Interactions of NO with iron deposited on alumina

The interaction of nitric oxide with single-crystal surfaces of alumina at temperatures of 298, 473, and 673 K, which had been covered by various amounts of iron, was studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The iron was deposited onto Al₂O₃ in the Fe⁰ state. At low coverages, iron was partially oxidized due to its interaction with Al₂O₃. Scanning auger mapping analysis showed that the iron was randomly distributed on the Al₂O₃ surface. The amount of adsorbed NO increased with increasing iron coverage. However, at very high iron coverages, there was a decrease in adsorption. This indicated that the aluminum ions may have activated the NO adsorption on the iron atoms. For increasing temperature there was also an increase in adsorption for high iron coverages, but the adsorption decreased with increasing temperature for low iron coverages. Sticking probability calculations indicated that the adsorption was mobile and dissociative. Binding energy of the nitrogen peaks indicated that NO was adsorbed onto the Fe/Al₂O₃ surface as a nitride.