Ab-initio SCF study of the nature of bonding in neutral and cationic silicon hydrides and analogous carbon compounds

The nature of bonding in a number of neutral and cationic silicon hydrides has been studied on the basis of atomic charge (q_A), valency (V_A), molecular valency (V_M) and localised molecular orbitals (LMO). Several structural isomers of each species have been considered. It is found that the most stable isomer is generally associated with maximum q_si and minimum V_si and V_M. Protonation of the neutral hydrides leads to an increase in the positive charge of Si, and in molecular valency. The bonding characteristics of the most stable isomers of the silicon hydrides have been compared with that of analogous hydrocarbons. It has been observed that the difference in bonding stems mainly from the highly electro-positive nature of the Si atom which prefers to form three-centre rather than multiple bonds. The molecular hardness parameters (η) have also been calculated. The most stable isomers of silicon hydrides are generally associated with maximum η. The HSAB principle has been tested by considering some hydrogenation and proton transfer reactions. It is qualitatively satisfied in both cases.     

Kinetics of surface pyrolysis of a silane–germane gas mixture under conditions of epitaxial film deposition of Si<Subscript>1–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Ge<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> solid solutions

Specific features of the pyrolysis of hydride molecules on the surface of a Si_1–x Ge _x film under conditions of epitaxial film deposition of a mixture of silicon and germanium hydrides have been studied. Temperature dependences of the kinetic coefficients responsible for the rate of hydrogen desorption from the Si_1–x Ge _x film surface and the rate of dissociation of gas molecule radicals adsorbed by the surface of the growing film have been obtained for the first time, using the developed kinetic models of surface pyrolysis and the results of engineering experiments in the temperature range 450–800°C. A correlation between the dissociation frequencies of silane and germane molecules, as well as a correlation of the dissociation frequencies with other kinetic parameters of the system were revealed.     

The synthesis of alkenylsilanes by the high-temperature condensation of unsaturated compounds with silicon hydrides

Summary The general character of the new high-temperature reaction of unsaturated hydrocarbons with silicon hydrides, leading to the formation of unsaturated organosilicon compounds, has been shown on the basis of new examples.     

Kinetic studies of the reactions between silicon nitride and carbon

The reactions between silicon nitride and carbon take place in two stages, the surface silica of silicon nitride powders reacts with carbon first followed by the decomposition of silicon nitride and the residual silicon reacting with carbon. The kinetics of the two stage reactions has been studied by isothermal thermogravimetric analysis. Physico-geometric models for both of the reaction stages have been proposed, and the kinetic parameters have been calculated. The implications of the kinetic models and parameters are discussed.     

The first stable mononuclear silyl palladium hydrides

The reaction of tertiary silanes with the low valent palladium complex [(mu-dcpe)Pd]2 affords equilibrium mixtures with mononuclear silyl palladium hydrides. These complexes have been characterized by NMR spectroscopy and, in one case, by X-ray crystallography. The silyl palladium hydride complexes rapidly interchange silicon and hydride coordination environments in solution which give rise to extraordinary temperature-dependent kinetic isotope effects for the fluxional process. An intermediate 2eta-Si-H complex is proposed for the interchange.     

Kinetics and mechanism of palladium(II) acetate reduction by hydrogen on the surface of a carbon support

The kinetics of the reduction of Pd(II) compounds by dihydrogen on the surface of a carbon support has been investigated for palladium acetate as an example. A kinetic model has been constructed for this reaction. An autocatalytic mechanism is suggested, in which the key role is played by Pd(0) compounds and their hydrides. The reaction occurring on the support surface is compared with the same reaction in solutions of palladium phosphine acetate complexes, where a similar mechanism is observed. One of the most important features of the surface reaction is the relatively slow reduction of the Pd(I) compounds to Pd(0). This makes it possible to obtain materials with a high Pd(I) content of 5% and above.     

Thermally activated mechanisms of hydrogen abstraction by growth precursors during plasma deposition of silicon thin films

Hydrogen abstraction by growth precursors is the dominant process responsible for reducing the hydrogen content of amorphous silicon thin films grown from SiH(4) discharges at low temperatures. Besides direct (Eley-Rideal) abstraction, gas-phase radicals may first adsorb on the growth surface and abstract hydrogen in a subsequent process, giving rise to thermally activated precursor-mediated (PM) and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) abstraction mechanisms. Using results of first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the interaction of SiH(3) radicals with the hydrogen-terminated Si(001)-(2x1) surface, we show that precursor-mediated abstraction mechanisms can be described by a chemisorbed SiH(3) radical hopping between overcoordinated surface Si atoms while being weakly bonded to the surface before encountering a favorable site for hydrogen abstraction. The calculated energy barrier of 0.39 eV for the PM abstraction reaction is commensurate with the calculated barrier of 0.43-0.47 eV for diffusion of SiH(3) on the hydrogen-terminated Si(001)-(2x1) surface, which allows the radical to sample the entire surface for hydrogen atoms to abstract. In addition, using the same type of DFT analysis we have found that LH reaction pathways involve bond breaking between the silicon atoms of the chemisorbed SiH(3) radical and the film prior to hydrogen abstraction. The LH reaction pathways exhibit energy barriers of 0.76 eV or higher, confining the abstraction only to nearest-neighbor hydrogens. Furthermore, we have found that LH processes compete with radical desorption from the hydrogen-terminated Si(001)-(2x1) surface and may be suppressed by the dissociation of chemisorbed SiH(3) radicals into lower surface hydrides. Analysis of molecular-dynamics simulations of the growth process of plasma deposited silicon films have revealed that qualitatively similar pathways for thermally activated hydrogen abstraction also occur commonly on the amorphous silicon growth surface.     

Facile reduction of acid chlorides into aldehydes using hypervalent silicon hydrides.

Acyl chlorides have been reduced to aldehydes by a simple exchange reaction with pentacoordinated silicon hydrides     

Mechanisms and energetics of hydride dissociation reactions on surfaces of plasma-deposited silicon thin films

We report results from a detailed analysis of the fundamental silicon hydride dissociation processes on silicon surfaces and discuss their implications for the surface chemical composition of plasma-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films. The analysis is based on a synergistic combination of first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations of hydride dissociation on the hydrogen-terminated Si(001)-(2x1) surface and molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of adsorbed SiH(3) radical precursor dissociation on surfaces of MD-grown a-Si:H films. Our DFT calculations reveal that, in the presence of fivefold coordinated surface Si atoms, surface trihydride species dissociate sequentially to form surface dihydrides and surface monohydrides via thermally activated pathways with reaction barriers of 0.40-0.55 eV. The presence of dangling bonds (DBs) results in lowering the activation barrier for hydride dissociation to 0.15-0.20 eV, but such DB-mediated reactions are infrequent. Our MD simulations on a-Si:H film growth surfaces indicate that surface hydride dissociation reactions are predominantly mediated by fivefold coordinated surface Si atoms, with resulting activation barriers of 0.35-0.50 eV. The results are consistent with experimental measurements of a-Si:H film surface composition using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which indicate that the a-Si:H surface is predominantly covered with the higher hydrides at low temperatures, while the surface monohydride, SiH((s)), becomes increasingly more dominant as the temperature is increased.     

Surface hydrogen and growth mechanisms of synchrotron radiation-assisted silicon gas source molecular beam epitaxy using disilane

Surface hydrogen and growth mechanisms are investigated for synchrotron radiation (SR)-assisted gas source molecular beam epitaxy (SR-GSMBE) using Si₂H₆ on the Si(100) surface in the low-temperature region. The surface silicon hydrides (deuterides) are monitored in situ during the epitaxial growth by means of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy with a Si(100) substrate and a CoSi₂ buried metal layer. It is concluded that the chemisorption of gas-phase reactive species such as SiH_n and H generated by SR irradiation and the subsequent hydrogen desorption are the key mechanisms of SR-GSMBE at low substrate temperatures. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Compensation effect in the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation kinetics of metal hydrides

The possible existence of a compensation effect, i.e. concurrent changes in activation energy and prefactor, is investigated for the hydrogenation and dehydrogenation kinetics of metal hydrides, by analyzing a series of reported kinetic studies on Mg and LaNi(5) based hydrides. For these systems, we find a clear linear relation between apparent prefactors and apparent activation energies, as obtained from an Arrhenius analysis, indicating the existence of a compensation effect. Large changes in apparent activation energies in the case of Mg based hydrides are rationalized in terms of a dependency of observed apparent activation energy on the degree of surface oxidation, i.e., a physical effect. On the other hand, we find the large concurrent changes in apparent prefactors to be a direct result of the Arrhenius analysis. Thus, we find the observed compensation effect to be an artifact of the data analysis rather than a physical phenomenon. In the case of LaNi(5) based hydrides, observed scatter in reported apparent activation energies is less pronounced supporting the general experience that LaNi(5) is less sensitive toward surface contamination.     

温和条件下稀土氯化物-萘催化的碱金属氢化物的合成

本文研究了稀土氯化物对碱金属氢化反应的催化作用。金属钠在稀土氯化物LnCl~3(Ln=La,Nd,Sm,Dy,Yb)和萘的催化下,在常压、40℃下能与氢气反应,生成氢化钠;稀土氯化物的催化活性顺序为LaCl~3>NdCl~3>SmCl~3>DyCl~3>YbCl~3。金属锂可发生类似反应,生成LiH;但其反应动力学曲线与金属钠相比明显不同。稀土氯化物对金属钾的氢化反应不显示催化作用。对反应机理的初步探索表明:碱金属与萘反应生成的阴离子自由基型物种可能是氢化反应的中间体,稀土氯化物的作用是催化该中间体的氢化反应。该反应的产物是一类大比表面积(NaH的比表面积为83m^2/g)、多孔性固体粉末,在空气中可自燃。它们具有比一般市售碱金属氢化物高得多的反应活性,并能与过渡金属配合物组成高活性烯烃加氢催化。     

孔性介质负载下的络合氢化物及其储氢特性*

络合氢化物具有较高的重量储氢密度,已成为国内外研究的热点。孔性介质由于高比表面积、孔径均匀可调以及良好热稳定性而备受关注。研究表明,实现孔性介质负载的络合氢化物可有效地改善其储氢性能。本文简述了孔性介质的结构特征和物化特性,着重阐述了孔性介质负载催化络合氢化物的制备方法、脱/加氢性能的影响及其催化机理的研究进展,并指出了需要研究的科学问题。     

Study of the Interface Microstructures of CVD Diamond Films by TEM

 The characteristics of the interface microstructures between a CVD diamond film and the silicon substrate have been studied by transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The investigations are performed on plan-view TEM specimens which were intentionally thinned only from the film surface side allowing the overall microstructural features of the interface to be studied. A prominent interfacial layer with amorphous-like features has been directly observed for CVD diamond films that shows a highly twinned defective diamond surface morphology. Similar interfacial layers have also been observed on films with a <100> growth texture but having the {100} crystal faces randomly oriented on the silicon substrate. These interfacial layers have been unambiguously identified as diamond phase carbon by both electron diffraction and electron energy loss spectroscopy. For the CVD diamond films that exhibit heteroepitaxial growth features, with the {100} crystal faces aligned crystallographically on the silicon substrate, such an interfacial layer was not observed. This is consistent with the expectation that the epitaxial growth of CVD diamond films requires diamond crystals to directly nucleate and grow on the substrate surface or on an epitaxial interface layer that has a small lattice misfit to both the substrate and the thin film material.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the production of higher olefins from stearic acid in the presence of an alumina-supported nickel sulfide catalyst

A nickel sulfide catalyst which efficient in the decarbonylation of fatty acids to olefins and dienes has been obtained for the first time by treating alumina-supported nickel sulfate with hydrogen, and its properties have been studied. In its presence, the olefin selectivity of the reaction can exceed 90%. The kinetics of stearic acid deoxygenation to heptadecenes has been investigated, a kinetic model has been constructed, and a mechanism has been proposed for the reaction over this catalyst. Olefin oligomerization is the dominant side reaction. Kinetic evidence for the catalytic inhibition of oligomerization by nickel hydrides formed on the catalyst has been obtained. The compositions of active site–reactant adsorption complexes have been discussed.     

Electrochemically programmed, spatially selective biofunctionalization of silicon wires

A method for the spatially selective biofunctionalization of silicon micro- and nanostructures is reported, and results are presented for both single-crystal silicon (111) or (100) surfaces. An electroactive monolayer of hydroquinone was formed on the surface of H-terminated silicon working electrodes via an olefin reaction with UV-generated surface radicals. Molecules presenting either cyclopentadiene or a thiol group can be immobilized onto the regions where the hydroquinone has been oxidized. Molecular size and crystal orientation are evaluated as important factors that dictate the electrode stability in aqueous solution under anodic potentials. Monolayers composed of smaller molecules on (111) surfaces exhibit the highest packing density and are more effective in preventing anodic oxidation of the underlying substrate. Voltammetry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force and fluorescence microscopy are utilized to interrogate the kinetic rates of biofunctionalization, the extent of surface coverage, monolayer quality, and the spatial selectivity of the process.     

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy of silicon-treated rice with enhanced host resistance against blast.

Silicon is the second-most abundant element on the surface of the earth, and has been considered important for plant growth and development. As for its role in enhanced plant disease resistance, silicon has been reported to reinforce the physical barrier against the penetration and colonization of pathogens. Rice leaves of silicon-treated plants and control plants at the eight- and twelve-leaf growth stages were analyzed by 29Si solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to characterize the silicon-induced, cell wall fortification of rice leaves, which demonstrated an ability to counter a pathogen attack.     

Strain of plates of aluminum, glass, and silicon at sorption of water vapor

It has been suggested and realized a kinetic approach to the investigation of sorbostriction isotherms on plates of aluminum, glass, and monocrystalline silicon at the sorption of water from its vapor. It is established increasing the plate area and decreasing the plate thickness with passing the contraction through a minimum in the process of sorption. The strain observed is explained by the interference of two effects: the influence of variation of the surface tension of the outer surface of samples and the role of micropores (with possible chemisorption in them).     

Formation of intra-island grain boundaries in pentacene monolayers

To assess the formation of intra-island grain boundaries during the early stages of pentacene film growth, we studied sub-monolayers of pentacene on pristine silicon oxide and silicon oxide with high pinning centre density (induced by UV/O(3) treatment). We investigated the influence of the kinetic energy of the impinging molecules on the sub-monolayer growth by comparing organic molecular beam deposition (OMBD) and supersonic molecular beam deposition (SuMBD). For pentacene films fabricated by OMBD, higher pentacene island-density and higher polycrystalline island density were observed on UV/O(3)-treated silicon oxide as compared to pristine silicon oxide. Pentacene films deposited by SuMBD exhibited about one order of magnitude lower island- and polycrystalline island densities compared to OMBD, on both types of substrates. Our results suggest that polycrystalline growth of single islands on amorphous silicon oxide is facilitated by structural/chemical surface pinning centres, which act as nucleation centres for multiple grain formation in a single island. Furthermore, the overall lower intra-island grain boundary density in pentacene films fabricated by SuMBD reduces the number of charge carrier trapping sites specific to grain boundaries and should thus help achieving higher charge carrier mobilities, which are advantageous for their use in organic thin-film transistors.     

Interaction of Hydrogen with Silicon during Mechanical Activation

Mechanical activation of silicon powder under hydrogen was investigated using an AGO-2U centrifugal planetary activator. An IR spectroscopic study revealed that there was direct chemical interaction between hydrogen and silicon with the formation of hydrides.