An infrared study of the chemistry of methyl species on Pt(111) formed by the decomposition of dimethylmercury

The chemistry of dimethyl mercury on a Pt(111) single crystal surface has been investigated by reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Dimethyl mercury appears to be highly reactive on Pt(111) and readily decomposes on the surface at temperatures of 100 K and above. Adsorption at 100 K initially occurs in a dissociative manner to produce CH₃ and CH₃Hg species on the surface, both of which are identified as having C_3v local symmetry. At higher exposures, molecular adsorption dominates with the Hg---C---Hg axis initially oriented parallel to the surface. This preferred orientation, however, does not persist into the multilayer. Thermal treatment of the surface layer results in multilayer desorption between 130 and 135 K, and no parent molecular species are observed beyond 160 K. Adsorption at 200 and 300 K produces an overlayer consisting primarily of CH₃Hg species, which are thermally stable to about 350 K. Subsequent heating to 400 K results in the formation of ethylidyne species which are characterised by RAIRS. Adsorption at 400 K results in the direct formation of an ethylidyne layer estimated to be about 85% of saturated coverage.     

Adsorption and reactions of CH2I2 on Ru(001) surface

The adsorption and dissociation of CH₂I₂ were studied at 110 K with the aim of generating CH₂ species on the Ru(001) surface. The methods used included X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and work function measurements. Adsorption of CH₂I₂ is characterized by a work function decrease (0.96 eV at monolayer), indicating that adsorbed CH₂I₂ has a positive outward dipole moment. Three adsorption states were distinguished: a multilayer (T_p=200 K), a weakly bonded state (T_p=220 K) and an irreversibly adsorbed state. A new feature is the formation of CH₃I, which desorbs with T_p=160 K. The adsorption of CH₂I₂ at 110 K is dissociative at submonolayer, but molecular at higher coverages. Dissociation of the monolayer to CH₂ and I proceeded at 198–230 K, as indicated by a shift in the I(3d_5/2) binding energy from 620.6 eV to 619.9 eV. A fraction of adsorbed CH₂ is self-hydrogenated into CH₄ (T_p=220 K), and another one is coupled to di-σ-bonded ethylene, which — instead of desorption — is converted to ethylidyne at 220–300 K. Illumination of the adsorbed CH₂I₂ initiated the dissociation of CH₂I₂ monolayer even at 110 K, and affected the reaction pathways of CH₂.     

TPD, HREELS and UPS study of the adsorption and reaction of methyl nitrite (CH3ONO) on Pt(111)

The adsorption and reaction of methyl nitrite (CH₃ONO, CD₃ONO) on Pt(111) was studied using HREELS, UPS, TPD, AES, and LEED. Adsorption of methyl nitrite on Pt(111) at 105 K forms a chemisorbed monolayer with a coverage of 0.25 ML, a physisorbed second layer with the same coverage that desorbs at 134 K, and a condensed multilayer that desorbs at 117 K. The Pt(111) surface is very reactive towards chemisorbed methyl nitrite; adsorption in the monolayer is completely irreversible. CH₃ONO dissociates to form NO and an intermediate which subsequently decomposes to yield CO and H₂ at low coverages and methanol for CH₃ONO coverages above one-half monolayer. We propose that a methoxy intermediate is formed. At least some C–O bond breaking occurs during decomposition to leave carbon on the surface after TPD. UPS and HREELS show that some methyl nitrite decomposition occurs below 110 K and all of the methyl nitrite in the monolayer is decomposed by 165 K. Intermediates from methyl nitrite decomposition are also relatively unstable on the Pt(111) surface since coadsorbed NO, CO and H are formed below 225 K.     

TPD study of the adsorption and reaction of nitromethane and methyl nitrite on ordered Pt–Sn surface alloys

The adsorption and reaction of the isomers nitromethane (CH₃NO₂) and methyl nitrite (CH₃ONO) on two ordered Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys were studied using TPD, AES, and LEED. Even though the Sn–O bond is stronger than the Pt–O bond and Sn is more easily oxidized than Pt, alloying with Sn reduces the reactivity of the Pt(111) surface for both of these oxygen-containing molecules. This is because of kinetic limitations due to a weaker chemisorption bond and an increased activation energy for dissociation for these molecules on the alloys compared to Pt(111). Nitromethane only weakly adsorbs on the Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys, shows no thermal reaction during TPD, and undergoes completely reversible adsorption under UHV conditions. Methyl nitrite is a much more reactive molecule due to the weak CH₃O–NO bond, and most of the chemisorbed methyl nitrite decomposes below 240 K on the alloy surfaces to produce NO and a methoxy species. Surface methoxy is a stable intermediate until 300 K on the alloys, and then it dehydrogenates to evolve gas phase formaldehyde with high selectivity against complete dehydrogenation to form CO on both alloy surfaces.     

Adsorption of glycine on a NiAl(1 1 0) alloy surface

The adsorption and desorption of glycine (NH₂CH₂COOH), vacuum deposited on a NiAl(1 1 0) surface, were investigated by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), temperature-programmed desorption, work function (Δφ) measurements, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). At 120 K, glycine adsorbs molecularly forming mono- and multilayers predominantly in the zwitterionic state, as evidenced by the UPS results. In contrast, the adsorption at room temperature (310 K) is mainly dissociative in the early stages of exposure, while molecular adsorption occurs only near saturation coverage. There is evidence that this molecularly adsorbed species is in the anionic form (NH₂CH₂COO⁻). Analysis of AES data reveals that upon adsorption glycine attacks the aluminium sites on the surface. On heating part of the monolayer adsorbed at 120 K is converted to the anionic form and at higher temperatures dissociates further before desorption. The temperature-induced dissociation of glycine (<400 K) leads to a series of similar reaction products irrespective of the initial adsorption step at 120 K or at 310 K, leaving finally oxygen, carbon and nitrogen at the surface. AES and LEED measurements indicate that oxygen interacts strongly with the Al component of the surface forming an “oxide”-like Al-O layer.     

Sodium adsorption on a Ge(100)-(2 × 1) surface

The adsorption of Na on a Ge(100)-(2 × 1) surface has been studied by means of AES, LEED, EELS, TPD and work-function measurements. In the submonolayer coverage region the coverage dependencies of the desorption activation energy E(Θ) and desorption frequency v(Θ) have been determined using the threshold TPD method. Our experimental data show that after the completion of the first Na layer, 3D crystallites develop on the Na/Ge(100) surface (Stranski-Krastanov growth mode). For Θ > 1 ML, formation, followed by decomposition of a certain Na---Ge surface compound occurs in the temperature range 410–550 K.     

Formation and hydrogenation of p(2 × 2)-N on Pt(1 1 1)

The formation of a well-ordered p(2 × 2) overlayer of atomic nitrogen on the Pt(1 1 1) surface and its reaction with hydrogen were characterized with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The p(2 × 2)-N overlayer is formed by exposure of ammonia to a surface at 85 K that is covered with 0.44 monolayer (ML) of molecular oxygen and then heating to 400 K. The reaction between ammonia and oxygen produces water, which desorbs below 400 K. The only desorption product observed above 400 K is molecular nitrogen, which has a peak desorption temperature of 453 K. The absence of oxygen after the 400 K anneal is confirmed with AES. Although atomic nitrogen can also be produced on the surface through the reaction of ammonia with an atomic, rather than molecular, oxygen overlayer at a saturation coverage of 0.25 ML, the yield of surface nitrogen is significantly less, as indicated by the N₂ TPD peak area. Atomic nitrogen readily reacts with hydrogen to produce the NH species, which is characterized with RAIRS by an intense and narrow (FWHM ∼ 4 cm⁻¹) peak at 3322 cm⁻¹. The areas of the H₂ TPD peak associated with NH dissociation and the XPS N 1s peak associated with the NH species indicate that not all of the surface N atoms can be converted to NH by the methods used here.     

Structural effects on water formation from coadsorbed H + O on Rh(100)

The effect of adsorbate coverage, adsorption sequence and temperature on the structure, composition and reactivity of coadsorbed layers, produced by dissociative adsorption of O₂ and H₂ at 200 K on a Rh(100) surface, has been studied by combined TPD, XPS and LEED measurements. The emphasis is on the impact of the structure and composition of the mixed O + H layers on the synthesis of hydroxyl and water as a result of the O + H surface reaction. The difference in the O 1s binding energies of adsorbed O (529.9 eV) and OH species (530.8 eV) was used as a fingerprint to monitor the formation of the OH species. The H₂O TPD spectra show substantial variations of the desorption temperature range and the amount of water evolved with coadsorbate coverage and structure: from 270 to 350 K and from 0 to 0.08 ML, respectively. It has been found that dense O + H adlayers, where the O coverage is in the range 0.25-0.4 ML, favor the formation of stable OH species. The maximum amount of stable hydroxyl OH species ( 0.16 ML) can be produced by heating of these dense adlayers to 260 K. This results in reordering of the adspecies to form a new O + OH − (2 × 6) structure, where hydroxyls react readily to evolve 0.08 ML of water in a sharp desorption peak at 280 K. The effect of the adlayer density and restructuring on the production of OH and H₂O is discussed.     

Adsorption of oxygen and carbon dioxide on cesium-reconstructed Ag(1 1 0) surface

The adsorption of oxygen and carbon dioxide on cesium-reconstructed Ag(1 1 0) surface has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). At 0.1 ML Cs coverage the whole surface exhibits a mixture of (1 × 2) and (1 × 3) reconstructed structures, indicating that Cs atoms exert a cooperative effect on the surface structures. Real-time STM observation shows that silver atoms on the Cs-covered surface are highly mobile on the nanometer scale at 300 K. The Cs-reconstructed Ag(1 1 0) surface alters the structure formed by dissociative adsorption of oxygen from p(2 × 1) or c(6 × 2) to a p(3 × 5) structure which incorporates 1/3 ML Ag atoms, resulting in the formation of nanometer-sized (10–20 nm) islands. The Cs-induced reconstruction facilitates the adsorption of CO₂, which does not adsorb on unreconstructed, clean Ag(1 1 0). CO₂ adsorption leads to the formation of locally ordered (2 × 1) structures and linear (2 × 2) structures distributed inhomogeneously on the surface. Adsorbed CO₂ desorbs from the Cs-covered surface without accompanied O₂ desorption, ruling out carbonate as an intermediate. As a possible alternative, an oxalate-type surface complex [OOC–COO] is suggested, supported by the occurrence of extensive isotope exchange between oxygen atoms among CO₂(a). Direct interaction between CO₂ and Cs may become significant at higher Cs coverage (>0.3 ML).     

Effects of potassium on the adsorption and dissociation of CH3Cl on Pd(100)

The effects of potassium on the adsorption and dissociation of CH₃Cl on a Pd(100) surface has been investigated by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), electron energy loss spectroscopy (in the electronic range EELS), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and work function change. In contrast to the clean surface, the adsorption of CH₃Cl caused a significant work function increase, 0.9-1.4 eV, of potassium-dosed Pd. Preadsorbed K enhanced the binding energy of CH₃C1 to the surface and induced the dissociation of adsorbed molecules. The extent of the dissociation increased almost linearly with the potassium content. The appearance of a new emission in the UPS spectrum at 9.2 eV, attributed to adsorbed CH₃ species, and the low-temperature formation of ethane suggest that a fraction of adsorbed CH₃Cl dissociates even at 115–125 K on potassium-dosed Pd(100). At the same time, a significant part of adsorbed CH₃ radical is stabilized, the reaction of which occurs only at 250–300 K. By means of TPD measurements, H₂, CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, KCl and K were detected in the desorbing gases. The results are interpreted by assuming a through-metal electronic interaction at low potassium coverage and by a direct interaction of the Cl in the adsorbed CH₃Cl with potassium at high potassium coverage. The latter proposal is supported by the electron excited Auger fine structure of the Cl signal and by the formation of KCl in the desorbing gases.     

Decomposition mechanism of triethylindium (TEI) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface studied by LEED, AES, TPD and HREELS

Adsorption and decomposition of triethylindium (TEI: (C₂H₅)₃In) on a GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface have been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). It is found from the TPD result that ethyl radical and ethylene are evolved at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, respectively, as decomposition products of TEI on the surface. This result is quite different from that on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×4) surface. The activation energy of desorption of ethyl radical is estimated to be about 93 kJ/mol. It is suggested that TEI is adsorbed molecularly on the surface at 100 K and that some of TEI molecules are dissociated into C₂H₅ to form P–C₂H₅ bonds at 300 K. The vibration modes related to ethyl group are decreased in intensity at about 300–400 and 450–550 K, which is consistent with the TPD result. The TEI molecules (including mono- and di-ethylindium) are not evolved from the surface. Based on the TPD and HREELS results, the decomposition mechanism of TEI on the GaP(0 0 1)-(2×1) surface is discussed and compared with that on the (2×4) surface.     

Adsorption and thermal decomposition of N-methylaniline on Pt(1 1 1)

The adsorption and thermal decomposition of N-methylaniline (NMA) on the Pt(1 1 1) surface has been studied with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NMA adsorbs molecularly at 85 K through the nitrogen lone pair and is stable up to 300 K. At temperatures of 300–350 K it converts to two or more surface intermediates including the N-methyleneaniline (NMEA) species. This NMEA intermediate dissociates upon annealing to 450 K, and further annealing leads to the desorption of HCN and H₂, leaving only C on the surface at 800 K.     

Differential-conversion temperature programmed desorption: a new method for obtaining bimolecular surface rate constants

For bimolecular surface reactions, temperature programmed desorption (TPD) cannot be used efficiently to detect the product if either of the reactants desorbs before the product. A modification of TPD (differential-conversion TPD, or DCTPD) that circumvents this problem is described in this paper. The reactant desorbing at high temperature is first adsorbed as in normal TPD. The surface is then exposed to a continuous flux of the other reactant, and the rate of product desorption is monitored at the same time. The flux is kept so low that the coverage of the reactant first adsorbed scarcely changes. The rate constant is then determined using this measured coverage and that calculated for the impinging species from its previously-determined adsorption/desorption kinetics. A formalism is also developed for cases in which a continuum of related pathways with a distribution of activation energies is present. Experimental application of DCTPD is demonstrated in the particular case of HCl production from SiH₄ and TiCl₄ on TiSi₂.     

Adsorption of D(H) atoms on Ar ion bombarded (0 0 0 1) graphite surfaces

Adsorption of thermal (2000 K) D (H) atoms on HOPG surfaces prior to and after bombardment with 500 eV Ar ions was studied with thermal desorption and vibrational spectroscopies. Ion bombardment of HOPG generates vacancy (VD, displaced surface C atoms) and interstitial (ID, Ar captured between 1st and 2nd C plane) defects. These defects remove the ability of the surface to adsorb D like on virgin HOPG surfaces and to form C_gr–D bonds. After a dose of 0.1 Ar per C surface atom, D adsorption is markedly suppressed. Annealing of bombarded surfaces at 1350 K, connected with desorption of trapped Ar and removal of ID, recovers a large fraction of the adsorption capacity for D. Therefore, the long range stress in the surface plane introduced by ID must be responsible for a significant fraction of D adsorption blocking. It is suggested that ID prevent reconstruction of the C surface which is required for the formation of C_gr–D bonds. For ion doses above 0.5 Ar/C, adsorption of D on the surface is negligible. After annealing at 1350 K, D can be adsorbed in quantities comparable to the virgin HOPG surface, however forming C–D bonds which are similar to those observed in hydrogenated amorphous carbon instead of those which are normally formed on HOPG. Instationary etching via release of deuterocarbon species occurs primarily in the C₁ and C₂ channels. It is only observed at bombarded HOPG prior to annealing and probably due to the presence of isolated C₁ and C₂ species on the surface generated upon VD formation.     

Characterization and chemical behavior of submonolayer coverages of titania on a Pt foil

The interaction between submonolayer titania coverages and Pt foil has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The submonolayer titania can be fully oxidized to TiO₂ at 923 K under 10⁻⁸ Torr O₂, and partially oxidized to TiO_x at lower oxidation temperatures. The oxidized surface can be reduced by annealing to 1000 K or higher, or by heating in H₂ at 823 K, or by interacting with surface carbon formed from acetone decomposition. Under certain conditions (e.g., hydrogen reduction at 923 K), the surface titania can be fully reduced to metallic Ti which diffuses into bulk Pt readily. The reduced metallic Ti can resurface when the surface is oxidized at 923 K. Both XPS and HREELS data indicate the existence of subsurface oxygen, which plays an important role for the diffusion of Ti into and out of the Pt foil. Although no special interfacial active sites were revealed by HREELS studies of adsorbed acetone and CO, some TPD and XPS data suggest the presence of sites active for acetone decomposition.     

Amorphous SiC film formation on Si(100) using electron beam excitation

The effect of electron impact on methylsilane (CH₃SiH₃) conversion to amorphous-Si_0.5C_0.5:H (a-Si_0.5C_0.5:H) films on Si(100) has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). It is found that electron impact greatly enhances CH₃SiH₃ decomposition on Si(100) at both 90 K and 300 K, resulting in a-Si_0.5C_0.5:H thin film formation. Thermal annealing of the film causes hydrogen desorption and amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) formation. Upon annealing to temperatures above 1200 K, the a-SiC film became covered by a thin silicon layer as indicated by AES studies. Ordered structures are not produced by annealing the a-SiC up to 1300 K.     

Adsorption, ordering, and chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1

Surface chemistry of nitrobenzene on Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 has been investigated using multiple internal reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (MIR-FTIR), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and thermal desorption mass spectrometry. Molecular adsorption of nitrobenzene at submonolayer coverages is dominating at cryogenic temperatures (100 K). As the surface temperature is increased to 160 K, chemical reaction involving nitro group occurs, while the phenyl entity remains intact. Thus, a barrier of approximately 40.8 kJ/mol is established for the interaction of the nitro group of nitrobenzene with the Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surface. Further annealing of the silicon surface leads to the decomposition of nitrobenzene. The concentration of nitrogen and oxygen remains constant on a surface within the temperature interval studied here. AES studies also suggest that the majority of carbon-containing products remain bound to the surface at temperatures as high as 1000 K. The only chemical reaction leading to the release of the gaseous products is benzene formation around 670 K. The amount of benzene accounts only for a few percent of the surface species, while the rest of the phenyl groups connected to the silicon surface via a nitrogen linker remain stable even at elevated temperatures, opening an opportunity for stable surface coatings.     

Thermal decomposition of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine on Si(100)-2 × 1

The surface reaction of 1,1-dimethylhydrazine (DMH) with Si(100) has been studied with temperature programmed desorption spectroscopy (TPD), temperature programmed static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TPSSIMS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). Adsorption of DMH on Si(100) at 170 K followed by annealing to 1100 K results in significant decomposition to form surface carbide and nitride. TPD results show that the only gas phase desoprtion products are hydrogen and dimethylamine. Furthermore, decomposition occurs over a broad temperature range; XPS and TPSIMS results indicate C---N bond cleavage beginning at 400 K and by 600 K, all the C---N bonds have dissociated. We propose a molecular level mechanism that involves partial decomposition upon adsorption followed by extensive bond cleavage to form surface carbide and nitride.     

Glycine on Pt(111): a TDS and XPS study

The adsorption and desorption of in situ deposited glycine on Pt(111) were investigated with thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Glycine adsorbs intact on Pt(111) at all coverages at temperatures below 250 K. The collected results suggest that the glycine molecules adsorb predominantly in the zwitterionic state both in the first monolayer and in multilayers. Upon heating, intact molecules start to desorb from multilayers around 325 K. The second (and possibly third) layer(s) are somewhat more strongly bound than the subsequent layers. The multilayer desorption follows zero order kinetics with an activation energy of 0.87 eV molecule⁻¹. From the first saturated monolayer approximately half of the molecules desorbs intact with a desorption peak at 360 K, while the other half dissociates before desorption. Below 0.25 monolayer all molecules dissociate upon heating. The dissociation reactions lead to H₂, CO₂, and H₂O desorption around 375 K and CO desorption around 450 K. This is well below the reported gas phase decomposition temperature of glycine, but well above the thermal desorption temperatures of the individual H₂, CO₂, and H₂O species on Pt(111), i.e. the dissociation is catalyzed by the surface and H₂, CO₂, and H₂O immediately desorb upon dissociation. For temperatures above 500 K the remaining residues of the dissociated molecules undergo a series of reactions leading to desorption of, for example, H₂CN, N₂ and C₂N₂, leaving only carbon left on the surface at 900 K. Comparison with previously reported studies of this system show substantial agreement but also distinct differences.