Interaction of SO2 with single crystal metal surfaces

Studying the interaction of SO₂ with metal surfaces under UHV conditions, a question of central interest is whether the molecule dissociates (leaving back the catalyst poison sulphur on the surface) or not. A spontaneous or a thermally activated dissociation of SO₂ occurs on Fe, Rh, W, Ni, Pd and Pt. On Cu and Ag a strong chemisorption, but only a partial dissociation induced by defects or coadsorbed alkalis, and on Au no chemisorption at all were observed.

In this paper a comparison of our results obtained for the chemisorption and multilayer adsorption of SO₂ on Cu(111), Ag(111), Ag(100) and Ag(110) in the temperature range between 80 K and 900 K is given. By combining highly resolved TPD-measurements, isothermal and temperature-programmed ΔΦ-experiments after different stages of exposure and molecular beam backscattering measurements (MBBS) —assisted by LEED, AES and isotope mixing experiments — a destinction between ordinary desorption and desorption after a reorientation process during the heating procedure could be made. Whereas on clean Ag surfaces adsorption and desorption of SO₂ are observed only below 300 K, on Cs-precovered Ag desorption of SO₂ takes place even above 600 K.

Finally, results concerning the different stages of SO₂ multilayer adsorption (bi-, tri-, multilayers) are presented showing a characteristic dependence of the layer growth on the adsorption temperature, the impinging SO₂ flux density and on the surface structure.     

Phase diagram of pentacene growth on Au(110)

We studied the growth of pentacene (C22H14) on the Au(110) surface by means of He atom scattering and Synchrotron X-ray photoemission. We found that two-dimensional commensurate growth only occurs in the monolayer range for a substrate temperature, T(s), higher than approximately 370 K. Larger amounts of deposited molecules forms three-dimensional uncorrelated clusters on the wetting layer. The desorption of second layer molecules occurs at T(s) > or = 420 K. The highest coverage ordered phase displays a (6 x 8) symmetry and corresponds to the saturation coverage at T(s) = 420 K. The (3 x 6) symmetry phase, recently reported for a multilayer planar film [Ph. Guaino, et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2004, 85, 2777], is only found at a coverage slightly lower than the (6 x 8) one. The (3 x 6) phase corresponds to the saturation coverage of the first layer at T(s) = 470 K.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy study of fullerenes

Scanning tunneling microscopy investigations of adsorption and film growth of various fullerenes on semiconductor and metal surfaces are reviewed. The fullerenes being studied are C₆₀, C₇₀, C₈₄, Sc@C₈₂ and Y@C₈₂ and the substrates being used for adsorption are Si (111), Si (100), Ge (111), GaAs (110), GaAs (001), Au (111), Au (110), Au (100), Cu (111) and Ag (111) surfaces.     

Reaction heat-driven CO2 desorption during CO oxidation on Au(997) at low temperatures

Adsorption and reaction of CO and CO₂ were studied on oxygen-covered Au(997) surfaces by means of temperatureprogrammed desorption/reaction spectroscopy. Oxygen atoms (O(a)) on Au(997) enhances the CO₂ adsorption and stabilizes the adsorbed CO₂(a), and the stabilization effect also depends on the CO₂(a) coverage and involved Au sites. CO₂(a) desorption is the rate-limiting step for the CO+O(a) reaction to produce CO₂ on Au(997) at 105 K and exhibits complex behaviors, including the desorption of CO₂(a) upon CO exposures at 105 K and the desorption of O(a)-stabilized CO₂(a) at elevated temperatures. The desorption of CO₂(a) from the surface upon CO exposures at 105 K to produce gaseous CO₂ depends on the surface reaction extent and involves the reaction heat-driven CO₂(a) desorption channel. CO+O(a) reaction proceeds more easily with weakly-bound oxygen adatoms at the (111) terraces than strongly-bound oxygen adatoms at the (111) steps. These results reveal complex rate-limiting CO₂(a) desorption behaviors during CO+O(a) reaction on Au surfaces at low temperatures which provide novel information on the fundamental understanding of Au catalysis.     

Room-temperature kinetics of short-chain alkanethiol film growth on Ag(111) from the vapor phase

We have used time-of-flight (TOF) direct recoiling spectroscopy (DRS) to follow propanethiol adsorption at 300 K from the vapor phase on an Ag(111) surface, for exposures ranging from 10(-1) to 10(5) L. Results show that the adsorption proceeds with changes in the sticking coefficient, consistent with at least three phases. At low exposures, the alkanethiol molecules adsorb with high probability at defect sites, followed by a slower growth mode that essentially covers the whole surface. A third change in the sticking coefficient is associated with the final saturation stage, corresponding to a thicker layer related to molecules in a more upright orientation. The adsorption kinetics for hexanethiol is similar to that of propanethiol but taking place at higher rates, stressing the importance of the hydrocarbon chain length in the growth process. ISS-TOF measurements during thermal desorption show that most of the C, H, and S go away together, suggesting that the molecules adsorb and desorb from flat regions without S-C bond cleavage. Fitting the desorption maximum at 450 K with a first-order desorption curve gives a desorption energy of 1.43 eV. A small final S content that is correlated with the initial Ag(111) surface roughness is observed after desorption.     

Structural evolution of perfluoro-pentacene films on Ag(111): transition from 2D to 3D growth

The structural evolution and thermal stability of perfluoro-pentacene (PF-PEN) thin films on Ag(111) have been studied by means of low-temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). Well-defined monolayer films can be prepared by utilizing the different adsorption energy of mono- and multilayer films and selectively desorbing multilayers upon careful heating at 380 K, whereas at temperatures above 400 K, a dissociation occurs. In the first monolayer, the molecules adopt a planar adsorption geometry and form a well-ordered commensurate (6 × 3) superstructure where molecules are uniformly oriented with their long axis along the <110> azimuth. This molecular orientation is also maintained in the second layer, where molecules exhibit a staggered packing motif, whereas further deposition leads to the formation of isolated, tall islands. Moreover, on smooth silver surfaces with extended terraces, growth of PF-PEN onto beforehand prepared long-range ordered monolayer films at elevated temperature leads to needle-like islands that are uniformly aligned at substrate steps along <110> azimuth directions.     

Glycine-ice nanolayers: morphology and surface energetics

Ultrathin glycine-ice films (nanolayers) have been prepared in ultrahigh vacuum by condensation of H(2)O and glycine at 110 K and 150 K on single crystalline Al(2)O(3) surfaces and have been investigated by temperature programed thermal desorption, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and work function measurements. Various layer architectures have been considered, including glycine-on-ice, ice-on-glycine, and mixed glycine-ice nanolayers. Low coverages of adsorbed glycine molecules on amorphous ice surfaces suppress the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition in the temperature range 140-160 K in near-surface regions and consequently lead to a lower desorption temperature of H(2)O molecules than from pure ice layers. Thicker glycine overlayers on ice provide a kinetic restriction to H(2)O desorption from the underlying ice layers until the glycine molecules become mobile and develop pathways for water desorption at higher temperature (>170 K). Ice overlayers do not wet glycine film surfaces, but the glycine molecules on ice are sufficiently immobile at 110 K, so that continuous glycine overlayers form. In mixed glycine-ice nanolayers the glycine phase displays hydrophobic behavior and a phase separation takes place, with the accumulation of glycine near the surfaces of the films.     

Acetone and water on TiO2(110): competition for sites

The competitive interaction between acetone and water for surface sites on TiO2(110) was examined using temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Two surface pretreatment methods were employed, one involving vacuum reduction of the surface by annealing at 850 K in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and another involving surface oxidation with molecular oxygen. In the former case, the surface possessed about 7% oxygen vacancy sites, and in the latter, reactive oxygen species (adatoms and molecules) were deposited on the surface as a result of oxidative filling of vacancy sites. On the 7% oxygen vacancy surface, excess water displaced all but about 20% of a saturated d6-acetone first layer to physisorbed desorption states, whereas about 40% of the first layer d6-acetone was stabilized on the oxidized surface against displacement by water through a reaction between oxygen and d6-acetone. The displacement of acetone on both surfaces is explained in terms of the relative desorption energies of each molecule on the clean surface and the role of intermolecular repulsions in shifting the respective desorption features to lower temperatures with increasing coverage. Although first layer water desorbs from TiO2(110) at slightly lower temperature (275 K) than submonolayer coverages of d6-acetone (340 K), intermolecular repulsions between d6-acetone molecules shift its leading edge for desorption to 170 K as the first layer is saturated. In contrast, the desorption leading edge for first layer water (with or without coadsorbed d6-acetone) shifted to no lower than 210 K as a function of increasing coverage. This small difference in the onsets for d6-acetone and water desorption resulted in the majority of d6-acetone being compressed into islands by water and displaced from the first layer at a lower temperature than that observed in the absence of coadsorbed water. On the oxidized surface, the species resulting from reaction of d6-acetone and oxygen was not influence by increasing water coverages. This species was stable up to 375 K (well past the first layer water TPD feature) where it decomposed mostly back to d6-acetone and atomic oxygen. These results are discussed in terms of the influence of water in inhibiting acetone photo-oxidation on TiO2 surfaces.     

Mono- and multi-layer adsorption of an ionic liquid on Au(110)

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), work function measurements, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) have been used to study the adsorption and desorption of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide, [C(2)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N], on the (1×2) clean surface reconstruction of Au(110) in the temperature range 100-674 K. The ionic liquid adsorbed without decomposition, and desorbed without leaving any residue on the surface. For adsorption at room temperature a monolayer of strongly bound ionic liquid was formed with four interface states visible in UP spectra. STM at 100 K showed that the monolayer consisted of well-ordered rows of adsorbed ionic liquid aligned parallel to the close packed rows of surface gold atoms (the [110] direction) with a separation of ×2 (the same as the clean surface reconstruction) between the rows in the orthogonal [001] direction. Multilayer adsorption at room temperature occurred by droplet formation followed by smoothing of the droplets to a layered morphology with time. Heating caused multilayer desorption at temperatures in the 363-383 K range, followed by partial monolayer desorption at 548 K to produce a Au(110)-(1×3) reconstructed surface with sub-monolayer domains of ionic liquid. Desorption of the remaining ionic liquid at 600 K caused the gold surface to reconstruct back to the clean (1×2) reconstruction.     

Adsorption and reaction of cyclohexene on a Ni(111) surface

We studied the adsorption and reaction of cyclohexene (C6H10) on Ni(111) at different temperatures with high-resolution in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HR-XPS). For exposure at 125 K, we find intact cyclohexene with two distinct C 1s signals at 283.3 and 284.2 eV, due to the nonequivalent carbon atoms in the molecule. The energetic separation is significantly increased relative to the gas-phase value, due to the interaction with the substrate. Upon exposure at 210 K, complete dehydrogenation of cyclohexene to benzene (C6H6) and hydrogen is observed; coverage-dependent changes of the benzene adsorption site occur in a way similar to those for pure benzene layers, which indicates a phase separation in benzene and hydrogen islands. The thermal evolution of the adsorbed layers was studied by temperature-programmed (TP-) XPS and temperature-programmed desorption spectroscopy (TPD). Upon heating, the benzene + hydrogen layer formed at 210 K shows a coverage-dependent reorientation of the benzene molecules during partial desorption. The cyclohexene layer adsorbed at 125 K only shows partial conversion of cyclohexene to benzene and hydrogen upon heating to 185 or 210 K, with the remaining cyclohexene being stable up to approximately 300 K. We propose that upon heating these molecules are stabilized by coadsorbed benzene and hydrogen; furthermore, the mobility of benzene and hydrogen in this coadsorbed layer is reduced, so that no phase separation can occur.     

Nondissociative chemisorption of methanethiol on Ag(110): a critical result for self-assembled monolayers

Three definitive experiments have been performed to investigate the possibility of dissociative adsorption of methanethiol (CH3SH) on clean Ag(110). On the clean Ag(110) surface, the adsorption in the first layer occurs to 0.5 ML, producing a (2 x 1) low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) structure. The undissociated molecule desorbs starting at approximately 140 K, and only tiny quantities of other gaseous products are desorbed, and only tiny quantities of S-containing species remain. Using a 50:50% mixture of CH3SD and CD3SH, we find no evidence of S-H or S-D bond scission between these molecules upon desorption. And finally, when the CH3SH molecule is incident on the clean Ag(110) surface in the temperature range of 230-400 K, less than 1% of the incident molecules dissociate to produce adsorbed sulfur-containing species. The results influence our thinking about the surface bonding of alkanethiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on noble metals.     

Oxygen adsorption on gold nanofacets and model clusters

We have studied oxygen interaction with Au crystals (field emitter tips) using time-resolved (atom-probe) field desorption mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate no adsorption to take place on clean Au facets under chosen conditions of pressures (p < 10(-4) m/bar) and temperatures (T = 300-350 K). Steady electric fields of 6 V/nm do not allow dissociating the oxygen molecule. The measured O2+ intensities rather reflect ionization of O2 molecules at critical distances above the Au tip surface. Certain amounts of Au-O2 complex ions can be found at the onset of Au field evaporation. Calculations by density functional theory (DFT) show weak oxygen end-on interaction with Au10 clusters (Delta E = 0.023 eV) and comparatively stronger interaction with Au1/Au(100) model surfaces (Delta E = 0.25 eV). No binding is found on {210} facets. Including (positive) electric fields in the DFT calculations leads to an increase of the activation energy for oxygen dissociation thus providing an explanation for the absence of atomic oxygen ions from the field desorption mass spectra.     

Adsorption of ethyl ether on polycrystal and the (110) single crystal face of gold by admittance measurements and modulated reflection spectroscopy

The adsorption of ethyl ether on polycrystalline and on (110) gold electrodes has been studied by simultaneous measurements of differential capacity and modulated electroreflectance (ER) in aqueous solutions of 0.02 M NaF containing various concentrations of ethyl ether. The results indicate that the adsorption can be studied only at negative charges, the behaviour at positive charges being masked by the oxidation of ether. A comparison of our capacity curves with the data obtained for Hg would indicate that the ether molecules are less strongly adsorbed on Au than on Hg. The ER measurements show that there is a proportionality between the amount adsorbed and the reflectivity change, and confirms that a simple interfacial model may be used to evaluate the amount adsorbed. Qualitative analysis of the ER spectra reveal that the adsorbed layer exhibits transparent optical properties and displays anisotropic characteristics in the adsorption—desorption region, probably due to the sudden change in the layer structure. Furthermore, the ER spectra provide evidence for the absence of any chemical interaction between gold and ether molecules.     

The reactive chemisorption of alkyl iodides at Cu(110) and Ag(111) surfaces: a combined STM and XPS study

The chemisorption of methyl and phenyl iodide has been studied at Cu(110) and Ag(111) surfaces at 290 K with STM and XPS. At both surfaces dissociative adsorption of both molecules leads to chemisorbed iodine, with the STM showing c(2 x 2) and (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 structures at the Cu(110) and Ag(111) surfaces, respectively. At the Cu(110) surface a comparison of coexisting c(2 x 2) I(a) and p(2 x 1) O(a) domains shows the iodine adatoms to be chemisorbed in hollow sites with evidence at low coverage for diffusion in the (110) direction. In the case of methyl iodide no carbon adsorption is observed at either the silver or the copper surfaces, but chemisorbed phenyl groups are imaged at the Cu(110) surface after exposure to phenyl iodide. The STM images show the phenyl groups as bright features approximately 0.7 nm in diameter and 0.11 nm above the iodine adlayer, reaching a maximum surface concentration after approximately 6 Langmuir exposure. However, the phenyl coverage decreases with subsequent exposures to PhI and is negligible by approximately 1000 L exposure, consistent with the formation and desorption of biphenyl. The adsorbed phenyls are located above hollow sites in the substrate, they are stabilized at the top and bottom of step edges and in paired chains (1.1 nm apart) on the terraces with a regular interphenyl spacing within the chains of 1.0 nm in the (110) direction. The interphenyl ring spacing and diffusion of individual phenyls from within the chains shows that the chains do not consist of biphenyl species but may be a precursor to their formation. Although the XPS data shows carbon present at the Ag(111) surface after exposure to PhI, no features attributable to phenyl groups were observed by STM.     

Adsorption and thermal decomposition of 2-octylthieno[3,4-b]thiophene on Au(111)

The adsorption and thermal stability of 2-octylthieno[3,4-b]thiophene (OTTP) on the Au(111) surfaces have been studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). UHV-STM studies revealed that the vapor-deposited OTTP on Au(111) generated disordered adlayers with monolayer thickness even at saturation coverage. XPS and TPD studies indicated that OTTP molecules on Au(111) are stable up to 450K and further heating of the sample resulted in thermal decomposition to produce H(2) and H(2)S via C-S bond scission in the thieno-thiophene rings. Dehydrogenation continues to occur above 600K and the molecules were ultimately transformed to carbon clusters at 900K. Highly resolved air-STM images showed that OTTP adlayers on Au(111) prepared from solution are composed of a well-ordered and low-coverage phase where the molecules lie flat on the surface, which can be assigned as a (9×2√33)R5° structure. Finally, based on analysis of STM, TPD, and XPS results, we propose a thermal decomposition mechanism of OTTP on Au(111) as a function of annealing temperature.     

Activation of gold on titania: adsorption and reaction of SO(2) on Au/TiO(2)(110)

Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional slab calculations were used to study the interaction of gold with titania and the chemistry of SO(2) on Au/TiO(2)(110) surfaces. The deposition of Au nanoparticles on TiO(2)(110) produces a system with an extraordinary ability to adsorb and dissociate SO(2). In this respect, Au/TiO(2) is much more chemically active than metallic gold or stoichiometric titania. On Au(111) and rough polycrystalline surfaces of gold, SO(2) bonds weakly and desorbs intact at temperatures below 200 K. For the adsorption of SO(2) on TiO(2)(110) at 300 K, SO(4) is the only product (SO(2) + O(oxide) --> SO(4,ads)). In contrast, Au/TiO(2)(110) surfaces (theta;(Au) < or = 0.5 ML) fully dissociate the SO(2) molecule under identical reaction conditions. Interactions with titania electronically perturb gold, making it more chemically active. Furthermore, our experimental and theoretical results show quite clearly that not only gold is perturbed when gold and titania interact. The adsorbed gold, on its part, enhances the reactivity of titania by facilitating the migration of O vacancies from the bulk to the surface of the oxide. In general, the complex coupling of these phenomena must be taken into consideration when trying to explain the unusual chemical and catalytic activity of Au/TiO(2). In many situations, the oxide support can be much more than a simple spectator.     

Multilayer adsorption of water at a rutile TiO2)(110) surface: towards a realistic modeling by molecular dynamics

We present a model combining ab initio concepts and molecular dynamics simulations for a more realistic treatment of complex adsorption processes. The energy, distance, and orientation of water molecules adsorbed on stoichiometric and reduced rutile TiO(2)(110) surfaces at 140 K are studied via constant temperature molecular dynamics simulations. From ab initio calculations relaxed atomic geometries for the surface and the most probable adsorption sites were derived. The study comprises (i) large two-dimensional surface supercells, providing a realistically low concentration of surface oxygen defects, and (ii) a water coverage sufficiently large to model the onset of the growth of a bulk phase of water on the surface. By our combined approach the influence of both, the metal oxide surface, below, and the bulk water phase, above, on the water molecules forming the interface between the TiO(2) surface and the water bulk layer is taken into account. The good agreement of calculated adsorption energies with experimental temperature programmed desorption spectra demonstrates the validity of our model.     

Molecular self-assembly at bare semiconductor surfaces: preparation and characterization of highly organized octadecanethiolate monolayers on GaAs(001)

Through rigorous control of preparation conditions, organized monolayers with a highly reproducible structure can be formed by solution self-assembly of octadecanethiol on GaAs (001) at ambient temperature. A combination of characterization probes reveal a structure with conformationally ordered alkyl chains tilted on average at 14 +/- 1 degrees from the surface normal with a 43 +/- 5 degrees twist, a highly oleophobic and hydrophobic ambient surface, and direct S-GaAs attachment. Analysis of the tilt angle and film thickness data shows a significant mismatch of the average adsorbate molecule spacings with the spacings of an intrinsic GaAs(001) surface lattice. The monolayers are stable up to approximately 100 degrees C and exhibit an overall thermal stability which is lower than that of the same monolayers on Au[111] surfaces. A two-step solution assembly process is observed: rapid adsorption of molecules over the first several hours to form disordered structures with molecules lying close to the substrate surface, followed by a slow densification and asymptotic approach to final ordering. This process, while similar to the assembly of alkanethiols on Au[111], is nearly 2 orders of magnitude slower. Finally, despite differences in assembly rates and the thermal stability, exchange experiments with isotopically tagged molecules show that the octadecanethiol on GaAs(001) monolayers undergo exchange with solute thiol molecules at roughly the same rate as the corresponding exchanges of the same monolayers on Au[111].     

Fullerene adlayers on various single-crystal metal surfaces prepared by transfer from L films

Fullerene adlayers prepared by the simple Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) method onto various well-defined single-crystal metal surfaces were investigated by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The surface morphologies of fullerene adsorbed onto metal surfaces depended largely on the adsorbate-substrate interactions, which are governed by the types of surfaces. Too weak adsorption of C60 molecules onto iodine-modified Au(111) (I/Au(111)) allows surface migration of the molecules, and then, STM cannot visualize the C60 molecules. Stronger and appropriate adsorption onto bare Au(111) leads to highly ordered arrays relatively easily due to the limited surface migration of C60. On iodine-modified Pt(111) (I/Pt(111)) and bare Pt(111) surfaces, which have stronger adsorption, randomly adsorbed molecular adlayers were observed. Although C60 molecules on Au(111) were visualized as a featureless ball due to the maintenance of the rapid rotational motion (perturbation) of C60 on the surface at room temperature, those on I/Pt(111) revealed the intramolecular structures, thus indicating that the perturbation motion of molecules on the surface was prohibited.     

Charging of Au atoms on TiO2 thin films from CO vibrational spectroscopy and DFT calculations

Au atoms have been deposited on oxidized and reduced TiO2 thin films grown on Mo(110). The gold binding sites and the occurrence of Au-TiO2 charge transfer were identified by measuring infrared spectra as a function of temperature and substrate preparation. The results have been interpreted by slab model DFT calculations. Au binds weakly to regular TiO2 sites (De < 0.5 eV) where it remains neutral, and diffuses easily even at low temperature until it gets trapped at strong binding sites such as oxygen vacancies (De = 1.7 eV). Here, a charge transfer from TiO2 to Au occurs. Au(delta-)CO complexes formed on oxygen vacancies easily lose CO (De = 0.4 eV), and the CO stretching frequency is red-shifted. On nondefective surfaces, CO adsorption induces a charge transfer from Au to TiO2 with formation of strongly bound Audelta+CO complexes (De = 2.4 eV); the corresponding CO frequency is blue-shifted with respect to free CO. We propose possible mechanisms to reconcile the observed CO desorption around 380 K with the unusually high stability of Au-CO complexes formed on regular sites predicted by the calculations. This implies: (a) diffusion of AuCO complexes above 150 K; (b) formation of gold dimers when the diffusing AuCO complex encounters a Au atom bound to an oxygen vacancy (reduced TiO2) or a second AuCO unit (oxidized TiO2); and (c) CO desorption from the resulting dimer, occurring around 350-400 K.