Mechanism of Cu deposition on the alpha-Al(2)O(3) (0001) surface

The growth mechanism of the Cu/alpha-Al(2)O(3) (0001) interface is studied by first-principles molecular-dynamics simulations as a function of the transition-metal coverage (theta) and the temperature of the system. On the anhydrous surface growth of Cu(0) 3D clusters is predicted. On the partially hydroxylated surface, a Cu(I) monolayer, relatively stable upon the temperature rising, is first observed (theta<1/3 ML). Increasing Cu loading leads to Cu(I)/Cu(0) mixed phases that when heated aggregate into 3D particles increasing the number of Cu(0) atoms, in agreement with the Auger spectra of Kelber et al.     

Experimental persistence probability for fluctuating steps

The persistence behavior for fluctuating steps on the Si(111)-(sqrt[3]xsqrt[3])R30 degrees -Al surface was determined by analyzing time-dependent STM images for temperatures between 770 and 970 K. Using the standard persistence definition, the measured persistence probability displays power-law decay with an exponent of theta=0.77+/-0.03. This is consistent with the value of theta=3/4 predicted for attachment-detachment limited step kinetics. If the persistence analysis is carried out in terms of return to a fixed-reference position, the measured probability decays exponentially. Numerical studies of the Langevin equation used to model step motion corroborate the experimental observations.     

Cu~+、Ag~+、Au~+与乙硫醇的气相化学反应

利用激光溅射 分子束的技术 ,结合反射飞行时间质谱计 ,研究了Cu+、Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇的气相化学反应。结果显示这三种金属离子与 (CH3 CH2 SH) n 反应形成一系列团簇离子M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n,且团簇离子尺寸不一样。Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇的反应还生成了 (CH3 CH2 SH) +n ,由此推测Cu+、Ag+、Au+与乙硫醇团簇的反应存在两种通道 ,一种通道是生成M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n,另一种是生成 (CH3 CH2 SH) +n 。Cu+、Au+与乙硫醇的反应还生成了M+(H2 S) (M =Cu、Au) ,但是实验中没有观察到Ag+(H2 S) ,理论计算表明Ag+(H2 S)很不稳定。另外 ,分析产物离子M+(CH3 CH2 SH) n 的强度发现 ,n =1～ 2之间存在明显的强度突变现象     

Growth of three-shell onionlike bimetallic nanoparticles

We show by molecular dynamics simulations on three systems (B/A=Pd/Ag, Cu/Ag, and Ni/Ag) that three-shell metallic nanoparticles made by a core of a metal A, an intermediate shell of metal B and an external shell of metal A (A-B-A nanoparticles) can be grown by deposition of B atoms onto an A core. The growth of the intermediate B shell is triggered by the fact that the most favorable positions for isolated B impurities inside A clusters are located just one layer below the cluster surface.     

Characterization of copper-exchanged Na-A,X and Y zeolites with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy

Copper-exchanged sodium- A, X and Y zeolites have been characterized with X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), with supporting electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements. Under reducing conditions (CO, H₂, 250–450° C), four distinct chemical states of copper have been identified. These are intrazeolite Cu(II), Cu(I) and 1 nm metal clusters, and externally segregated copper metal crystallites. We report spectroscopic data for both the Cu 2p_{$\text{3}\text{2}$} and Auger L₃M_4,5M_4,5 lines. Whereas Cu(II) and metallic copper crystallites have normal spectroscopic parameters, Cu(I) and 1 nm Cu clusters in the reduced zeolites lie in new areas of the two-dimensional chemical state plot.The reduction sequence of Cu(II), Cu(I), Cu clusters and Cu crystallites is different on the A zeolite compared with X and Y. One nm metal clusters are identified as an intermediate phase on the A with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and XPS prior to external diffusion and crystallite formation. The ease of formation of the cluster intermediate in the A zeolite may be a consequence of the larger diffusion barrier imposed by the 0.42nm supercage aperture compared with the 0.74nm aperture in the X and Y zeolites.     

脉冲激光沉积的金属原子团簇的电子状态及生长的研究

 介绍了采用X射线光电子谱(XPS)等技术研究脉冲激光沉积在Ni、Mo、C、NaCl(100)表面的Cu、Au原子团簇的电子状态;结合Cu₂p_3/2 X射线光电子谱峰和Cu L₃M_4,5M_4,5俄歇跃迁分离了电子结合能的初态和终态贡献,得出了它们随Cu表面浓度变化的关系,并对之作出了解释。使用XPS、RBS、TEM三项技术研究了Au在NaCl(100)表面的生长过程,通过计算得出了在不同表面浓度下Au原子团簇的平均高度和表面覆盖率。     

The effect of embedded Pb on Cu diffusion on Pb/Cu(1 1 1) surface alloys

We have used scanning tunneling microscopy and low-energy electron microscopy to measure the thermal decay of two-dimensional Cu, Pb-overlayer, and Pb-Cu alloy islands on Pb-Cu(1 1 1) surface alloys. Decay rates covering 6-7 orders of magnitude are accessible by applying the two techniques to the same system. We find that Cu adatom diffusion across the surface alloy is rate-limiting for the decay of both Pb and Pb-Cu islands on the surface alloy and that this rate decreases monotonically with increasing Pb concentration in the alloy. The decrease is attributed to repulsive interactions between Cu adatoms and embedded Pb atoms in the surface alloy. The measured temperature dependences of island decay rates are consistent with first-principles calculations of the Cu binding and diffusion energies related to this “site-blocking” effect.     

Entangled and disentangled decoherence of intermediate electron-hole pairs in two-photon photoemission from surface bands: beyond the adiabatic approximation

We discuss the effects which combinations of entangled and disentangled decoherence and transient response induce on the early decay of coherent electron-hole pairs in the intermediate states of two-photon photoemission (2PPE) from image potential bands. We find that their interplay gives rise to deviations of the pair decay probabilities from simple exponential laws governed by independent quasiparticle lifetimes obtained in the self-energes based on the adiabatic hypothesis. Assessment of these effects for paradigmatic Cu(111) surface shows that they are most pronounced in the interval of pump-probe photon pulse delay times typical of current 2PPE experiments.     

Mapping of the electron transmission through the wall of a quantum corral

We report on a theoretical study of the escape of confined surface states electrons from quantum corrals made of Cu adatoms on a Cu(1 1 1) surface. This study maps electron transmission through the corral wall and provides an extension of our earlier work focused on confinement in Cu corrals [S. Díaz-Tendero, F.E. Olsson, A.G. Borisov, J.P. Gauyacq, Phys. Rev. B 77 (2008) 205403]. The existence of two decay modes for the confined surface state is stressed: (i) non-resonant tunnelling through the corral wall concentrated on the Cu adatoms and (ii) a resonant-induced decay involving the transient formation of a resonant state localized on top of the corral wall. The present mapping of the electron transmission reveals how the interference between the two decay modes works: there exist regions where the electron leaves the corral, balanced by regions where it enters the corral, though the global behaviour of the quasi-stationary states is electron escape from the corral.     

Surface self-diffusion on Pt(110): Directional dependence and influence of surface-energy anisotropy

The decay of periodic surface profiles by surface self-diffusion is simulated by numerically solving the phenomenological equations for this process. The crystalline nature of the surface is taken into account by introducing an anisotropic surface free energy,(). Depending on the degree of anisotropy of(), the decay kinetics and the shapes of the profiles are largely different. A comparison with measurements of profile decay on Pt(l10) single crystal surfaces shows that the anisotropy in() along the [1¯10] azimuth should be about 2–3%, while that along the [001] azimuth is expected near 8%. In the latter case large amplitude profiles exhibit (111) faceting and slow decay kinetics which are non-exponential. The rate of surface self-diffusion on Pt(110) is anisotropic with the [1¯10] direction being faster than the [001] direction.     

The structure of 55-atom Cu–Au bimetallic clusters: Monte Carlo study

We have investigated segregation phenomena in Cu–Au bimetallic clusters with decahedral structures at 100 K and 300 K, based on the second-moment approximation of the tight-binding (TB-SMA) potentials by using Monte Carlo method. The simulation results indicate that there are three regions (split, three-shell onion-like and core-shell region) at 100 K and two regions (split and core-shell) at 300 K with the structure of decahedral clusters, as the chemical potential difference Δμ changes. It is found that the structure of decahedral clusters undergoes a division into smaller clusters in the split region. In the core-shell structure, Au atoms are enriched in surface and Cu atoms occupy the core of the clusters because of the different surface energy of Cu and Au. The Au atoms are enriched in the surface shell, and the Cu atoms are in the middle shell, while a single Au atom is located in the center to form the three-shell onion-like structure. The structure and binding energy of smaller clusters after splitting are also discussed. The Au atoms generally lie on the surface of the smaller clusters after splitting.     

Stabilities,electronic and magnetic properties of Cu-doped nickel clusters: a DFT investigation

In this paper, we investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of Cu-doped nickel clusters by means of density functional theory. The stabilities of these clusters have also been studied in terms of the binding energies, second-order difference of energies, fragmentation energies and HOMO–LUMO energy gaps. The obtained results reveal that the N₄Cu, N₅Cu and Ni₇Cu clusters are found to be more stable that than all other clusters. Higher HOMO–LUMO gap was observed for Ni₅Cu cluster (2.265 eV), indicating its higher chemical stability. A half-metallic behaviour has also been observed for the Ni_nCu clusters, which suggests that these clusters can be employed as nanocatalysts for several catalytic processes, particularly for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. The magnetism calculations show that the magnetic moment is mostly located on the Ni atoms, and the contribution of the Cu atom to the total magnetic moment in the Ni_nCu clusters is very small. Furthermore, partial density of states analysis indicates that the 3d orbitals in Ni atoms are mostly responsible for the magnetic behaviour of these clusters, and the s orbitals have a very little contribution to the total magnetic moment.     

Microscopic model for superexchange interactions and photomagnetism in binuclear transition metal complexes

Recent experiments show that the superexchange interaction in molecular clusters containing transition metal ions A?=?Ni^II and B?=?W^V, Nb^IV or Mo^V in some cases is antiferromagnetic, contrary to the conventional superexchange rules. To understand this anomaly, we develop a quantum many-body model Hamiltonian and solve it exactly using a valence bond (VB) approach. We identify the various model parameters which control the ground state spin in different clusters of the A-B system. We present quantum phase diagrams that delineate the high and low-spin ground states in the parameter space. We fit the spin gap to a spin Hamiltonian and extract the effective exchange constant within the experimentally observed range, for reasonable parameter values. We also find a region of intermediate spin ground state in the parameter space, in clusters of larger size. The spin spectrum of the microscopic model cannot be reproduced by a simple Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian. The above microscopic model is generic and can also be employed to explain photomagnetism in the MoCu₆ system. We solve the model for MoCu₆ and find that ground state is degenerate and is spanned by the S?=?0,?1,?2 and 3 manifolds with doubly occupied Mo site corresponding to Mo(IV) and singly occupied Cu sites corresponding to Cu(II) configurations. In each of these spin spaces, we observe that there exist charge-transfer (CT) states at ≈3?eV above the ground state which are dipole coupled to the ground state. The transition dipole in the S?=?3 manifold is the largest for the CT excitations. Coupled with the fact that the density of states of the S?=?3 manifold is sparse, compared to other spin manifolds, we expect that the S?=?3 CT excited state to be long-lived, thereby explaining the experimentally observed photomagnetism in the MoCu₆ system.     

Anticharmed pentaquark from B decays

We explore the possibility of observing the anticharmed pentaquark state from the theta(c)npi(+) decay of B mesons produced in B-factory experiments. We first show that the observed branching ratio of the B(+) to lambda(-)(c)p pi(+), as well as its open histograms, can be remarkably well explained by assuming that the decay proceeds first through the pi(+) D(0) (or D(*0)) decay, and then through the subsequent decay of the virtual D(0) or D(*0) mesons to lambda(-)(c)p. We then note that the theta(c)can be similarly produced when the virtual D(0) or D(*0) decay into an antinucleon and a theta(c). Combining the present theoretical estimates for the ratio g(DNlambda(c))/g(DNtheta(c)) approximately 13 and g(D*Ntheta(c)) approximately 1/3g(DNtheta(c)), we find that the anticharmed pentaquark theta(c), which was predicted to be bound by several model calculations, can be produced via B(+)--> theta(c)npi(+), and be observed from the B-factory experiments through the weak decay of theta(c)--> pK(+) pi(-) pi(-).     

Deposition of Ni<Subscript> 13</Subscript> and Cu<Subscript> 13</Subscript> clusters on Ni(111) and Cu(111) surfaces

The soft deposition of Ni₁₃ and Cu₁₃ clusters on Ni(111) and Cu(111) surfaces is studied by means of constant-energy molecular-dynamics simulations. The atomic interactions are described by the Embedded Atom Method. It is shown that the shape of the nickel clusters deposited on Cu(111) surfaces remains rather intact, while the copper clusters impacting on Ni(111) surfaces collapse forming double and triple layered products. Furthermore, it is found that for an impact energy of 0.5 eV/atom the structures of all investigated clusters show the lowest similarity to the original structures, except for the case of nickel clusters deposited on a Cu(111) surface. Finally, it is demonstrated that when cluster and substrate are of different materials, it is possible to control whether the deposition results in largely intact clusters on the substrate or in a spreading of the clusters. This separation into hard and soft clusters can be related to the relative cohesive energy of the crystalline materials.     

二维全同Nb4团簇在Cu(100)表面的结构稳定性和电子性质

使用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理赝势法和超原胞模型，研究了吸附在Cu(100)表面上的二维有序排列的幻数团簇Nb₄的结构稳定性及其电子结构性质.计算表明，四面体结构和平面的菱形结构的Nb₄团簇都可以稳定地吸附在Cu(100)表面上，这个体系很可能有重要的应用前景.在Cu(100)表面上，菱形结构的Nb₄比四面体结构的Nb₄更稳定，从Nb₄团簇的四面体结构到菱形结构，需经过的势垒高度约为0.94eV/团蔟.电子结构的计算表明，在Nb₄吸附后，Cu(100)表面与Nb₄团簇间有明显的电荷重新分布，表面Cu原子的电子态密度也明显改变. 关键词： 4团簇')" href="#">Nb₄团簇 有序排列 结构稳定性 从头计算     

Ba和Sr原子在ZnO(0001)表面吸附的密度泛函理论研究

我们采用密度泛函理论下的平面波赝势方法研究Ba和Sr原子在ZnO(0001)表面的吸附结构和性质,仔细研究了三个吸附位（T4, H3 and Top）。发现Ba和Sr吸附在表面的H3和T4位时,他们之间的结合能相差很小,且这两种金属更易于吸附在表面的T4位,我们把计算的结果与贵金属在ZnO(0001)表面的吸附行为及前人的实验结果进行了比较,理论上发现Ag和Au易于吸附在ZnO(0001)表面的H3位,而实验上观察到即使在很小吸附比的条件下ZnO(0001)表面上也能形成Cu的团簇结构,这主要是由于Cu和ZnO(0001)表面衬底强的相互作用所致。     

Observation of surface segregation of sulphur in CuNi alloys at elevated temperature with scanning Auger electron microscope

Surface segregations of Cu and S in a CuNi (50wt%) alloy at elevated temperatures of ～600°C were studied under scanning Auger electron microscope, JAMP-3. Scanning images of S, Cu and Ni Auger signals have revealed that the surface segregations of both Cu and S take place preferentially depending on grains and the contrasts in S and Cu Auger images are complementary. This leads to another confirmation of the previous work, namely, that the surface segregation of Cu is considerably suppressed by the existence of S at the outermost atom layer.     

Ba和Sr原子在ZnO(0001)表面吸附的密度泛函理论研究

我们采用密度泛函理论下的平面波赝势方法研究Ba和Sr原子在ZnO(0001)表面的吸附结构和性质,仔细研究了三个吸附位（T4, H3 and Top）。发现Ba和Sr吸附在表面的H3和T4位时,他们之间的结合能相差很小,且这两种金属更易于吸附在表面的T4位,我们把计算的结果与贵金属在ZnO(0001)表面的吸附行为及前人的实验结果进行了比较,理论上发现Ag和Au易于吸附在ZnO(0001)表面的H3位,而实验上观察到即使在很小吸附比的条件下ZnO(0001)表面上也能形成Cu的团簇结构,这主要是由于Cu和ZnO(0001)表面衬底强的相互作用所致。     

Scattering of Cu(1 0 0) image state electrons from single Cu adatoms and vacancies: A comparative study

A theoretical study of the electron dynamics in image potential states on Cu(1 0 0) surfaces with different types of defects (Cu adatoms and Cu vacancies) is presented for low defect density at the surface. A wave packet propagation approach is employed for the electron scattering calculations, where the defect induced potentials are obtained from an ab initio density functional study. Scattering of the image state electron by a defect induces inter-band and intra-band transitions leading, respectively, to the population decay and to the dephasing of the image states. Comparison of the respective effects of adatoms and vacancies shows that Cu adatoms are much more efficient in inducing population decay and dephasing of the image potential states. Present results for the case of Cu adatoms are compared with available time-resolved two-photon photoemission data.