Probing water interactions and vacancy production on gadolinia-doped ceria surfaces using electron stimulated desorption

Polycrystalline gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) surfaces were studied using low-energy (5-400 eV) electron stimulated desorption (ESD). H(+), O(+), and H(3)O(+) were the primary cationic desorption products with H(+) as the dominant channel. H(+), H(3)O(+), and O(+) have a 22 eV threshold followed by a yield change around 40 eV. H(+) also has an additional yield change approximately 75 eV and O(+) has an additional change approximately 150 eV. The O(+) ESD yield change approximately 150 eV may indicate bond breaking of Gd-O and the involvement of oxygen vacancies. The H(+) and H(3)O(+) threshold data collectively indicate the presence of hydroxyl groups and chemisorbed water molecules on the GDC surfaces. ESD temperature dependence measurements show that the interaction of water with GDC surface defect sites, mainly oxygen vacancies, influences the desorption of H(+), O(+), and H(3)O(+). The temperature dependence of the O(+) ESD at 400 eV incident electron energy yields a 0.21 eV activation energy. This is close to the energy needed for oxygen vacancy production next to a pair of Ce(3+) on a CeO(2) surface. These results may indicate a correlation between the O(+) ESD yield and oxygen vacancy density on GDC surfaces and a potential correlation of O(+) ESD and GDC ionic conductivity.     

氧化铜表面臭氧分解路径及表面氧物种生成机理研究

基于密度泛函理论（DFT）计算研究了O3在完整和具有氧空位的CuO(111)表面吸附的吸附位、吸附结构、吸附能和电子转移情况,比较了O3在完整表面和具有氧空位的表面分解的路径和能垒,分析了氧空位和表面吸附氧的生成机理。结果表明,在完整CuO表面,O3分子通过化学吸附或物理吸附表面结合,吸附能最高为-1.22eV（构型bri(2)）。O3在具有氧空位的CuO表面均为化学吸附,吸附能最高为-2.95eV（构型ovbri(3)）,显著高于完整表面的吸附能。O3吸附后,Cu吸附位的电荷密度减小,O3中的O原子附近的电荷密度显著增强,电荷从CuO表面转移到O3,并形成Cu-O离子键。O3分解后形成了超氧物种,提高了表面的氧化活性。在完整表面,以构型bri(2)为起始构型的路径反应能垒最低,为0.52eV;O2*在完整表面的脱附所需要的最低能量为0.42eV,形成氧空位的O2*脱附能为2.06eV。在具有氧空位的表面,O3分解的反应能垒为0.30eV（构型ovbri(1)）和0.12eV（构型ovbri(3)）,均低于完整表面的反应能垒;分解形成的O2*的最低脱附能也低于完整表面,为0.27eV。可见,氧空位的形成提高了吸附能,降低了反应能垒,使O3分子更容易吸附在CuO表面,并加快了O3的催化分解。     

N doping of TiO2(110): photoemission and density-functional studies

The electronic properties of N-doped rutile TiO2(110) have been investigated using synchrotron-based photoemission and density-functional calculations. The doping via N2+ ion bombardment leads to the implantation of N atoms (approximately 5% saturation concentration) that coexist with O vacancies. Ti 2p core level spectra show the formation of Ti3+ and a second partially reduced Ti species with oxidation states between +4 and +3. The valence region of the TiO(2-x)N(y)(110) systems exhibits a broad peak for Ti3+ near the Fermi level and N-induced features above the O 2p valence band that shift the edge up by approximately 0.5 eV. The magnitude of this shift is consistent with the "redshift" observed in the ultraviolet spectrum of N-doped TiO2. The experimental and theoretical results show the existence of attractive interactions between the dopant and O vacancies. First, the presence of N embedded in the surface layer reduces the formation energy of O vacancies. Second, the existence of O vacancies stabilizes the N impurities with respect to N2(g) formation. When oxygen vacancies and N impurities are together there is an electron transfer from the higher energy 3d band of Ti3+ to the lower energy 2p band of the N(2-) impurities.     

Ultralow energy ion beam surface modification of low density polyethylene

Ultralow energy Ar+ and O+ ion beam irradiation of low density polyethylene has been carried out under controlled dose and monoenergetic conditions. XPS of Ar+-treated surfaces exposed to ambient atmosphere show that the bombardment of 50 eV Ar+ ions at a total dose of 10(16) cm(-2) gives rise to very reactive surfaces with oxygen incorporation at about 50% of the species present in the upper surface layer. Using pure O+ beam irradiation, comparatively low O incorporation is achieved without exposure to atmosphere (approximately 13% O in the upper surface). However, if the surface is activated by Ar+ pretreatment, then large oxygen contents can be achieved under subsequent O+ irradiation (up to 48% O). The results show that for very low energy (20 eV) oxygen ions there is a dose threshold of about 5 x 10(15) cm(-2) before surface oxygen incorporation is observed. It appears that, for both Ar+ and O+ ions in this regime, the degree of surface modification is only very weakly dependent on the ion energy. The results suggest that in the nonequilibrium plasma treatment of polymers, where the ion flux is typically 10(18) m(-2) s(-1), low energy ions (<50 eV) may be responsible for surface chemical modification.     

Site-dependent electron-stimulated reactions in water films on TiO2(110)

Electron-stimulated reactions in thin [<3 ML (monolayer)] water films adsorbed on TiO(2)(110) are investigated. Irradiation with 100 eV electrons results in electron-stimulated dissociation and electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of adsorbed water molecules. The molecular water ESD yield increases linearly with water coverage theta for 0< or =theta< or =1 ML and 11 ML, the water ESD yield per additional water molecule adsorbed (i.e., the slope of the ESD yield versus coverage) is 3.5 times larger than for theta<1 ML. In contrast, the number of water molecules dissociated per incident electron increases linearly for theta< or =2 ML without changing slope at theta=1 ML. The total electron-stimulated sputtering rate, as measured by postirradiation temperature programmed desorption of the remaining water, is larger for theta>1 ML due to the increased water ESD for those coverages. The water ESD yields versus electron energy (for 5-50 eV) are qualitatively similar for 1, 2, and 40 ML water films. In each case, the observed ESD threshold is at approximately 10 eV and the yield increases monotonically with increasing electron energy. The results indicate that excitations in the adsorbed water layer are primarily responsible for the ESD in thin water films on TiO(2)(110). Experiments on "isotopically layered" films with D(2)O adsorbed on the Ti(4+) sites (D(2)O(Ti)) and H(2)O adsorbed on the bridging oxygen atoms (H(2)O(BBO)) demonstrate that increasing the water coverage above 1 ML rapidly suppresses the electron-stimulated desorption of D(2)O(Ti) and D atoms, despite the fact that the total water ESD and atomic hydrogen ESD yields increase with increasing coverage. The coverage dependence of the electron-stimulated reactions is probably related to the different bonding geometries for H(2)O(Ti) and H(2)O(BBO) and its influence on the desorption probability of the reaction products.     

电子诱导脱附研究钨表面O2对N2的置换吸附

实验测量了室温高真空条件下,多晶W表面O2和N2的电子诱导脱附（ESD）阈值能量.O2-W吸附对的ESD能量约为15.5 eV, N2-W吸附对的ESD能量约为13.8 eV.实验结果具有良好的可重复性.利用ESD阈值能量研究了多晶W表面O2对N2的置换吸附过程,表明在一定的时间间隔内,O2可以置换吸附在多晶W表面的N2,且该过程不可逆.对实验结果进行了分析.     

Low-energy electron-stimulated luminescence of thin H2O and D2O layers on Pt(111)

The electron-stimulated luminescence (ESL) from amorphous solid water and crystalline ice films deposited on Pt(111) at 100 K is investigated as a function of the film thickness, incident electron energy (5-1000 eV), isotopic composition, and film structure. The ESL emission spectrum has a characteristic double-peaked shape that has been attributed to a transition between a superexcited state (C) and the dissociative, first excited state (A) in water: C --> A. Comparing the electron-stimulated luminescence and O2 electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) yields versus incident electron energy, we find the ESL threshold is approximately 3 eV higher than the O2 ESD threshold, which is close to the center of the emission spectrum near 400 nm and supports the C --> A assignment for the ESL. For thin films, radiative and nonradiative interactions with the substrate tend to quench the luminescence. The luminescence yield increases with coverage since the interactions with the substrate become less important. The ESL yield from D2O is approximately 4-5 times higher than that from H2O. With use of layered films of H2O and D2O, this sizable isotopic effect on the ESL is exploited to spatially profile the luminescence emission within the ASW films. These experiments show that most of the luminescence is emitted from within the penetration depth of the incident electron. However, the results depend on the order of the isotopes in the film and can be modeled by assuming some migration of the electronically excited states within the film. The ESL is very sensitive to defects and structural changes in solid water, and the emission yield is significantly higher from amorphous films than from crystalline ice.     

Structural requirements and reaction pathways in dimethyl ether combustion catalyzed by supported Pt clusters

The identity and reversibility of the elementary steps required for catalytic combustion of dimethyl ether (DME) on Pt clusters were determined by combining isotopic and kinetic analyses with density functional theory estimates of reaction energies and activation barriers to probe the lowest energy paths. Reaction rates are limited by C-H bond activation in DME molecules adsorbed on surfaces of Pt clusters containing chemisorbed oxygen atoms at near-saturation coverages. Reaction energies and activation barriers for C-H bond activation in DME to form methoxymethyl and hydroxyl surface intermediates show that this step is more favorable than the activation of C-O bonds to form two methoxides, consistent with measured rates and kinetic isotope effects. This kinetic preference is driven by the greater stability of the CH3OCH2* and OH* intermediates relative to chemisorbed methoxides. Experimental activation barriers on Pt clusters agree with density functional theory (DFT)-derived barriers on oxygen-covered Pt(111). Measured DME turnover rates increased with increasing DME pressure, but decreased as the O2 pressure increased, because vacancies (*) on Pt surfaces nearly saturated with chemisorbed oxygen are required for DME chemisorption. DFT calculations show that although these surface vacancies are required, higher oxygen coverages lead to lower C-H activation barriers, because the basicity of oxygen adatoms increases with coverage and they become more effective in hydrogen abstraction from DME. Water inhibits reaction rates via quasi-equilibrated adsorption on vacancy sites, consistent with DFT results indicating that water binds more strongly than DME on vacancies. These conclusions are consistent with the measured kinetic response of combustion rates to DME, O2, and H2O, with H/D kinetic isotope effects, and with the absence of isotopic scrambling in reactants containing isotopic mixtures of 18O2-16O2 or 12CH3O12CH3-13CH3O13CH3. Turnover rates increased with Pt cluster size, because small clusters, with more coordinatively unsaturated surface atoms, bind oxygen atoms more strongly than larger clusters and exhibit lower steady-state vacancy concentrations and a consequently smaller number of adsorbed DME intermediates involved in kinetically relevant steps. These effects of cluster size and metal-oxygen bond energies on reactivity are ubiquitous in oxidation reactions requiring vacancies on surfaces nearly saturated with intermediates derived from O2.     

Adsorption of atomic and molecular oxygen on the LaMnO3(001) surface: ab initio supercell calculations and thermodynamics

We present and discuss the results of ab initio DFT plane-wave supercell calculations of the atomic and molecular oxygen adsorption and diffusion on the LaMnO(3) (001) surface which serves as a model material for a cathode of solid oxide fuel cells. The dissociative adsorption of O(2) molecules from the gas phase is energetically favorable on surface Mn ions even on a defect-free surface. The surface migration energy for adsorbed O ions is found to be quite high, 2.0 eV. We predict that the adsorbed O atoms could penetrate the electrode first plane when much more mobile surface oxygen vacancies (migration energy of 0.69 eV) approach the O ions strongly bound to the surface Mn ions. The formation of the O vacancy near the O atom adsorbed atop surface Mn ion leads to an increase of the O-Mn binding energy by 0.74 eV whereas the drop of this adsorbed O atom into a vacancy possesses no energy barrier. Ab initio thermodynamics predicts that at typical SOFC operation temperatures (approximately 1200 K) the MnO(2) (001) surface with adsorbed O atoms is the most stable in a very wide range of oxygen gas pressures (above 10(-2) atm).     

Mechanism for resonant O electron stimulated desorption from condensed O2. Non-adiabatic transitions and dynamics

Absolute kinetic energy distributions and yields associated with ground state ³P and excited state ¹D oxygen atoms have been obtained for O⁻ anion electron stimulated desorption from condensed O₂ in the electron energy range 6–15 eV. The observed yields are understood as resulting essentially from dissociative electron attachment reactions via the two lowest ²Σ⁺_g O⁻₂ resonance states through adiabatic and non-adiabatic transitions to the limits O⁻(²P) + O(³P) and O⁻(²P) + O(¹D). The kinetic energy distributions show the prominent role of electron multiple collision processes and post-dissociation interactions of the O⁻ anions in the condensed phase.     

ZEKE-PFI spectroscopy of benzocaine

The adiabatic ionization threshold (AIT) of trans- and gauche-benzocaine has been measured by zero electron kinetic energy-pulsed field ionization (ZEKE-PFI) spectroscopy to be 7.8412+/-0.0008 eV (lasers at 34,134.4 and 29,109.3 cm(-1)) and 7.8421+/-0.0004 eV (34,144.8+29105.7 cm(-1)), respectively. AITs computed at the B3LYP/AUG-cc-p-VDZ level for the two conformers are some approximately 2,500 cm(-1) lower than the experimental; in contrast their energy difference is very close. The trans-benzocaine cation ZEKE spectra has been recorded taking a number of S(1) intermediate vibronic states. The spectra provide an energy threshold for the appearance of intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR) around approximately 540 cm(-1) in the S(1) state.     

Ab initio cluster calculations on the electronic structure of oxygen vacancies at the polar ZnO(0001) surface and on the adsorption of H2, CO, and CO2 at these sites

Oxygen vacancies at the polar O terminated (0001) surface of ZnO are of particular interest, because they are discussed as active sites in the methanol synthesis. In general, the polar ZnO surfaces are stabilized by OH groups, therefore O vacancies can be generated by removing either O atoms or OH or H2O groups from the surface. These defects differ in the number of electrons in the vacancy and the number of OH groups in the neighborhood. In the present study, the electronic structure and the adsorption properties of four different types of oxygen vacancies have been investigated by means of embedded cluster calculations. We performed ab initio calculations on F+ like surface excitations for the different defect types and found that the transition energies are above the optical band-gap, while F+ centers in bulk ZnO show a characteristic optical excitation at 3.19 eV. Furthermore, we studied the adsorption of CO2 and CO at the different defect sites by DFT calculations. We found that CO2 dissociates at electron rich vacancies into CO and an O atom which remains in the vacancy. At the OH vacancy which contains an unpaired electron CO2 adsorbed in the form of CO2-, while it adsorbed as a linear neutral molecule at the H2O defect. CO adsorbed preferentially at the H2O defect and the OH defect, both with a binding energy of 0.3 eV.     

Hydride ion as a two-electron donor in a nanoporous crystalline semiconductor 12CaO.7Al2O3

The 12CaO.7Al2O3 (C12A7) crystal with a nanoporous lattice framework exhibits high electrical conductivity with an activation energy of approximately 1.5 eV when equilibrated in a hydrogen atmosphere above approximately 800 degrees C. The high conductivity is preserved in a quenched state below approximately 600 degrees C with a reduced activation energy of approximately 0.8 eV. Such complex behavior in electrical conductivity is associated with incorporation of hydride ions (H-) in cages of the lattice framework. Electromotive force measurements reveal that the major carrier for the conductivity is electron with a small contribution by proton (H+), ruling out the possibility of direct intercage migration of the H- ion. A combination of these observations with the ab initio calculations leads to the conclusion that the electrons are thermally generated from the H- ion by the dissociation into two electrons and an proton, which is further converted to an OH- ion via reaction with an extraframework oxide ion (O2-). The energy difference between the initial (H- + O2-) and the final (2e- + OH-) states as evaluated by the theoretical calculation is as small as approximately 1 eV, which agrees well with an experimentally obtained enthalpy change, approximately 1.4 eV. Thus, internal equilibration between the extraframework hydrogen and the oxygen species is responsible for the thermal generation of the carrier electron. It is also suggested that the same conductive (2e- + OH-) state is reached by the photoirradiation of H- -containing C12A7. In this case the photoionization of H- forms an electron and an Ho atom, which then forms an OH- ion and another electron with thermal assistance. The persistence of photoinduced conductivity is explained by the slow kinetics of the reverse process at room temperature.     

Photoinduced adsorption of hydrogen and methane on gamma-alumina. the photoinduced chesorluminescence (PhICL) effect

Adsorption of hydrogen and methane on a preirradiated surface of gamma-Al2O3 produces an afterglow, which has been described as a photoinduced chesorluminescence (PhICL), whose spectral features identify with the intrinsic photoluminescence of alumina. The emission spectrum consists of at least four overlapping single emission bands. For methane adsorption, the PhICL phenomenon is seen only if the solid is preirradiated in the presence of oxygen. Emission decay kinetics of the PhICL effect for gamma-Al2O3 reveal two wavelength regimes: a short wavelength regime at lambda = 300-370 nm (decay time tau = 1.1 +/- 0.2 s; signal width = 2.8 s), and a longer wavelength regime at lambda = 380-700 nm (decay time tau = 2.1 +/- 0.1 s; signal width = 4.3 s). A model is proposed in which there exist two different emission centers and, thus, two different pathways for emission decay. In the first, emission originates with electron trapping by such deep energy traps as anion vacancies {e- + Va --> F+ + hv1} to yield electron F-type color centers, whereas in the second, emission originates from electron/trapped hole recombination {e- + Os*- --> Os2- + hv2}. The first common step of the pathways is homolytic dissociative chemisorption of hydrogen and methane upon interaction with surface-active hole centers Os*-, produced upon preirradiation of alumina, to give atomic hydrogen H* and methyl radicals CH3*. Thermoprogrammed desorption spectra of photoadsorbed or postsorbed oxygen show that adsorbed oxygen interacts with atomic hydrogen and methyl radicals. The products of thermodesorption were H2O for hydrogen and H2O, CO2, and CH3CH3 for methane. The Solonitsyn memory effect coefficient was also evaluated for oxygen photoadsorption.     

CO在CeO2(111)表面的吸附与氧化

采用密度泛函理论计算了CO在CeO2(111)表面的吸附与氧化反应行为. 结果表明, O2在洁净的CeO2(111)表面为弱物理吸附, 而在氧空位表面是强化学吸附, 且O2分子活化程度较大, O—O键长为0.143 nm. CO在CeO2(111)表面吸附行为的研究表明, CO在洁净表面及氧空位表面上为物理吸附, 吸附能均小于0.42 eV; 当表面氧空位吸附O2后, CO可吸附生成二齿碳酸盐中间体或直接生成CO2, 与原位红外光谱结果相一致. 表面碳酸盐物种脱附生成CO2的能垒仅为0.28 eV. 计算结果表明, 当CeO2表面存在氧空位时, Hubbard参数U对CO吸附能有一定的影响. CeO2载体在氧化反应中可能的催化作用为, 在氧气氛下, CeO2表面氧空位吸附O2分子, 形成活性氧物种, 参与CO催化氧化反应.     

Guided ion-beam studies of the reactions of Co(n)+ (n=2-20) with O2: cobalt cluster-oxide and -dioxide bond energies

The kinetic-energy dependence for the reactions of Co(n)+ (n=2-20) with O2 is measured as a function of kinetic energy over a range of 0 to 10 eV in a guided ion-beam tandem mass spectrometer. A variety of Co(m)+, Co(m)O+, and Co(m)O2+ (m < or = n) product ions is observed, with the dioxide cluster ions dominating the products for all larger clusters. Reaction efficiencies of Co(n)+ cations with O2 are near unity for all but the dimer. Bond dissociation energies for both cobalt cluster oxides and dioxides are derived from threshold analysis of the energy dependence of the endothermic reactions using several different methods. These values show little dependence on cluster size for clusters larger than three atoms. The trends in this thermochemistry and the stabilities of oxygenated cobalt clusters are discussed. The bond energies of Co(n)+-O for larger clusters are found to be very close to the value for desorption of atomic oxygen from bulk-phase cobalt. Rate constants for O2 chemisorption on the cationic clusters are compared with results from previous work on cationic, anionic, and neutral cobalt clusters.     

Coverage dependence and hydroperoxyl-mediated pathway of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface

Hydrogen oxidation on Pt (111) surface is modeled by density functional theory (DFT). Previous DFT calculations showed too large O2 dissociation barriers, but we find them highly coverage dependent: when the coverage is low, dissociation barriers close to experimental values (approximately 0.3 eV) are obtained. For the whole reaction, a new pathway involving hydroperoxyl (OOH) intermediate is found, with the highest reaction barrier of only approximately 0.4 eV. This may explain the experimental observation of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface above the H2O desorption temperature of 170 K, despite that the direct reaction between chemisorbed O and H atoms is a highly activated process with barrier approximately 1 eV as previous calculations showed.     

The (010) surface of alpha-MoO3, a DFT + U study

We apply periodic density functional theory to alpha-MoO3 and its (010) surface. The formation energy and structure of defects in the form of surface oxygen vacancies are found to depend critically on the treatment of electron localisation which is achieved in the periodic model using the DFT + U method. Calculated vibrational states for the defect free surface are found to agree well with surface science experimental data and we show that the molybdenyl stretching mode is shifted to a lower frequency in the neighbourhood of a terminal oxygen vacancy. Adsorption of molecular oxygen at the defect site can result in O2, O2(-) or O2(2-) surface species depending on the geometry of adsorption.     

Electron-stimulated reactions in thin D2O films on Pt(111) mediated by electron trapping

We have measured the electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of D(2), O(2), and D(2)O, the electron-stimulated dissociation of D(2)O at the D(2)O/Pt interface, and the total electron-stimulated sputtering in thin D(2)O films adsorbed on Pt(111) as a function of the D(2)O coverage (i.e., film thickness). Qualitatively different behavior is observed above and below a threshold coverage of approximately 2 monolayers (ML). For coverages less than approximately 2 ML electron irradiation results in D(2)O ESD and some D(2) ESD, but no detectible reactions at the water/Pt interface and no O(2) ESD. For larger coverages, electron-stimulated reactions at the water/Pt interface occur, O(2) is produced and the total electron-stimulated sputtering of the film increases. An important step in the electron-stimulated reactions is the reaction between water ions (generated by the incident electrons) and electrons trapped in the water films to form dissociative neutral molecules. However, the electron trapping depends sensitively on the water coverage: For coverages less than approximately 2 ML, the electron trapping probability is low and the electrons trap preferentially at the water/vacuum interface. For larger coverages, the electron trapping increases and the electrons are trapped in the bulk of the film. We propose that the coverage dependence of the trapped electrons is responsible for the observed coverage dependence of the electron-stimulated reactions.     

Excitation mechanisms and photochemistry of adsorbates with spherical symmetry

By comparing the photo-stimulated desorption of Xe from an oxidized Si(100) surface with the photochemistry of methane on metal surfaces, we try to deduce a common concept in the excited state and the excitation mechanism responsible for the photo-induced processes. Xe atoms are desorbed from the oxidized Si(100) surface by the irradiation of photons in the range 1.16-6.43 eV. Two velocity components with average kinetic energy 0.85 and 0.25 eV are observed in the time-of-flight distributions. The fast component appears only if the photon energy exceeds approximately 3 eV, but the slow component is present over the entire photon energy range. By analogy with the photochemistry of methane on metal surfaces, the excitation mechanism responsible for the fast component is postulated to be a transition from the 5p state of Xe to the excited state originating from strong hybridization between the 6s state of Xe and the dangling bond at a surface silicon atom bonded to oxygen inserted in the dimer bond. In this scheme an excited electron is transferred from the adsorbate to the substrate, which is the reverse direction to the substrate-mediated excitation frequently assumed in surface photochemistry.