The chemical potential in surface segregation calculations: AgPd alloys

We put forward a technique for calculating the surface segregation profile in substitutional disordered alloys. The surface internal energy and the effective bulk and surface chemical potentials are calculated using the full charge density exact muffin-tin orbitals method, combined with the coherent potential approximation. The application of our approach is demonstrated to the close-packed surface of Ag_cPd_1−c random alloys with 0 < c < 1. The surface concentration profile, surface energy and segregation energy are investigated as functions of bulk composition. The present results are compared with former theoretical and experimental data. It is found that at low temperature, Ag segregates to the surface layer for the entire bulk composition range. At 0 K, the subsurface layer contains 100% Pd for c ? 0.4, and somewhat more than (2c − 1) Ag in alloys with c > 0.5. The temperature dependence of the segregation profile is significant for Pd rich alloys and for alloys with intermediate concentrations. At temperatures ?600 K, the subsurface layer is obtained to be almost bulk like.     

Surface core-level shift of Pd at the AgcPd1−c(1 1 1) surface: Nonlinear subsurface effects

The surface core-level binding-energy shift (SCLS) of Pd at the Ag_cPd_1−c(1 1 1) surface is calculated as a function of bulk concentration of the alloy. The equilibrium volume and the surface concentration profile used in the calculations refer to the 0 K case. The SCLSs are evaluated within the Z + 1 approximation. The results are analysed using the mixing enthalpy of the alloy and the bulk and surface chemical potentials. A relation of the SCLS to the bulk concentration is considered. This relation is shown to be mediated by the surface concentration profile which induces the observed nonlinear behaviour. The results are interpreted using a simple model for the alloy electronic structure.     

Model calculation of the surface tension of liquid Ga-Bi alloy

A convenient model, based on some assumptions, for calculating the composition and temperature dependence of the surface tension of binary liquid alloys is reported. The theoretical calculations of the surface tension of gallium-rich-bismuth alloys are presented. The calculated results are compared with the reported experimental data. A relatively good agreement with experimental behavior of the composition dependence of the surface tension was found, but a disagreement was observed with experimental temperature behavior of the surface tension of these alloys. The calculations were conducted in the temperature range from almost 320 K to about 800 K. The surface tension was calculated from eutectic composition (x_Bi = 0.0022) to x_Bi = 0.1, and worked out by linear equations. The model calculation and analysis indicate a first order surface phase transition in this system, which is in accord with experimental findings. For this system, γ decreases linearly with increasing temperature at fixed Bi mole fraction x_Bi, and thus, suggesting a positive surface excess entropy. It is also found that the surface tension isotherms show the linear dependence on the concentration, in the logarithm scale of x_Bi, in the very narrow concentration range.     

Quantitative analysis of surface donors in ZnO

At low temperatures, typically up to 30 K or even higher, the electrical properties of bulk ZnO samples are nearly always dominated by a conductive near-surface region. Here we show that a single, low-temperature Hall-effect measurement, say at 20 K, and a reasonable assumption regarding the upper limit of the surface compensation ratio, yields a value of surface donor concentration N_D,surf accurate to within about a factor two. Examples are given for bulk materials grown by the vapor-phase, melt, and hydrothermal processes.     

Energetics of mixing in Bi-Pb and Sb-Sn liquid alloys

We have analysed the energetics of mixing of Bi-Pb and Sb-Sn liquid alloys at respective temperatures 700 and 905 K through the study of their thermodynamic functions and surface properties using four atom cluster model and quasichemical approximation (QCA) approach, respectively. Our study reveals that the two systems exhibit chemical order or heterocoordination, with the degree of chemical order in Sb-Sn being more than that of Bi-Pb. We also observed that while Bi-atoms segregate to the surface of Bi-Pb alloy, Sb-atoms segregate to the surface of Sb-Sn alloys. The degree of segregation of Sb-atoms being more than that of Bi-atoms.     

Metastable magnetic configurations of (V, Cr, Mn and Fe) on Ir(0 0 1) surfaces

We present a theoretical study of the electronic and magnetic structure of the 3d-transition metals (M = V, Cr, Mn and Fe) in several overlayer systems. The electronic as well as magnetic structures are investigated for pseudomorphic overlayers (M/Ir(0 0 1)), ordered alloyed overlayers of the type M_0.5Ir_0.5/Ir(0 0 1) and ordered binary surface alloys of V, Cr, Mn and Fe transition metals on Ir(0 0 1) substrates. The calculations are performed with a self-consistent tight-binding method using the unrestricted Hartree-Fock approximation within the Hubbard model. We obtained metastable c(2 × 2) configurations for V, Cr and Mn and a p(1 × 1) configuration for Fe pseudomorphic overlayers. However, ferrimagnetic configuration has been obtained for the ordered surface alloys M_0.5Ir_0.5 and the binary alloyed overlayers on Ir(0 0 1) surfaces.     

Thermo-stimulated surface segregation in the ordering alloy Pt80Co20(1 1 1): Experiment and modeling

In this paper, a method of Ionization Spectroscopy (IS) is proposed for the non-destructive layer-by-layer analysis of the elemental composition of a solid surface. Using ionization energy loss spectra, a layer-by-layer concentration profile of the Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) alloy surface is obtained for different annealing temperatures. For the disordered Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) at room temperature, the first atomic layer consists of pure Pt with damped oscillations in the deeper layers. Heating the sample reduces the oscillations. However, at a temperature of 823 K, a sandwich-like structure of the type Pt/Co/Pt was found in the first three atomic layers. For the ordered state the first atomic layer also consists of pure Pt with bulk concentration in other layers. LEED analysis shows a p(2 × 2) superstructure for the surface of the ordered Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) alloy. The segregation behavior in this alloy is further studied by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations combined with the Constant Bond Energy (CBE) model. The results of the MC simulations agree well with the experiments at the higher temperatures, both for the surface composition and the concentration depth profile. At lower temperatures, some discrepancies exist between the MC results and the measured concentration profile.     

Surface properties of liquid In-Zn alloys

The measurements of surface tension and density of zinc, indium and liquid In-Zn alloys containing 0.9, 0.85, 0.75, 0.70, 0.60, 0.40, 0.25 and 0.10 mole fraction of In were carried out using the method of maximum pressure in gaseous bubbles (MBP) as well as dilatometric technique. The technique of sessile drop was additionally applied in the measurements of surface tension for pure indium and zinc. The measurements were performed at temperature range 474-1151 K. The isotherms of surface tension calculated based on Butler's equation at 700 and 1100 K corresponded well with the experimental values for zinc content lower than 0.6 mole fraction. The surface tension calculated for alloys of higher zinc concentrations (0.6 < X_Zn < 0.95) had a positive value of the surface tension temperature coefficient (dσ/dT), which did not coincide with the experimental results. The density as well as molar volume of liquid In-Zn alloys showed almost identical behaviour like the ideal solutions. The observed little deviations were contained within assessed experimental errors.     

In situ XPS study of Pd(1 1 1) oxidation at elevated pressure, Part 2: Palladium oxidation in the 10 mbar range

The oxidation of the Pd(1 1 1) surface was studied by in situ XPS during heating and cooling in 0.4 mbar O₂. The in situ XPS data were complemented by ex situ TPD results. A number of oxygen species and oxidation states of palladium were observed in situ and ex situ. At 430 K, the Pd(1 1 1) surface was covered by a 2D oxide and by a supersaturated O_ads layer. The supersaturated O_ads layer transforms into the Pd₅O₄ phase upon heating and disappears completely at approximately 470 K. Simultaneously, small clusters of PdO, PdO seeds, are formed. Above 655 K, the bulk PdO phase appears and this phase decomposes completely at 815 K. Decomposition of the bulk oxide is followed by oxygen dissolution in the near-surface region and in the bulk. The oxygen species dissolved in the bulk is more favoured at high temperatures because oxygen cannot accumulate in the near-surface region and diffusion shifts the equilibrium towards the bulk species. The saturation of the bulk “reservoir” with oxygen leads to increasing the uptake of the near-surface region species. Surprisingly, the bulk PdO phase does not form during cooling in 0.4 mbar O₂, but the Pd₅O₄ phase appears below 745 K. This is proposed to be due to a kinetic limitation of PdO formation because at high temperature the rate of PdO seed formation is compatible with the rate of decomposition.     

Suppression of low-temperature magnetic states in Mn3O4 nanoparticles

We have investigated the low-temperature magnetic properties of Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles using thermodynamic and magnetic measurements. While bulk Mn₃O₄ exhibits three magnetic transitions close to 42, 40 and 34 K, the two lower temperature transitions appear to be absent above 15 K in Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles. The magnetization and spin entropy associated with the ferrimagnetic transition at 42 K is smaller in the Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles than bulk Mn₃O₄, which is consistent with roughly 30-50% of the spins not contributing to the magnetic order. We tentatively attribute this suppression of the lower temperature transitions to a combination of finite size effects and effects arising from amorphous surface spins on the nanoparticles.     

Formation, stability and CO adsorption properties of PdAg/Pd(1 1 1) surface alloys

The formation, stability and CO adsorption properties of PdAg/Pd(1 1 1) surface alloys were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and by adsorption of CO probe molecules, which was characterized by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The PdAg/Pd(1 1 1) surface alloys were prepared by annealing (partly) Ag film covered Pd(1 1 1) surfaces, where the Ag films were deposited at room temperature. Surface alloy formation leads to a modification of the electronic properties, evidenced by core-level shifts (CLSs) of both the Pd(3d) and Ag(3d) signal, with the extent of the CLSs depending on both initial Ag coverage and annealing temperature. The role of Ag pre-coverage and annealing temperature on surface alloy formation is elucidated. For a monolayer Ag covered Pd(1 1 1) surface, surface alloy formation starts at ∼450 K, and the resulting surface alloy is stable upon annealing at temperatures between 600 and 800 K. CO TPD and HREELS measurements demonstrate that at 120 K CO is exclusively adsorbed on Pd surface atoms/Pd sites of the bimetallic surfaces, and that the CO adsorption behavior is dominated by geometric ensemble effects, with adsorption on threefold hollow Pd₃ sites being more stable than on Pd₂ bridge sites and finally Pd₁ a-top sites.     

Near room temperature magnetocaloric properties of melt-spun Gd100−xBx (x=0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 at%) alloys

The magnetocaloric properties of melt-spun Gd-B alloys were examined with the aim to explore their potential application as magnetic refrigerants near room temperature. A series of Gd_100−xB_x (x=0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 at%) alloys were prepared by melt spinning. With the decrease in Gd/B ratio, Curie temperature (T_C) remains constant at ∼293 K, and saturation magnetization, at 275 K, decreases from ∼100 to ∼78 emu/g. Negligible magnetic hysteresis was observed in these alloys. The peak value of magnetic entropy change, (−ΔS_M)_max, decreased from ∼9.9 J/kg K (0-5 T) and ∼5.5 J/kg K (0-2 T) for melt-spun Gd to ∼7.7 J/kg K (0-5 T) and ∼4.0 J/kg K (0-2 T), respectively for melt-spun Gd₈₅B₁₅ and Gd₈₀B₂₀ alloys. Similarly, the refrigeration capacity (q) decreased monotonously from ∼430 J/kg (0-5 T) for melt-spun Gd to ∼330 J/kg (0-5 T) for melt-spun Gd₈₀B₂₀ alloy. The near room temperature magnetocaloric properties of melt-spun Gd_100−xB_x (0≤x≤20) alloys were found to be comparable to few first-order transition based magnetic refrigerants.     

Alloy formation of Co/Ni/Pt(1 1 1)

The initial growth and alloy formation of ultrathin Co films deposited on 1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) were investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). A sequence of samples of d_Co Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) (d_Co = 1, 2, and 3 ML) were prepared at room temperature, and then heated up to investigate the diffusion process. The Co and Ni atoms intermix at lower annealing temperature, and Co-Ni intermixing layer diffuses into the Pt substrate to form Ni-Co-Pt alloys at higher annealing temperature. The diffusion temperatures are Co coverage dependent. The evolution of UPS with annealing temperatures also shows the formation of surface alloys. Some interesting LEED patterns of 1 ML Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) show the formation of ordered alloys at different annealing temperature ranges. Further studies in the Curie temperature and concentration analysis, show that the ordered alloys corresponding to different LEED patterns are Ni_xCo_1−xPt and Ni_xCo_1−xPt₃. The relationship between the interface structure and magnetic properties was investigated.     

Combined STM, LEED and DFT study of Ag(1 0 0) exposed to oxygen near atmospheric pressures

We have investigated the interaction of molecular oxygen with the Ag(1 0 0) surface in a temperature range from 130 K to 470 K and an oxygen partial pressure ranging up to 10 mbar by scanning tunneling microscopy, low electron energy diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy and ab initio density functional calculations. We find that at 130 K, following oxygen exposures of 6000 Langmuirs O₂, the individual oxygen atoms are randomly distributed on the surface. When the sample is exposed to 10 mbar O₂ at room temperature, small, p(2 × 2) reconstructed patches are formed on the surface. After oxidation at ≈470 K and 10 mbar O₂ pressure the surface undergoes a c(4 × 6) reconstruction coexisting with a (6 × 6) superstructure. By ab initio thermodynamic calculations it is shown that the c(4 × 6) reconstruction is an oxygen adsorption induced superstructure which is thermodynamically stable for an intermediate range of oxygen chemical potential.     

Oxidation enthalpies for reduction of ceria surfaces

The thermodynamic properties of surface ceria were investigated through equilibrium isotherms determined by flow titration and coulometric titration measurements on high-surface-area ceria and ceria supported on La-modified alumina (LA). While the surface area of pure ceria was found to be unstable under redox conditions, the extent of reduction at 873 K and a P(O₂) of 1.6 × 10⁻²⁶ atm increased with surface area. Because ceria/LA samples were stable, equilibrium isotherms were determined between 873 and 973 K on a 30-wt% ceria sample. Oxidation enthalpies on ceria/LA were found to vary with the extent of reduction, ranging from −500 kJ/mol O₂ at low extents of reduction to near the bulk value of −760 kJ/mol O₂ at higher extents. To determine whether +3 dopants could affect the oxidation enthalpies for ceria, isotherms were measured for Sm⁺³-doped ceria (SDC) and Y⁺³-doped ceria. These dopants were found to remove the phase transition observed in pure ceria below 973 K but appeared to have minimal effect on the oxidation enthalpies. Implications of these results for catalytic applications of ceria are discussed.     

Interaction of O2 with Pd single crystals in the range 1-150 Torr: Surface morphology transformations

The interaction of O₂ with Pd single crystals including Pd(1 1 1), Pd(1 1 0) and Pd(1 0 0) in the pressure range 1-150 Torr was studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The Pd single crystal surface morphologies were determined by the oxidation conditions: O₂ pressure, exposure time and treatment temperature. Oxygen dissolution into Pd metal followed by the formation of bulk oxide was observed. The dissolution of oxygen resulted in the increase of the inter-planar spacing between the first two layers, 9-14% increase after an exposure of Pd(1 1 1) to 10-25 Torr O₂ at 600 K for 10 min, and 10-20% increase after exposing Pd(1 1 0) and Pd(1 0 0) to 1 Torr O₂ at 600 K for 10 min. Elongated or semi-spherical oxide agglomerates along the steps nucleated and grew on both Pd(1 1 0) and Pd(1 0 0) surfaces after oxidation in 5-25 Torr O₂ at 600 K. When bulk PdO was formed, the single crystal surface was covered with semi-spherical agglomerates 2-4 nm in size, which tended to aggregate to form a “cauliflower-like” structure. The single crystal surface area also increased during oxidation.     

3D atom probe study of gas adsorption and reaction on alloy catalyst surfaces II: Results on Pt and Pt-Rh

The 3-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) is a unique instrument providing chemical analysis at the atomic scale for a wide range of materials. A dedicated 3DAP has been built specifically for analysing reactions at metal surfaces, called the catalytic atom probe (CAP). This paper presents an overview of results from the CAP on structural and chemical transformations to surface layers of Pt and Pt-17.4 at.%Rh catalysts following exposure to a number of gases typically emitted by vehicle engine exhausts, normally for 15 min at pressures of 10 mbar. Following exposure to the oxidising gases NO on Pt, and NO, O₂ or N₂O on Pt-Rh, both surfaces appear disrupted, while for Pt-Rh, Rh enrichment of the surface atomic layer is noted over the entire specimen apex for exposure temperatures up to 523 K. However, for oxidising exposures at 573-773 K relatively clean, Rh-depleted surfaces are observed on {0 0 1}, {0 1 1} and {0 1 2} crystallographic regions of Pt-Rh. It is suggested that this result is due to surface diffusion of oxide species over the specimen apex, towards the {1 1 1}-orientated areas where the oxides appear to be stabilised. In contrast, CO exposure appears to have little effect on the either the surface structure or composition of the Pt-Rh alloy. Finally, combinations of two gases (NO + CO, O₂ + NO) were also dosed onto Pt-Rh alloys in the same exposure. These revealed that while NO and CO can co-adsorb without interference, CO prevents the build up of oxide layers and reduces the extent of Rh segregation seen under NO exposure alone. On exposing Pt-Rh to NO after an oxygen exposure, heavily oxidised surfaces, Rh segregation and no intact NO molecules were seen, confirming the ability of oxidised Pt-Rh to dissociate nitric oxide.     

Structural, electronic, elastic and thermal properties of Mg2Si

First-principles calculations of the lattice parameter, electron density maps, density of states and elastic constants of Mg₂Si are reported. The lattice parameter is found to differ by less than 0.8% from the experimental data. Calculations of density of states and electron density maps are also performed to describe the orbital mixing and the nature of chemical bonding. Our results indicate that the bonding interactions in the Mg₂Si crystal are more covalent than ionic. The quasi-harmonic Debye model, by means of total energy versus volume calculations obtained with the plane-wave pseudopotential method, is applied to study the elastic, thermal and vibrational effects. The variations of bulk modulus, Grüneisen parameter, Debye temperature, heat capacity C_v, C_p and entropy with pressure P up to 7 GPa in the temperature interval 0-1300 K have been systemically investigated. Significant differences in properties are observed at high pressure and high temperature. When T<1300 K, the calculated entropy and heat capacity agree reasonably with available experimental data. Therefore, the present results indicate that the combination of first-principles and quasi-harmonic Debye model is an efficient approach to simulate the behavior of Mg₂Si.     

Nitrogen adsorption and thin surface nitrides on Cu(1 1 1) from first-principles

Experimental studies of nitrogen adsorbed on a Cu(1 1 1) surface show that the surface layer undergoes a reconstruction to form a pseudo-(1 0 0) structure. We use ab initio techniques to demonstrate the theoretical stability of this reconstructed surface phase over a range of conditions. We systematically investigate the chemisorption of N on the Cu(1 1 1) surface, from 0.06 to 1 ML coverage. A peculiar atomic relaxation of N atoms for 0.75 ML is identified, which results in the formation of a (metastable) “N-trimer cluster” on the surface. We have also investigated surface nitride formation, as suggested from experiments. A surface nitride-like structure similar to the reported pseudo-(1 0 0) reconstruction is found to be highly energetically favored. Using concepts from “ab initio atomistic thermodynamics”, we predict that this surface nitride exists for a narrow range of nitrogen chemical potential before the formation of bulk Cu₃N.     

Surface tension of liquid Cu-Ti binary alloys measured by electromagnetic levitation and thermodynamic modelling

The surface tension of liquid Cu-Ti alloys has been measured by using the containerless technique of electromagnetic levitation and theoretically calculated in the framework of the compound formation model. Measurements have been carried out on alloys covering the entire range of composition and over the temperature range 1275-2050 K. For all investigated alloys the surface tension can be described by a linear function of the temperature with negative slope.Due to the presence of different intermetallic compounds in the solid state the surface properties of liquid Cu-Ti alloys are satisfactory described by the compound formation model.