Structure and stability of one-dimensional o-phthalaldehyde lines on the Si(100)-2 × 1:H surface

We present the structural models for the o-phthalaldehyde (OP) molecular lines on the H-terminated Si(100) surface which were recently observed by scanning tunnelling microscopy. Our first-principles density-functional theory calculations show that the formation of OP lines is not only kinetically more facile but also thermodynamically more stable than those of previously reported alkene lines.     

Stereo-isomerism controls surface reactivity: 1-chloropentane-pairs on Si(100)-2×1

Chloropentane forms asymmetric ('A') and symmetric ('S') pairs on Si(100)-2×1, differing in the direction of curvature of one pentane tail. Surprisingly this renders the rate of thermal reaction of 'A' fifteen times greater than 'S' in chlorinating room-temperature silicon. Correspondingly, for electron-induced reaction the energy threshold for A is 1 eV less than for S.     

Dynamics of H2 dissociation on the 1/2 ML c(2 × 2)-Ti/Al(100) surface

The dissociation of H(2) on Ti-covered Al surfaces is relevant to the rehydrogenation and dehydrogenation of the NaAlH(4) hydrogen storage material. The energetically most stable structure for a 1/2 monolayer of Ti deposited on the Al(100) surface has the Ti atoms in the second layer with a c(2 × 2) structure, as has been confirmed by both low-energy electron diffraction and low-energy ion scattering experiments and density functional theory studies. In this work, we investigate the dynamics of H(2) dissociation on a slab model of this Ti/Al(100) surface. Two six-dimensional potential energy surfaces (PESs) have been built for this H(2) + Ti/Al(100) system, based on the density functional theory PW91 and RPBE exchange-correlation functionals. In the PW91 (RPBE) PES, the lowest H(2) dissociation barrier is found to be 0.65 (0.84) eV, with the minimum energy path occurring for H(2) dissociating above the bridge to top sites. Using both PESs, H(2) dissociation probabilities are calculated using the classical trajectory (CT), the quasi-classical trajectory (QCT), and the time-dependent wave-packet methods. We find that the QCT H(2) dissociation probabilities are in good agreement with the quantum dynamics results in the collision energy range studied up to 1.0 eV. We have also performed molecular beam simulations and present predictions for molecular beam experiments. Our molecular beam simulations show that H(2) dissociation on the 1/2 ML Ti/Al(100) surface is an activated process, and the reaction probability is found to be 6.9% for the PW91 functional and 1.8% for the RPBE at a nozzle temperature of 1700 K. Finally, we have also calculated H(2) dissociation rate constants by applying transition state theory and the QCT method, which could be relevant to modeling Ti-catalyzed rehydrogenation and dehydrogenation of NaAlH(4).     

Thermal decomposition mechanisms of methylamine, ethylamine, and 1-propylamine on Si(100)-2 × 1 surface

The thermal decomposition reactions of methylamine, ethylamine, and 1-propylamine absorbed on Si(100)-2 × 1 surface were theoretically investigated. Eight decomposition channels were found leading to desorption products of imine, H(2), alkyl cyanide, ammonia, aziridine, alkene, azetidine, and cyclopropane, which supports the experimental assignments. Our mechanistic studies strongly suggest that the alkyl cyanide (hydrogen cyanide in the case of methylamine) channel is coupled with the hydrogen desorption step. The β-hydrogen of ethylamine and 1-propylamine was found to undergo additional decomposition reactions producing aziridine and alkene, which were classified as γ- and β-eliminations, respectively. It was also found that the γ-hydrogen of 1-propylamine undergoes azetidine and cyclopropane producing decompositions, which were classified as δ- and γ-eliminations. In general, γ- and δ-hydrogen involved decomposition reactions are kinetically less favorable than β-hydrogen involved ones. Consequently, it is expected that the thermal decompositions of the primary alkyl amines with longer alkyl chains would not add additional favorable decomposition channels. Except alkyl cyanide and ammonia desorption channels, the decompositions occur in a concerted fashion.     

STM and voltammetric studies on the structure of a 4-pyridinethiolate monolayer chemisorbed on Au(100)-(1×1) surface

The structure for a 4-pyridinethiolate monolayer chemisorbed on the Au(100)-(1×1) single crystal surface was characterized by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). In situ STM observation showed a well-ordered p(√2 R 45°×5 R 53.1°) structure (abbreviated as √2×5) for the surface modified with either 4-pyridinethiol (4-PySH) or bis(4-pyridyl)disulfide (4,4′-PySSPy) in a 0.05 M HClO₄ solution. On the Au(100)-(1×1) surface, 4-PySH molecules formed a dimer structure with the S–S bond length of about 2.4 nm. The observed dimer structure is similar to that previously reported on the Au(111) surface, and the orientation of the pyridine ring is mostly perpendicular to the surface normal. However, the adsorbed molecules were more densely packed (√3/√2 times) on the Au(100) surface than on the Au(111) surface. The surface excess was estimated to be 5.8 (±0.2)×10⁻¹⁰ mol cm⁻² based on the voltammetric charge for the reductive desorption. This value is in good agreement with that (5.7×10⁻¹⁰ mol cm⁻²) calculated from the parallelogrammic (√2×5) unit cell. The Au(100)-(1×1) surface modified with 4-PySH gave a well-defined electrochemical response of cytochrome c.     

Theoretical Calculations on Amphoteric Adsorptions of the Hydrogenated C(100)-2×1 Surface

In this work we study the adsorptions of some small molecules or group on the hydrogenated C(100)-2×1 surface using density functional theory method. The calculated results show that the ionization potential (IP) of the hydrogenated C(100)-2×1 surfaces after adsorption has amphoteric characteristics. From the weak basic NH3 molecule with small IP and negative electron affinity (EA), through the neutral H2O molecule, to the weak acid HF molecule and the OH group with large EA and IP, the IP values of the adsorbed diamond surfaces vary from decrease, through invariability, to slight increase for HF and obvious increase for OH. In all adsorption species, only the OH group makes the hydrogenated C(100)-2×1 surface change to the metal from the semiconductor with a wide-band gap, while the others only introduce impurity states into the electronic structures of the hydrogenated C(100)-2×1 surfaces.     

Six-dimensional quasiclassical and quantum dynamics of H2 dissociation on the c(2 × 2)-Ti/Al(100) surface

Based on a slab model of H(2) dissociation on a c(2 × 2) structure with Ti atoms in the first and third layers of Al(100), a six-dimensional (6D) potential energy surface (PES) has been built. In this PES, a molecular adsorption well with a depth of 0.45 eV is present in front of a barrier of height 0.13 eV. Using this PES, H(2) dissociation probabilities are calculated by the classical trajectory (CT), the quasiclassical trajectory (QCT), and the time-dependent wave-packet (TDWP) method. The QCT study shows that trajectories can be trapped by the molecular adsorption well. Higher incident energy can lead to direct H(2) dissociation. Vibrational pre-excitation is the most efficient way to promote direct dissociation without trapping. We find that both rotational and vibrational excitation have efficacies close to 1.0 in the entire range of incident energies investigated, which supports the randomization in the initial conditions making the reaction rate solely dependent on the total (internal and translational) energy. The H(2) dissociation probabilities from quantum dynamics are in reasonable agreement with the QCT results in the energy range 50-200 meV, except for some fluctuations. However, the TDWP results considerably exceed the QCT results in the energy range 200-850 meV. The CT reaction probabilities are too low compared with the quantum dynamical results.     

Improving the performance of perovskite solar cells by surface passivation

NiO has a perfect-aligned energy level with CH3 NH3 Pb I3 perovskite such that it serves as a hole transport layer(HTL),but Ni O-based perovskite solar cells(PSCs)still suffer from low efficiency due to the poor interface contact between the perovskite layer and the Ni O HTL,and haphazardly stacked perovskite grains.Herein,poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-co-(1,4-benzo-{2,1,3}-thiadiazole)](PFBT)is introduced between the Ni O and perovskite layers in the form of a polymer aggregate to enhance perovskite crystallinity and decrease the interface charge recombination between perovskite and Ni O in PSCs,resulting in an improved performance.Moreover,PFBT modified perovskite films showed sharper,smoother,and more compact crystalline grains with fewer grain boundaries,leading to the decreased nonradiative recombination.This study offers a simple strategy to achieve highly efficient PSCs with the incorporation of polymer semiconductor aggregates to passivate the interface between the perovskite and Ni O layers.     

A DFT study on the interaction of Co with an anatase TiO2 (001)-(1×4) surface

The substitution/adsorption structures of Co on an anatase TiO2 (001)-(1×4) surface are investigated using the DFT/local density approximation (LDA) method.Theoretical calculation shows that the Co ion prefers to be adsorbed on the surface of anatase TiO2.The density of states (DOS) analysis finds that the Co 3d is located mainly in the energy gap region.The Co 3d partial density of states (PDOS) indicates that there is a substantial degree of hybridization between O 2s and Co 3d in valence band (VB) regions in the substitution models.The conclusion is that the mode of substitution is more active when the catalyst is a higher-energy surface.     

Observation of photocatalytic dissociation of water on terminal Ti sites of TiO2(110)-1 × 1 surface

The water splitting reaction based on the promising TiO(2) photocatalyst is one of the fundamental processes that bears significant implication in hydrogen energy technology and has been extensively studied. However, a long-standing puzzling question in understanding the reaction sequence of the water splitting is whether the initial reaction step is a photocatalytic process and how it happens. Here, using the low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) performed at 80 K, we observed the dissociation of individually adsorbed water molecules at the 5-fold coordinated Ti (Ti(5c)) sites of the reduced TiO(2) (110)-1 × 1 surface under the irradiation of UV lights with the wavelength shorter than 400 nm, or to say its energy larger than the band gap of 3.1 eV for the rutile TiO(2). This finding thus clearly suggests the involvement of a photocatalytic dissociation process that produces two kinds of hydroxyl species. One is always present at the adjacent bridging oxygen sites, that is, OH(br), and the other either occurs as OH(t) at Ti(5c) sites away from the original ones or even desorbs from the surface. In comparison, the tip-induced dissociation of the water can only produce OH(t) or oxygen adatoms exactly at the original Ti(5c) sites, without the trace of OH(br). Such a difference clearly indicates that the photocatalytic dissociation of the water undergoes a process that differs significantly from the attachment of electrons injected by the tip. Our results imply that the initial step of the water dissociation under the UV light irradiation may not be reduced by the electrons, but most likely oxidized by the holes generated by the photons.     

Spectrophotometric Determination of Carbon Disulfide Using Bis(4-(4′-Nitrophenyl)azo-2-Nitrophenyl) Disulfide

Bis(4-(4-nitrophenyl)azo-2-nitrophenyl) disulfide (NADS) has been synthesized for the first time and proposed for the indirect photometric determination of carbon disulfide by dithiocarbamic acid. The reaction, which involves the breaking of the disulfide bond with the formation of colored azothio anions, is carried out in a mixture of dimethylsulfoxide and n-butanol. The high value of the apparent molar absorptivity (2 × 10⁵) is probably due to the autocatalytic character of the reaction. Using NADS, procedures for the determination of carbon disulfide in the atmospheric air of populated areas and in the model gas mixtures designed for the calibration of gas analyzers have been developed and certified. The procedures show high sensitivity and good reproducibility.     

The simulation of the adsorption of unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbons on the (001)-2 × 1 reconstructed silicon surface by the Monte Carlo and transfer-matrix methods

A model of the adsorption of cyclic unsaturated molecules on the Si(001)-2 × 1 reconstructed surface was developed for the example of 1,4-cyclohexadiene, which can be differently adsorbed on surface adsorption centers. Calculations were performed for a grand canonical ensemble by the Monte Carlo and transfer matrix methods. The structure of the ordered phases formed and the conditions of their appearance were studied in detail. It was shown that the suggested model reproduced all the qualitative special features of the system studied and similar systems.     

Nature of the binding of a c(2×2)-CO overlayer on Ag(001) and surface mediated intermolecular coupling

We present a first-principles study of the nature of the binding of a c(2×2)-CO overlayer on Ag(001) and of the origin of CO-CO interactions upon adsorption. Electronic structural changes induced by molecular adsorption provide an interpretation for earlier X-ray photoemission valence band spectra of CO/Ag(001). Our results establish that CO chemisorbs on clean Ag(001) and follows the Blyholder model of donation and back-donation between CO and metal orbitals. We analyze the origin of the dispersion of the C-O stretch mode and attest that it is caused by the metal-CO coupling. Specifically, the coupling of CO to Ag, although the weakest of those between it and transition and other noble metals, greatly enhances the intermolecular force constants. We also find that the response of the charge density around CO is much stronger and of longer range when the molecule stretches than when it rigidly vibrates against the surface. This difference explains why the C-O stretch mode disperses while the Ag-CO stretch mode does not.     

A semiclassical calculation of the temperature dependence of inelastic phonon transitions in gas-surface scattering: He/Si(100)-(2 × 1)

Inelastic atom-surface phonon scattering for a model He/Si(100)-(2 × 1) system is investigated by the classical trajectory quantum-forced oscillator DECENT method. All one- and two-phonon creation and annihilation intensities are presented for surface temperatures of 100, 300 and 600 K and the time-of-flight spectra are simulated for these three temperatures. The contribution of one-, two- and multi-phonon events to the total energy transfer between 0 and 600 K is also given.     

Dynamics of scattering and dissociative adsorption on a surface alloy: H2/W(100)-c(2 × 2)Cu

H(2) scattering and dissociative adsorption on the W(100)-c(2 × 2)Cu surface alloy is studied based on DFT calculations. A strongly site dependent reactivity is observed in line with results obtained for the density of states projected onto the W and Cu atoms of the topmost layer. H(2) dissociation on a defect free terrace of W(100)-c(2 × 2)Cu is found to be a non-activated process like on W(100), despite the reduction of the number of energetically accessible dissociation pathways at low impact energies due to the presence of Cu atoms. A prominence of dynamic trapping and a reduction of the efficacy of trapping to promote dissociation is also verified, leading to a decrease of the initial sticking probability as a function of the molecular impact energy, in qualitative agreement with experimental findings. The heterogeneous reactivity is also evidenced by two different kinds of reflection events at low energies. Its combination gives rise to a broad specular peak superimposed on a cosine-like angular distribution of scattered molecules which is in good agreement with available experimental data.     

Multiple pathways of dissociative attachment: CH3Br on Si(100)-2×1

We describe the dissociative attachment (DA) of methyl bromide to form chemisorbed CH(3) and Br on a Si(100)-2×1 surface at 270 K. The patterns of DA were studied experimentally by ultra-high vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and interpreted by ab initio theory. The parent molecules were found to dissociate thermally by breaking the C-Br bond, attaching the resulting fragments CH(3) and Br at adjacent Si-atom sites. The observed DA resulted in three distinct attachment geometries: inter-row (IR, 88%), inter-dimer (ID, 11%), and on-dimer (OD, 1%). Ab initio computation agreed in predicting these three DA reaction pathways, with yields decreasing down the series, in accord with experiment. The three computed physisorption geometries, each of which correlated with a preferred outcome, IR, ID, or OD, exhibited similar heats of adsorption, the choice of pathway being governed by the energy barriers to DA chemisorption predicted to increase along the series: E(IR) = 0.48 eV, E(ID) = 0.57 eV, and E(OD) = 0.63 eV.     

The isomeric effect on the adjacent Si dimer didechlorination of trans and iso-dichloroethylene on Si(100)-2×1

The dechlorination processes of isomers trans and iso-dichloroethylene (iso-DCE) on Si(100)-2×1 were investigated from first principles, to ascertain the isomeric effect on the adjacent Si dimer di-dechlorination of DCE on Si(100)-2×1. By comparing the feasible adspecies and their reaction barriers between trans and cis-DCE on Si(100)-2×1, we found that the isomeric effect of trans-DCE is negligible, which explained the similar C 1s peak locations in the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiment. In contrast, iso-DCE undergoes a more complicated reaction process, although the adjacent Si dimer di-dechlorination is still the dominant mechanism. Among the initial competitive reactions involving intra-, inter-cycloaddition and single C-Cl cleavage, the barrierless intra-cycloaddition is the most favorable reaction and precludes the single dechlorination that yields the mono-σ structure. Subsequent di-dechlorination undergoes a three-step reaction to yield the final product intra-dimer tetra-σ. In addition, the ionization energies of C 1s and Cl 2s electrons were calculated for the tentative assignment of the peaks observed in XPS.     

INSTABILITY AND (2×1) RECONSWUCTON OF Ge (001) SURFACE FROM SOLID-STAIE POTENTIALS

An empirical potential energy function comprising two-and three-bodyterms, whose parameters have been determiaed from the properties of solid germanium,is used to study the (2Xl) reconstruction of the Ge(001) surface. It is found thatthe formation of a dimer bond lowers the total energy by 0. 73eV/atom, as comparedto the surface atoms on the ideal Ge(001) surface.     

Density functional theory simulations of amorphous high-κ oxides on a compound semiconductor alloy: a-Al2O3/InGaAs(100)-(4×2), a-HfO2/InGaAs(100)-(4×2), and a-ZrO2/InGaAs(100)-(4×2)

The structural properties of a-Al(2)O(3)∕In(0.5)Ga(0.5)As, a-HfO(2)∕In(0.5)Ga(0.5)As, and a-ZrO(2)∕In(0.5)Ga(0.5)As interfaces were investigated by density-functional theory (DFT) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Realistic amorphous a-Al(2)O(3), a-HfO(2), and a-ZrO(2) samples were generated using a hybrid classical-DFT MD "melt-and-quench" approach and tested against the experimental properties. For each stack type, two systems with different initial oxide cuts at the interfaces were investigated. All stacks were free of midgap states, but some had band-edge states which decreased the bandgaps by 0%-40%. The band-edge states were mainly produced by deformation, intermixing, and bond-breaking, thereby creating improperly bonded semiconductor atoms. The interfaces were dominated by metal-As and O-In∕Ga bonds which passivated the clean surface dangling bonds. The valence band-edge states were mainly localized at improperly bonded As atoms, while conduction band-edge states were mainly localized at improperly bonded In and Ga atoms. The DFT-MD simulations show that electronically passive interfaces can be formed between high-κ oxides dielectrics and InGaAs if the processing does not induce defects because on a short time scale the interface spontaneously forms electrically passive bonds as opposed to bonds with midgap states.