Chemisorption,photodesorption and conductivity measurements on ZnO surfaces

Experimental results of a mass-spectro metric analysis of photodesorption from ZnO single crystals at different temperatures are reported. They provide direct evidence that CO₂ is the only photodesorbed species from both the single crystal and powder samples studied. The CO₂ photodesorption occurs only when the incident photon energy exceeds the ZnO band gap energy. Excellent agreement between the illumination time dependence of the CO₂ photodesorption and surface conductivity data in both single crystals and powder samples strongly suggests a substrate dependent mechanism in which photodesorption occurs by the neutralization of chemisorbed CO₂^? “ion-molecules” by photogenerated holes. In addition, measurements of the chemisorption kinetics of oxygen on ZnO single crystal and powder surfaces are reported. The results are compared with CO₂ and CO chemisorptiun experiments to show that, of these gases, only oxygen chemisorbs from the gas phase. Auger analysis of oxygen saturated and photodesorbed surfaces of ZnO show a significant relation between the carbon content and the photo-desorptive and conductive activities of those surfaces. These observations indicate that impurity carbon atoms on ZnO surfaces can be oxidized by electron capture to produce chemisorbed CO₂^? “ion-molecules’ which will then readily photodesorb by bandgap radiation. This proposed process is discussed together with further supporting evidence.     

Ultraviolet photoemission studies of chemisorption and point defect formation on ZnO nonpolar surfaces

Ultraviolet photoemission (He I and He II) studies are reported on point defect formation as well as CO₂ and O₂ interaction with ZnO(101̄0) under thermodynamically well defined conditions. Physisorption spectra can be correlated with UPS spectra in the gas phase if a uniform relaxation/polarization shift is taken into account. CO₂ chemisorption may be characterized by formation of carbonate like surface complexes. Small concentrations of intrinsic point defects lead to significant changes in the surface electronic structure and provide specific CO₂ chemisorption sites which are intermediates during heterogenous oxidation of CO on ZnO.     

Interaction of O2 with low index faces of α-CuZn

The adsorption of O₂ and initial step of oxidation have been investigated, mainly at room temperature, for three different α-CuZn (75%Cu/25%Zn) surfaces ((110), (100) and (111)) by XPS. XAES, LEED, CPD and HREELS. No superstructures were detected on the LEED patterns during O₂ admission for the three faces, and from the beginning of adsorption Zn segregated to the surface. For (110), the interaction of oxygen follows the sequence: (1) dissociative chemisorption (up to ~ 20 L), accompanied by an increase of the work function and a single site occupancy as revealed by HREELS; (2) nucleation of ZnO only, indicated by a decrease of the work function, a shift of the Zn L₃M₄₅M₄₅ Auger transition and an emergence of a vibration at 550 cm^?1. corresponding to the surface phonon of ZnO. The (111) face follows the same scheme, except that the sticking coefficient for oxygen is very low. For (100), it is clear that two states of oxygen exist simultaneously, even at the beginning, as revealed by HREELS and CPD measurements. No copper oxides are ever detected, even after heat treatment. In addition, different bonding properties of OH groups on the three surfaces are reported.     

Chemisorption and decomposition reactions of oxygen-containing organic molecules on clean Pd surfaces studied by UV photoemission

We have used uv photoeinission (primarily at a photon energy hv = 40.8 eV) to study chemisorption and decomposition reactions of small oxygen-containing organic molecules on clean polycrystalline Pd surfaces at 120 and 300 K. These molecules include methanol (CH₃OH), dimethyl ether (CH₃OCH₃) formaldehyde (H₂CO), acetaldehyde [H(CH₃)CO], and acetone [(CH₃)₂CO]. Chemisorption bonding of these molecules to the Pd surface occurs primarily through the lone-pair orbitais associated with the oxygen atoms, as evidenced by chemical bonding shifts of these orbitais toward larger electron binding energy relative to the other adsorbate valence orbitals. At 300 K all the molecules studied decompose on the surface, resulting in chemisorbed CO. Since chemisorbed (as well as condensed) phases of some of these molecules (CH₃OH and H(CH₃)CO) are observed at low temperature, the decomposition to CO is a thermally-activated reaction. The observed orbital shifts associated with chemisorption bonding are used to make rough estimates of interaction strengths and chemisorption bond energies (within the framework of Mulliken's theory of electron donor-acceptor complexes as applied to chemisorption by Grimley). The resulting heats of chemisorption are consistent with the observed surface reactions.     

On the mechanism of the interaction between oxygen and close-packed single-crystal aluminum surfaces

Using periodic first principles simulations we investigate the interaction of oxygen molecules with both regular Al(111) and Al(001) surfaces as well as a stepped Al(111) substrate. The limitation of this approach is the use of thin metallic slabs with a limited range for their coverage by adsorbed oxygen. The advantage is the detailed modeling that is possible at an atomic level. On the regular Al(111) surface, we have been able to follow the oxidation process from the approach of O₂ molecules to the surface, through the chemisorption and absorption of O atoms, up to the formation of first Al₂O₃ formula units. An energetically feasible mechanism for the formation of these Al₂O₃ ‘molecules’ is proposed but their aggregation to Al₂O₃ growth nuclei can only be surmised. On the Al(001) surface, absorption of oxygen atoms occurs more readily without any restrictions on the density of their surface overlayer, in agreement with the failure to observe a distinct chemisorption stage for O on Al(001) experimentally. The stepped Al(111) surface contains both {111} and {001} microfacets: the latter are obviously preferred for penetration of the oxygen adatoms into the subsurface space of the substrate. Before considering the O/Al interfaces the computational method is tested thoroughly by simulations on bulk Al and close-packed aluminum surfaces.     

Substrate mediated stabilization of methylphosphonic acid on ZnO non-polar surfaces'

The adsorption of methylphosphonic acid (MPA, formula CH₃–PO₃H₂) on ZnO(10-10) surfaces has been investigated by first-principles density-functional total energy calculations. We show that substrate mediated interactions between co-adsorbates can significantly affect the binding energy of MPA on the ZnO surface, which leads to a preferential molecular dimer assembly along the polar [0001] direction (i.e. along the Zn–O dimer direction). We propose that this is caused by a local charge compensation mechanism due to the relaxation of the ZnO surface and suggest that this concept can be applied to other adsorbates on metal oxide surfaces with metal–oxygen dimers.     

Oxygen adsorption on an alkali metal-covered Ni(100) surface

The oxygen chemisorption on an alkali (Na, K, Cs) covered Ni(100) surface and its initial oxidation were studied by Auger and electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS). It was found that in the presence of an alkali metal, the sticking coefficient S remains unity up to a given oxygen coverage of θ_O^cwhose value depends on the alkali overlayer concentration and the ionicity of the Ni-alkali metal bond. At a given oxygen coverage, the line shapes of Auger and loss spectra are almost the same for alkali-covered and clean Ni(100), which suggests that alkali metals cause no change in the character of the Ni-O bond. The effect of alkali metals is associated with increasing electron charge in the surface region, which facilitates oxygen chemisorption. The enhanced surface oxygen concentration in the presence of an alkali metal results in the formation of an oxide phase at lower oxygen exposures than is the case of clean Ni surfaces.     

Non-adiabatic charge transfer process of oxygen on metal surfaces

The dynamics of charge transfer processes of oxygen on metal surfaces are investigated. The analysis is based on a set of diabatic potential energy surfaces, each representing a different charged oxygen species. Empirical universal potential energy functions have been constructed that mimic the oxygen–silver, oxygen–aluminum and oxygen–cesium systems. The differences between the work functions of these metals are reflected in the potential parameters. The dynamics are followed by solving the multichannel time-dependent Schrödinger equation starting from oxygen in the gas phase. Only the direct short time part of the dynamics is followed leading to the creation O⁻₂ in the gas phase as well as dissociative chemisorption. A large portion of the wave function is trapped in molecular chemisorption charged states. It is found that the position of the crossing seam between potentials has a profound influence on the outcome.     

The adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide on cleaved polar and nonpolar ZnO surfaces studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) with primary energies e₀ ? 80 eV has been performed on ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cleaved nonpolar (11?00) and polar zinc (0001) and oxygen (0001?) surfaces of ZnO to study the adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide. Except for CO on the nonpolar surface where no spectral changes in ELS are observed a surface transition near 11.5 eV is strongly affected at 300 K on all surfaces by CO and O₂. At 300 K clear evidence for new adsorbate characteristic transitions is found for oxygen adsorbed on the Zn polar surface near 7 and 11 eV. At 100 K on all three surfaces both CO and O₂ adsorb in thick layers and produce loss spectra very similar to the gas phase, thus indicating a physisorbed state.     

Nanoepitaxy on quasicrystal surfaces

In film growth on quasicrystalline surfaces, the epitaxy-imposed ordering cannot compete with the stable bulk phases of thick films due to absence of translational order in the structure of the substrate. Energetically, this renders the formation of crystalline domains in the native structure of the film material more favorable, while their global orientation is prescribed by the quasicrystalline order. We present experimental results on the dissociative chemisorption of oxygen at the decagonal surface of Al₇₀Co₁₅Ni₁₅ as well as molecular-dynamics simulations of the diffusion of adatoms on the surface of the partially covered substrate.     

Leed and thermal desorption studies of small molecules (H2, O2, CO,CO2, NO,C2H4, C2H2 AND C) chemisorbed on the rhodium (111) and (100) surfaces

The chemisorption of H₂, O₂, CO, CO₂, NO, C₂H₄, C₂H₂ and C has been studied on the clean Rh(111) and (100) surfaces. LEED, AES and thermal desorption were used to determine the surface structures, disordering and desorption temperatures, displacement and decomposition characteristics for each species. All of the molecules studied readily chemisorbed on both surfaces. A large variety of ordered structures was observed, especially on the (111) surface. The disordering temperatures of most ordered surface structures on the (111) surface were below 100°C. It was necessary to adsorb the gases at 25° C or below in order to obtain well-ordered surface structures. Chemisorbed oxygen was readily removed from the surface by H₂ or CO gas at crystal temperatures above 50°C. CO₂ appears to dissociate to CO upon adsorption on both rhodium surfaces as indicated by the identical ordering and desorption characteristics of these two molecules. C₂H₄ and C₂H₂ also had very similar ordering and desorption characteristics and it is likely that the adsorbed species formed by both molecules is the same. Decomposition of ethylene produced a sequence of ordered carbon surface structures on the (111) face as a result of a bulk-surface carbon equilibrium. The chemisorption properties of rhodium appear to be generally similar to those of iridium, nickel and palladium.     

Study of chemisorption on copper low-index and stepped surfaces

Adsorption of CHCl₃, O₂, and hydrocarbons has been studied on Cu(111) and stepped surfaces using LEED, AES, and UPS at room temperature. We find that ordered Cl overlayers form upon Cu(111), Cu[3(111) × (100)], and Cu[5(111) × (100)] surfaces upon exposure to CHCl₃. Exposure to O₂ results in rearrangement of the Cu[5(111) × (100)] surface to hill-and-valley regions with large (111) areas, whereas Cu[2(111) × (100)] is stable for the same exposure. The photoemission spectra show new energy levels due to C1 above and below the Cu d band region and a small splitting of the halogen p orbitals. Effects consistent with interaction with the Cu d band are observed. Similar effects are observed with oxygen adsorption. The initial rate of Cl or O₂ chemisorption as measured by photoemission is proportional to the density of steps on these surfaces. Apparently, structural effects play an important role in chemisorption on metals (such as copper) with low density of states at the Fermi energy.     

Theoretical study of oxygen chemisorption on (111) and (100) silicon surfaces

The chemisorption of atomic oxygen on (111) and (100) silicon surfaces has been studied by the MNDO method using a cluster approach. The results show that, for both surfaces, chemisorption occurs preferentially on bridge positions, but chemisorption on top positions can play a significant role especially for the (111) surface.     

Electroless plating of copper on polyimide films modified by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization of 4-vinylpyridine

Surface modification of polyimide (PI) films were first carried out by chloromethylation under mild conditions, followed by surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) from the chloromethylated PI surfaces. The composition and topography of the PI surfaces modified by poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP) were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The P4VP brushes with well-preserved pyridine groups on the PI surface was used not only as the chemisorption sites for the palladium complexes without prior sensitization by SnCl₂ solution during the electroless plating of copper, but also as an adhesion promotion layer to enhance the adhesion of the electrolessly deposited copper to the PI surfaces. The T-peel adhesion strength of the electrolessly deposited copper on the modified PI surface could reach about 6.6 N/cm. Effects of the polymerization time and the activation time in the PdCl₂ solution on the T-peel adhesion strength of the electrolessly deposited copper in the Sn-free process to the modified PI surface were also studied.     

First principles study of oxygen adsorption on nickel-doped graphite

Density functional theory is used in a spin-polarized plane wave pseudopotential implementation to investigate molecular oxygen adsorption and dissociation on graphite and nickel-doped graphite surfaces. Molecular oxygen physisorbs on graphite surface retaining its magnetic property. The calculated adsorption energy is consistent with the experimental value of ?0.1?eV. It is found that substituting a carbon atom of the graphite surface by a single doping nickel atom (2.8% content) makes the surface active for oxygen chemisorption. It is found that the molecular oxygen never adsorbs on doping nickel atom while it adsorbs and dissociates spontaneously into atomic oxygens on the carbon atoms which are bound to the nickel. The adsorption energy of ?1.4?eV and zero activation energy barrier indicate that O₂ dissociative adsorption is both thermodynamically and kinetically favoured over the surface. The large electric field near the doping nickel atom along with the excess electrons on the neighbouring carbon atoms, which are bound to the nickel induce molecular oxygen to adsorb and dissociate favourably.     

Nitrogen incorporation in homoepitaxial ZnO CVD epilayers

ZnO:N thin films have been deposited on oxygen and zinc terminated polar surfaces of ZnO. The nitrogen incorporation in the epilayers, using NH₃ as doping source, was investigated as a function of the growth temperature in the range between 380 °C and 580 °C. We used Raman spectroscopy and low temperature photoluminescence to investigate the doping properties. It turned out that the nitrogen incorporation strongly depends on both, the surface polarity of the epitaxial films and the applied growth temperatures. In our CVD process low growth temperatures and Zn‐terminated substrate surfaces clearly favour the nitrogen incorporation in the ZnO thin films. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Dependences of the surface and the optical properties on the O2/O2 + Ar flow-rate ratios for ZnO thin films grown on ZnO buffer layers

ZnO active layers on ZnO buffer layers were grown at various O₂/O₂ + Ar flow-rate ratios by using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Atomic force microscopy images showed that the surface roughnesses of the ZnO active layers grown on ZnO buffer layers decreased with decreasing O₂ atmosphere, indicative of an improvement in the ZnO surfaces. The type of the ZnO active layer was n-type, and the resistivity of the layer increased with increasing O₂ atmosphere. Photoluminescence spectra from the ZnO active layers grown on the ZnO buffer layers showed dominant peaks corresponding to local levels in the ZnO energy gap resulting from oxygen vacancies or interstitial zinc vacancies, and the peak positions changed significantly with the O₂/O₂ + Ar flow rate. These results can help improve understanding of the dependences of the surface and the optical properties on the O₂/O₂ + Ar ratio for ZnO thin films grown on ZnO buffer layers.     

Low energy electron diffraction studies of chemisorbed gases on stepped surfaces of platinum

The chemisorption of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, carbon monoxide and ethylene was studied by low-energy electron diffraction on ordered stepped surfaces of platinum which were cut at angles less than 10° from the (111) face. The chemisorption characteristics of stepped platinum surfaces are markedly different from those of low index platinum surfaces and they are also different from each other. Hydrogen and oxygen which do not chemisorb easily on the (111) and (100) crystal faces chemisorb readily and at relatively low temperatures and pressures on the stepped platinum surfaces used in this study. In contrast to the ordered adsorption of carbon monoxide and ethylene on low index faces, the adsorption was disordered on the stepped surfaces and there is evidence for dissociation of the molecule. Carbon formed several ordered surface structures and caused faceting on the stepped surface, which are not observed on low index platinum surfaces. There appears to be a much stronger interaction of chemisorbed gases with stepped surfaces than with low index planes that must be caused by the differing atomic structures at the steps. Evidence for the differing reactivities of the two stepped surfaces are also discussed.