On the formation and decomposition of C7H8

The kinetics of reactions on the C₇H₈ surface were studied with state-of-the-art ab initio transition state theory (TST) and master equation methodologies. A priori predictions of the capture rate for C₆H₅ + CH₃ and for C₇H₇ + H are obtained from direct variable reaction coordinate TST simulations. These simulations employ small basis set CASPT2 interaction energies coupled with one-dimensional reaction path corrections based on higher level simulations for related reactions. For the C₇H₇ + H reaction, predictions are obtained for both the total rate and for the branching between toluene, o-isotoluene and p-isotoluene. A mapping of the low energy pathways for isomerization from these three C₇H₈ isomers identifies a number of processes with barriers at or below the dissociation threshold. Nevertheless, at combustion temperatures the dissociation rates are predicted to exceed the isomerization rates, and it is reasonable to treat the kinetics of each isomer as a simple single well association/dissociation equilibrium. Master equation simulations yield predictions for the temperature and pressure dependence of each of the recombination and dissociation processes, as well as for the C₇H₇ + H → C₆H₅ + CH₃ bimolecular reaction. These simulations implement collisional energy transfer probabilities based on the work of Luther and co-workers. The theoretical predictions are found to be in satisfactory agreement with the available experimental data for the photodissociation of toluene, the temperature and pressure dependent dissociation of toluene, and the reaction of benzyl radical with H. For the C₆H₅ + CH₃ recombination, the theoretical predictions exceed the experimental measurements of Lin and coworkers by a factor of 2 or more for all temperatures.     

Adsorption of CO and C2H4 on Rh-loaded thin-film dysprosium oxide

A dysprosium oxide thin film was deposited on Ru(0 0 0 1) by vapor depositing Dy in 2 × 10⁻⁷ torr O₂ while the Ru was at 700 K. The film was ca. 5 nm thick and produced a p(1.4 × 1.4) LEED pattern relative to the Ru(0 0 0 1) substrate. The adsorption and reaction of CO and C₂H₄ adsorbed on Rh supported on the Dy₂O₃ film were studied by TPD and SXPS. The CO initially reacted with loosely bound oxygen in the substrate to produce CO₂. After the loosely bound oxygen was removed, the CO adsorbed non-dissociatively in a manner similar to what is seen on Rh(1 1 1). C₂H₄ adsorbed on the Rh particles and underwent progressive dehydrogenation to produce H₂ during TPD. The C from the C₂H₄ reacted with the O in Dy₂O₃ to produce CO. CO dissociation on the Rh particles could be promoted by treating the Dy₂O₃ with C₂H₄ before CO exposure.     

A kinetic Monte Carlo/UBI-QEP model of O2 adsorption on fcc (1 1 1) metal surfaces

The previously developed kinetic Monte Carlo model of molecular oxygen adsorption on fcc (1 0 0) metal surfaces has been extended to fcc (1 1 1) surfaces. The model treats uniformly all elementary steps of the process—O₂ adsorption, dissociation, recombination, desorption, and atomic oxygen hopping—at various coverages and temperatures. The model employs the unity bond index—quadratic exponential potential (UBI-QEP) formalism to calculate coverage-dependent energetics (atomic and molecular binding energies and activation barriers of elementary steps) and a Metropolis-type algorithm including the Arrhenius-type reaction rates to calculate coverage- and temperature-dependent features, particularly the adsorbate distribution over the surface. Optimal values of non-energetic model parameters (the spatial constraint, a travel distance of “hot” atoms, attempt frequencies of elementary steps) have been chosen. Proper modifications of the fcc (1 0 0) model have been made to reflect structural differences in the fcc (1 1 1) surface, in particular the presence of two different hollow sites (fcc and hcp). Detailed simulations were performed for molecular oxygen adsorption on Ni(1 1 1). We found that at very low coverages, only O₂ adsorption and dissociation were effective, while O₂ desorption and O₂ and O diffusion practically did not occur. At a certain O + O₂ coverage, the O₂ dissociation becomes the fastest process with a rate one-two orders of magnitude higher than adsorption. Dissociation continuously slows down due to an increase in the activation energy of dissociation and due to the exhaustion of free sites. The binding energies of both molecular and atomic oxygen decrease with coverage, and this leads to greater mobility of atomic oxygen and more pronounced desorption of molecular oxygen. Saturation is observed when the number of adsorbed molecules becomes approximately equal to the number of desorbed molecules. Simulated coverage dependences of the sticking probability and of the atomic binding energy are in reasonable agreement with experimental data. From comparison with the results of the previous work, it appears that the binding energy profiles for Ni(1 1 1) and Ni(1 0 0) have similar shapes, although at any coverage the absolute values of the oxygen binding energy are higher for the (1 0 0) surface. For metals other than Ni, particularly Pt, the model projections were found to be too parameter-dependent and therefore less certain. In such cases further model developments are needed, and we briefly comment on this situation.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy of surface-adsorbed fullerenes: C60, C70, and C84

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is used to characterize partial monolayers of C₆₀, C₇₀, and C₈₄ adsorbed on the Au(1 1 1) surface at room temperature and under ambient conditions. A high degree of structural polymorphism is observed for monolayers of each of these fullerenes. For C₆₀, three lattice packings are observed, including a previously unreported 7 × 7 R21.8° structure that is stabilized by adjacent surface step defects. For C₇₀, two lattice packings are observed, and analysis of molecular features in STM images allows molecular binding geometry to be determined. In one of the two observed lattice structures, C₇₀ molecules align their long axis along the surface normal, while in the other, molecules align parallel to the surface and along a gold lattice direction. The parallel geometry is also preferred for isolated and loosely packed molecules on the surface. C₈₄ exhibits a large number of lattice orientations and no long-range order, and likely binds incommensurately on Au(1 1 1). Time series of images of partial C₇₀ monolayers show progressive surface modification as a result of perturbation by the STM tip; this is in contrast to the behavior of C₆₀, where alterations in surface structure at room temperature are thermally driven.     

The UBI-QEP method: Mechanistic and kinetic studies of heterogeneous catalytic reactions

Applications of the unity bond index-quadratic exponential potential (UBI-QEP) method in mechanistic and kinetic studies of complex heterogeneous catalytic reactions are discussed. It is shown how UBI-QEP energetics helps to answer specific questions regarding the mechanisms of various reactions on metal surfaces. Examples of the following reactions are considered: elementary reactions of hydrogen transfer (from one carbon atom connected to the metal surface to another such atom in a different surface species), H-X bond breaking with the assistance of coadsorbed oxygen, methanol synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, ammonia synthesis and decomposition, and partial methanol oxidation to formaldehyde. Then, examples of kinetic simulations using UBI-QEP energetics are considered for the following processes: ethane hydrogenolysis, watergas shift reaction, selective hydrogenation of acetylene in ethylene-rich mixtures, oxidative conversions of hydrogen and methane on Pt and Rh surfaces, ammonia decomposition, C₁–C₂ product formation in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over cobalt, and steam reforming of methane. It is shown how the use of UBI-QEP and Monte Carlo methods makes it possible to calculate reaction parameters that depend on temperature in the equilibrium and kinetic regimes. To increase the accuracy of simulations, we added nonenergetic parameters affecting energetics at nonzero coverages: a spatial constraint on the distance between adsorbed atoms and the distance of hot atom traveling upon oxygen dissociation on metal surfaces. The UBI-QEP/Monte Carlo simulation method is illustrated by the study of molecular oxygen adsorption on single crystalline nickel surfaces. In most UBI-QEP-based mechanistic and kinetic studies of heterogeneous catalytic reactions, good agreement is observed with experimental observations, in many cases on a quantitative level. Taking into account diversity of reactions to which the method has been applied the agreement with experiments supports the efficiency of the method in solving mechanistic and kinetic problems.     

The influence of structural defects on the adsorption of simple molecules (H2, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, CO,NO) on rhenium single crystals

Using Thermal Programmed Desorption (TPD), Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) we have studied the adsorption of hydrogen-containing molecules (H₂, C₂H₂, C₂H₄, C₂H₆) and oxygen-containing molecules (CO and NO) on two vicinal planes of the Re(0001) surface. The two surfaces are designated thus: ReS ¦14(0001)(101̄1)¦, ReS |6(0001)(167̄1) | . The structural defects have little effect on the adsorption of hydrogen and the hydrocarbons. They are more influential in the case of the oxygen-containing molecules. This is particularly true for CO; on the kink sites the CO molecules can completely dissociate whereas only a partial dissociation is possible on the steps. These results should be viewed in relation to the strong bond energy between carbon and oxygen in a CO molecule of 256 kcal/mole and the great affinity of oxygen for rhenium; E_Re?O = 127 kcal/mole.     

Sub-layer growth of MnHg(SCN)4(C2H6OS)2 crystal

Growth steps and 2D nuclei are observed by AFM on the {0 0 1} faces of MnHg(SCN)₄(C₂H₆OS)₂ (MMTD) crystals. Measurements of the heights of steps and nuclei show the lowest value is equal to c/4. According to the interplanar distance modification established by Donney and Harker, the lowest height should be c/2. Appearance of the sub-layer growth is correlative with the crystal structure of MMTD.     

Ultrafast motion of liquids C2H4Cl2 and C2H4Br2 studied with a femtosecond laser

Transient optical Kerr effect of liquids C₂H₄Cl₂ and C₂H₄Br₂ is investigated, for the first time to our knowledge, with a femtosecond (fs) probe laser delayed with respect to a coherent fs pump laser. Coherent coupling and electronic Kerr signals are observed around zero delay when pump and probe overlap. Persisting after the pump-probe overlap are Kerr signals arising from the torsional and other intramolecular vibrations of the trans and gauche conformations; Kerr signals arising from the intermolecular motion are also observed. Vibrational quantum interference is only observed in liquid C₂H₄Br₂ and the related beats data are fitted with the torsional vibrations, 91 cm⁻¹ (gauche) and 132 cm⁻¹ (trans), and the CCBr angle-bending vibrations, 231 cm⁻¹ (gauche) and 190 cm⁻¹ (trans), with dephasing times, 0.45 ps, 0.45 ps, 2 ps, and 1.5 ps, respectively. These vibrational frequencies agree with those obtained in the frequency-domain. That no vibrational mode is observed for C₂H₄Cl₂ might be attributed to ineffective Raman-pumping. Kerr signals observed after the pump-probe overlap are Fourier transformed to give the spectra of the intermolecular motion and the vibrational spectrum, which agrees with the one observed in the infrared absorption and/or Raman scattering heretofore.     

Kinetic aspect of CO2 reforming of CH4 on Ni(1 1 1): A density functional theory calculation

Reaction pathways of CO₂ reforming of CH₄ on Ni(1 1 1) were investigated by using density functional theory calculation. The computed kinetic parameters agree with the available experimental data, and a new and simplified mechanism was proposed on the basis of computed energy barriers. The first step is CO₂ dissociation into surface CO and O (CO₂ → CO + O) and CH₄ sequentially dissociation into surface CH and H (CH₄ → CH₃ → CH₂ → CH). The second step is CH oxygenation into CHO (CH + O → CHO), which is more favored than its dissociation into C and hydrogen (CH → C + H). The third step is the dissociation of CHO into surface CO and H (CHO → CO + H). Finally, H₂ and CO desorb from Ni(1 1 1) and form free H₂ and CO. The rate-determining step is the CH₄ dissociative adsorption, and the key intermediate is surface adsorbed CHO. Parameters, which might modify the proposed mechanism, have been analyzed. In addition, the formation, deposition and elimination of surface carbon have been discussed accordingly.     

CO2 dissociation on Ni(2 1 1)

The direct and H-mediated dissociation of CO₂ on Ni(2 1 1) were investigated at the level of density functional theory. Although formate (HCOO) formation via CO₂ hydrogenation was widely reported for CO₂ adsorption on metal surfaces, it is found that on Ni(2 1 1) HCOO dissociation into CHO and O is much difficult, while direct dissociation of adsorbed CO₂ into CO and O is more favorable. It is also found that the degree of electron transfer from surface to adsorbed CO₂ correlates with the elongation of C-O bond lengths and the reduction of the CO₂ dissociation barrier.     

RHEED intensity oscillation of C60 growth on GaAs substrates

Intensity oscillation of reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) is observed during C₆₀ layer epitaxial growth on GaAs (1 1 1)B and (1 1 1)A substrates. The frequency of the oscillation coincides well with growth rate of C₆₀ layers, suggesting that C₆₀ layers grow with repeating nucleation and a step flow growth as with GaAs and other semiconductor materials. Unusual oscillation is observed in the initial C₆₀ layer growth on GaAs (1 1 1)B substrates with (2 × 2) reconstruction. The initial layer growth is completed at approximately half monolayer coverage by C₆₀ molecules. This phenomenon is explained by the model that C₆₀ absorption sites are limited due to As-trimers absorbed on (1 1 1)B surfaces. This model is strongly supported by the fact that no such effect is observed on GaAs (1 1 1)A substrates where no As-trimer is absorbed.     

Crystal structure,ionic conductivity and dielectric relaxation studies in the (C5H10N)2BiBr5 compound

The synthesis and crystal structure of the bis (3-dimethylammonium-1-propyne) pentabromobismuthate(III) salt are given in the present paper. After an X-ray investigation, it has been shown that the title compound crystallizes at 298 K in a centrosymmetric monoclinic system, in the space group C₂/c with the following lattice parameters a=12.9034(3) Å, b=19.4505(6) Å, c=8.5188(2) Å, β=102.449(2). Not only were the impedance spectroscopy measurements of (C₅H₁₀N)₂BiBr₅ carried out from 209 Hz to 5 MHz over the temperature range of 318 K–373 K, but also its ac conductivity evaluated. Besides, the dielectric relaxation was examined using the modulus formalism. Actually, the near values of activation energies obtained from the impedance and modulus spectra confirms that the transport is of an ion hopping mechanism, dominated by the motion of the H⁺ ions in the structure of the investigated material.     

Theoretical investigation of the reflectivity of fullerene-(C60, C70)/AlN multilayers in UV region

Theoretical calculations via a transfer matrix method (TMM) were performed to investigate the possibility of fullerene/AlN multilayer films acting as one-dimensional (1D) photonic band gap (PBG) crystals. The response within and out of the periodic plane of (C₆₀, C₇₀)/AlN multilayers was studied. (C₆₀, C₇₀)/AlN multilayer films presented incomplete PBG behavior in UV region. C₆₀/AlN multilayers with two pairs of 49 nm-C₆₀ and 21 nm-AlN layers exhibited a high reflectivity of 90.4% at a wavelength of about 200 nm. As a consequence, this photonic crystal may be important for achieving materials with an incomplete band gap in the UV region.     

Electronic structure of solid C48N12 aza-fullerene

I report electronic structures and the cohesive energy for face-centered-cubic (fcc) solid C₄₈N₁₂ using generalized-gradient density-functional theory. The full vibrational spectrum of the C₄₈N₁₂ cluster is calculated within the harmonic approximation at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. The results show that fcc is energetically preferred and a more stable crystal form than body-centered-cubic (bcc). C₄₈N₁₂ clusters are found to condense by a weak (0.29 eV) van der Waals force. The band gap of fcc C₄₈N₁₂ is calculated to be 1.3 eV at the GGA-PW91 level, whereas the HOMO-LUMO gap is calculated to be 2.74 eV using B3LYP/6-31G*.     

The adsorption and dissociation of O2 molecular precursors on Cu: the effect of steps

The adsorption and dissociation of dioxygen on Cu steps are studied using periodic self-consistent density functional theory (PW91-GGA) calculations. Cu steps are modeled with a Cu(2 1 1) surface. The results are compared with those on the flat Cu(1 1 1) surface. The adsorption of both atomic and molecular oxygen is enhanced on the stepped surface: the binding energy of atomic oxygen is −4.5 eV at its preferred site on the relaxed Cu(2 1 1) surface vs. −4.3 eV at its preferred site on the relaxed Cu(1 1 1) surface, and the binding energy of the molecular oxygen precursor is increased from ∼−0.6 to ∼−1.0 eV. Several possible O₂ dissociation paths at the edge of the Cu(2 1 1) step have been investigated. The activation energies range from 0.09 to 0.24 eV, comparable to a minimum activation energy of 0.20 eV found on Cu(1 1 1). However, compared to Cu(1 1 1) the paths on Cu(2 1 1) are stabilized in their entirety by the step by ∼0.5 eV in terms of initial state, transition state, and final state energies. The dissociation of O₂ precursors at the foot of the step is close to being barrier-less. Because of the small dissociation barrier on Cu(1 1 1), the effect of steps on O₂ dissociation is nevertheless not expected to be as pronounced as in other gas/metal systems.     

Effects of potassium on the reaction pathway of C3H7 species over Mo2C/Mo (1 0 0)

The adsorption and surface reactions of propyl iodide on clean and potassium-modified Mo₂C/Mo(1 0 0) surfaces have been investigated by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) in the 100-1200 K temperature range. This work is strongly related to the better understanding of the catalytic effect of Mo₂C in the conversion of hydrocarbons. Potassium was found to be an effective promoter: it induced the rupture of C-I bond in the adsorbed C₃H₇I even at 100 K. The extent of C-I bond scission varied approximately linearly with the concentration of K coverage at the adsorption temperature of 100 K. As revealed by HREELS and TPD measurements the primary products of the dissociation are C₃H₇ and I. The former one was stabilized by potassium and underwent dehydrogenation and hydrogenation to give propene and propane. The desorption of both compounds is reaction-limited process. A fraction of propyl groups was converted into di-σ-bonded propene, which was stable up to ∼380 K. The coupling reaction of propyl species was also facilitated by potassium and resulted in the formation of hexane and hexene with T_p ∼ 230-250 K. Hydrogen was released with T_p = 390 K, indicative of a desorption limited process. The effect of potassium was explained by the extended electron donation to adsorbed propyl iodide in one hand, and by the direct interaction between potassium and I on the other hand. This was reflected by the shift of the desorption of potassium from the coadsorbed layer at and above 1.0 ML to higher temperature, and by the coincidal T_p values (∼700 K) of potassium and iodine. The formation of KI was also supported by the appearance of a loss feature at 650 cm⁻¹ in the HREEL spectra attributed to a phonon mode of KI.     

Elastic theory of surface deformation in C60 adsorption

In molecular physisorption, beyond attractive and repulsive forces, a third contribution arises from the elastic deformation of the surface. In this paper the dimple appearing on a gold surface upon physisorption of a C₆₀ molecule is studied and its effect on the adsorption energy is evaluated.The depth and shape of the dimple are studied on the basis of the theory of elasticity. The equilibrium equation is solved in the presence of the body forces originating from a suitable Au-C₆₀ interaction potential and the solution for the deformation field is obtained by means of a two-step procedure. In the first step a curl-free deformation field is obtained, which takes the effects of the body forces into account, but generates mismatch of the boundary conditions. In the second step the solution of the equilibrium problem in the absence of body force is generated, which compensates the previous boundary condition violation. Thanks to linearity, the final solution is obtained as the sum of the results of the two steps. An (approximate) iterative scheme is applied for taking the surface deformation into account in imposing that no forces act on the Au surface.When the distance z₀ of the centre of the C₆₀ cage from the surface is rather large, the dimple is represented by a bulging surface, but, as the C₆₀ approaches the Au surface, the surface recedes and a well formed dimple appears. The corresponding depth at the mechanical equilibrium position (z₀ = 4.8 Å) turns out to be 36.3 pm.     

Stretching the limits of static SIMS with C60

Pristine and Au-covered molecular films have been analyzed by ToF-SIMS (TRIFT™), using 15 keV Ga⁺ (FEI) and 15 keV C₆₀⁺ (Ionoptika) primary ion sources. The use of C₆₀⁺ leads to an enormous yield enhancement for gold clusters, especially when the amount of gold is low (2 nmol/cm²), i.e. a situation of relatively small nanoparticles well separated in space. It also allows us to extend significantly the traditional mass range of static SIMS. Under 15 keV C₆₀⁺ ion bombardment, a series of clusters up to a mass of about 20,000 Da (Au₁₀₀⁻: 19,700 Da) is detected. This large yield increase is attributed to the hydrocarbon matrix (low-atomic mass), because the yield increase observed for thick metallic films (Ag, Au) is much lower. The additional yield enhancement factors provided by the Au metallization procedure for organic ions (MetA-SIMS) have been measured under C₆₀⁺ bombardment. They reach a factor of 2 for the molecular ion and almost an order of magnitude for Irganox fragments such as C₄H₉⁺, C₁₅H₂₃O⁺ and C₁₆H₂₃O⁻.     

Rotational and hyperfine spectra for a sandwich titanium complex, C5H5TiC7H7

Microwave spectroscopy measurements and density functional theory calculations are reported for the cyclopentadienyl cycloheptatrienyl titanium complex, C₅H₅TiC₇H₇. Rotational transition frequencies for this symmetric-top complex were measured in the 4-13 GHz range using a Flygare-Balle-type pulsed beam spectrometer. The spectroscopic constants obtained for the normal C₅H₅⁴⁸TiC₇H₇ isotopomer are B = 771.78907(38), D_J = 0.0000295(41), and D_JK = 0.001584(73) MHz. The quadrupole hyperfine splittings for C₅H₅⁴⁷TiC₇H₇ were clearly observed and the measured constants are B = 771.79024(32) MHz, D_J = 0.0000395(33), D_JK = 0.001646(24), and eQq_aa = 8.193(40) MHz. Analysis of the experimental and theoretical rotational constants indicates that the η⁷-C₇H₇Ti and η⁵-C₅H₅Ti bond lengths in the gas phase are about 0.02 Å longer than those reported for the solid-state X-ray structure. The calculated Ti-C bond lengths are shorter for the C₇H₇ ligand (r(Ti-C) = 2.21 Å) than for the C₅H₅ ligand (r(Ti-C) = 2.34 Å), and the C₇H₇ H atoms are displaced 0.15 Å out of the C₇ plane, toward the Ti atom.     

Effectiveness of in situ NH3 annealing treatments for the removal of oxygen from GaN surfaces

An in situ NH₃ annealing procedure for the cleaning of GaN(0 0 0 1) is studied in detail using density functional theory (DFT), microkinetic modeling and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microkinetic model was calibrated and tested against published H₂ and NH₃ temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments on GaN(0 0 0 1). We find that an NH₃ treatment is efficient for the removal of carbon contaminants, but a complete removal of oxygen contaminants cannot be achieved. The remaining oxygen coverage after the treatment was estimated from XPS measurements to be 0.92 ML. In contrast, our microkinetic model based on DFT derived parameters predicts complete removal of OH species and a final oxygen coverage of 0.19 ML. We assign the difference between model and experiments to the formation of a surface oxide phase, which is not included in the model. DFT results also indicate strong adsorbate-adsorbate interactions for H, N, NH, NH₂, O, and OH on the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface which were incorporated into the microkinetic model to a first approximation. XPS experiments and microkinetic modeling demonstrate that the final surface composition shows little dependence on process parameters such as temperature or the time the sample is kept at an elevated temperature. Furthermore, the microkinetic model suggests that complete removal of OH from the surface can also be achieved using a NH₃/H₂ mixture, or even pure H₂ as a hydrogen source. The amount of H₂ present in the feed changes the coverage of NH_x species, but a certain amount of adsorbed oxygen is always left on the surface.