochemical interface. The particles of the system, for the purpose of derivation of thermodynamic properties, are the charged ion cores, while the energy of the electrons is evaluated using the electron density functional formalism, previously principally applied to solids. An expression for the surface energy U^s , defined as the energy required to create unit area of surface by separation of a volume of homogeneous metal into two parts, is derived (Eqs. 18–20). The surface tension γ is obtained by differentiating the Helmholtz free energy with respect to the area of the system, keeping volume and particle number constant (Eqs. 27–37). The surface tension is also equal to the difference between the free energy of the system containing a surface and the free energy of a reference system. It thus defines a surface energy through the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation, and this surface energy is shown to be identical to U^s .

The expressions for U^s and γ are made explicit (Eqs. 45–57) by insertion of particular assumptions for the ion-density profile, the electron-density profile, the interionic interaction and pair distribution function, and the electronic energy. Only information about bulk liquid metal is used. The parameter in the electron-density profile is obtained by minimizing the surface energy. The simplest assumption for the interionic interaction, hard-sphere and Coulombic repulsions, requires a choice for the hard-sphere diameter, which is made such that the pressure of bulk metals is given correctly (52–55). For the alkali metals, the surface tension calculated from this model is about half the experimental value in each case, while calculated surface energies are too high (1/5 too high for Cs, but three times too high for Li). For the electrical potential difference between the inside and the outside of a metal, and for the electrochemical potential, agreement with experiment is good. The main reason for the disagreements in the other properties is traced to the simple form used for the ion pair distribution function.     

Cobalt(iii) complexes as functional ligands for metal (oxide) surfaces

Co(iii) polyamine complexes with either two or three labile coordination sites bind strongly to high surface area metal oxides such as goethite or aluminium trihydroxide, and have been shown to act as passivating agents for aluminium flake in aqueous media, in addition to providing a potential method for surface functionalisation.     

Static electrification of solid oxide in liquid metal and electrical double layer at the interface

Static electrification of a solid oxide, say a semiconducting oxide in liquid metal, is mainly due to electron transfer between two phases. Excess electrons in the liquid metal phase provided by the oxide give rise to an electrical double layer at the interface. The electrical double layer may be divided into three parts, an immobile inner layer, a compressed diffuse layer, and a flat layer extending into the bulk liquid metal. Differential potential analysis and the induced emf method were used to measure the potential of the compressed diffuse layer and the excess electron density of the flat layer, respectively. Results show that most oxides in liquid metals carry positive charges on their surfaces and the potentials of the compressed diffuse layer are in the range of 3 to 42 microV. Such a low potential implies that the diffuse layer is considerably compressed. The excess electron densities of the flat layer are on the order of 10(22) electrons/m(3) of Hg and their contributions to surface charges of oxide are in the range of 10(17) to 10(18) charges/m(2) for the oxide/mercury systems with a solid density of 0.3 wt% at room temperature.     

Electrochemical surface science: past, present and future

Electrochemical surface science means the search for a truly microscopic understanding of electrochemical reactions and hence, of the place where it happens??the solid/liquid interface. It is described how electrochemists adopted strategies and techniques from their surface science colleagues to develop an atomistic view of electrode surfaces (mostly metals) and of simple reactions occurring thereon. Information about surface structure and chemical composition of the interface as a function of potential played a key role in complementing thermodynamic data derived from classical electrochemical methods. The move from structure to dynamics??on an atomistic level??will be the task which lies ahead of us.     

The mechanism of metal corrosion passivation

The main regularities of variations in the thermodynamic properties of components of cubic vanadium carbide, depending on the composition in the region of homogeneity, are investigated experimentally. It is believed that these regularities are inherent only to metal oxides. This serves as the basis for the concept that passivation during the corrosion of metals occurs due to the formation of surface metal oxide whose composition corresponds to the maximum concentration of oxygen in the region of homogeneity. The thermodynamic stimulus of corrosion is in this case reduced to almost zero.     

Monitoring surface metal oxide catalytic active sites with Raman spectroscopy

The molecular aspect of the Raman vibrational selection rules allows for the molecular structural and reactivity determinations of metal oxide catalytic active sites in all types of oxide catalyst systems (supported metal oxides, zeolites, layered hydroxides, polyoxometalates (POMs), bulk pure metal oxides, bulk mixed oxides and mixed oxide solid solutions). The molecular structural and reactivity determinations of metal oxide catalytic active sites are greatly facilitated by the use of isotopically labeled molecules. The ability of Raman spectroscopy to (1) operate in all phases (liquid, solid, gas and their mixtures), (2) operate over a very wide temperature (-273 to >1000 °C) and pressure (UHV to ?100 atm) range, and (3) provide molecular level information about metal oxides makes Raman spectroscopy the most informative characterization technique for understanding the molecular structure and surface chemistry of the catalytic active sites present in metal oxide heterogeneous catalysts. The recent use of hyphenated Raman spectroscopy instrumentation (e.g., Raman-IR, Raman-UV-vis, Raman-EPR) and the operando Raman spectroscopy methodology (e.g., Raman-MS and Raman-GC) is allowing for the establishment of direct structure-activity/selectivity relationships that will have a significant impact on catalysis science in this decade. Consequently, this critical review will show the growth in the use of Raman spectroscopy in heterogeneous catalysis research, for metal oxides as well as metals, is poised to continue to exponentially grow in the coming years (173 references).     

Synthesis of Hierarchical Porous Metals Using Ionic‐Liquid‐Based Media as Solvent and Template

It was found that nanodomains existed in the ionic liquid (IL)‐based ternary system containing IL 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazole tetrafluoroborate (EmimBF₄), IL 1‐decyl‐3‐methylimidazole nitrate (DmimNO₃) and water, and the size distribution of the domains varied continuously with the composition of the solution. A strategy to synthesize hierarchical porous metals using IL‐based media as solvent and template is proposed, and the hierarchical porous Ru and Pt metals were prepared by the assembly of metal clusters of about 1.5 nm using this new method. It is demonstrated that the metals have micropores and mesopores, and the size distribution is tuned by controlling the composition of the solution. Porous Ru was used for a series of hydrogenation reactions. It has an outstanding catalytic performance owing to its special morphology and structure.     

Effect of the composition and structural and size characteristics of composites based on stabilized zirconia and transition metal (Cu,Co, Ni) oxides on their catalytic properties in methane oxidation reactions

The effects of transition metal (Cu, Co, Ni) oxides and platinum-group metals (Pt, Pd, Rh) in composites based on Y(Sc)-stabilized zirconia on their catalytic properties (activity, selectivity, sulfur resistance) and service life characteristics (thermal stability, performance stability) in methane oxidation reactions have been investigated. The high activity of the composites (75–99% methane conversion at 600–800°C) correlates with the amount and mobility of surface oxygen in these materials. The promoting effect of the platinum-group metals depends on the composition of the reaction medium (on whether it corresponds to the partial or total methane oxidation and on whether it contains sulfur dioxide).     

Synthesis and Microstructure of Anodic Spark Deposited SrZrO3

 The advanced plasma electrochemical process of anodic spark deposition was used to prepare polycrystalline strontium zirconate layers on metal surfaces by an anodic conversion of the zirconium metal substrate and the metal ions in an aqueous electrolyte. On the metal substrate a thin passivating barrier film of zirconia first forms, which subsequently changes to the perovskite structure of SrZrO₃ during the anodic spark process. The typical surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscope. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the layers are composed of polycrystalline strontium zirconate and microcrystalline phases of zirconium oxides. The chemical state of zirconium was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Metal-oxide surfaces

Over the past two decades the amount of effort devoted to the study of metal oxides by surface scientists has increased significantly. The general characteristics of the electronic structure of metal-oxide surfaces are now fairly well understood, although transition-metal oxides have been more thoroughly studied than have non-transition-metal oxides. The geometric arrangement of atoms on the surfaces of a variety of metal oxides has also been determined. Extensive studies have been performed of the interaction of both molecules and metal atoms with metal oxides, where point defects are found to play a dominant role. However, our understanding of the surface properties of metal oxides is still much less compete than it is for metals and semiconductors, and there are several areas where more experimental and theoretical effort needs to be concentrated.     

A systematic study of CO oxidation on metals and metal oxides: density functional theory calculations

CO oxidation on Ru(0001), Rh(111), Pd(111), Os(0001), Ir(111), Pt(111), and their corresponding metal oxides is studied using density functional theory. It is found that (i) the reactivity of metal oxide is generally higher than that of the corresponding metal, and (ii) on both metals and metal oxides, the higher the chemisorption energy is in the initial state, the larger the reaction barrier. The barriers are further analyzed by decomposing them into electronic and geometric effects, and the higher reactivity of metal oxides is attributed mainly to the surface geometric effect. Moreover, the electronic effect on both metals and metal oxides follows the same pattern: the shorter the OC-O bond distance in the TS, the higher the barrier.     

有序多孔过渡金属氧化物及其负载贵金属催化剂对挥发性有机物氧化的催化性能

大部分的挥发性有机物(VOCs)污染环境,危害人身健康.目前,我国虽然已开展了治理 VOCs污染的工作,但还缺乏有效的、拥有自主知识产权的 VOCs治理技术,因此研发新型高效 VOCs处理技术迫在眉睫.催化氧化法是公认的最有效消除 VOCs的途径之一,而高性能催化剂的研发是实现该过程的关键.近年来,人们围绕消除 VOCs的高效且价廉的催化剂的研发开展了卓有成效的工作,许多过渡金属氧化物、混合或复合金属氧化物及其负载贵金属催化剂均被认为是有效的催化氧化材料.与体相材料相比,多孔材料具有发达的孔道结构和高的比表面积,一方面有利于反应物的扩散、吸附和脱附,因而具有更高的催化活性和选择性;另一方面有利于活性组分(如贵金属等)在多孔材料表面的高分散,抑制活性组分的烧结,因而具有更好的催化稳定性.本文简述了近年来多孔金属氧化物在环境污染物消除领域的研究进展,阐述了以有序介孔或大孔过渡金属氧化物、钙钛矿型氧化物和负载贵金属催化剂的制备及其对典型 VOCs(如苯系物、醇类、醛类及酮类等)氧化的催化性能,重点介绍了四类催化材料,包括有序介孔过渡金属氧化物或复合氧化物(Co3O4, MnO2, Fe2O3, Cr2O3和 LaFeO3等)催化剂,有序介孔金属氧化物负载贵金属(Au/Co3O4, Au/MnO2和 Pd/Co3O4等)催化剂,三维有序大孔过渡金属氧化物或复合氧化物(Fe2O3, LaMnO3, La0.6Sr0.4MnO3和 La2CuO4等)催化剂,以及三维有序大孔金属氧化物负载贵金属(Au/Co3O4, Au/LaCoO3, Au/La0.6Sr0.4MnO3和 AuPd/Co3O4等)催化剂的制备及其物化性质与对苯、甲苯、二甲苯、乙醇、丙酮、甲醛、甲烷或氯甲烷等 VOCs氧化的催化性能之间的相关性.借助二氧化硅或聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯微球等硬模板,采用纳米浇铸法可制备出二维或三维的有序单一或多级孔道结构的金属氧化物.研究表明,多孔金属氧化物的催化性能远优于其体相甚至纳米催化剂的.有序多孔材料的优异催化性能与其拥有大的比表面积、高的吸附氧物种浓度、优良的低温还原性、独特的孔道结构、活性组分的高分散以及贵金属与氧化物载体之间的强相互作用等有关.探明影响催化剂活性的因素有利于从原子水平上认识催化过程,为新型高效催化剂的设计与制备奠定基础.本文还指出了此类研究中存在的一些问题,例如利用硬模板法制备多孔材料的缺点是目标催化剂的收率低,硬模板浪费严重,大规模制备多孔催化剂势必增加制备成本,这些问题有待于妥善解决.与此同时,还展望了 VOCs消除技术的未来发展趋势,采用多种技术联用的方法有望最大程度地提高 VOCs的消除效率.     

Porous Nanostructured Metals for Electrocatalysis

Nanoporous metals have been used to enhance electrocatalysis. The origin of their capability is understood on the basis of enlarged surface area. On the other hand, the nanoconfined space of nanoporous metals can significantly affect the electrochemical efficiency. Moreover, molecular dynamics in nanoconfined spaces is capable of offering much more chances of interaction between a redox molecule and a metal surface. These unique properties come from simply nanoporous structure and suggest new opportunity to innovative electrocatalysts in the future. This review addresses recent advances in the field of nanoporous metals and discusses respective important electrocatalytic applications.