TNT adsorption on Au(111): electrochemistry and adlayer structure

Electrochemistry and adlayer structure of trinitrotoluene (TNT) on an Au(111) electrode were investigated using cyclic voltammetry and in situ electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM).     

Effect of adlayer structure on the host-guest recognition between calcium and crown-ether-substituted phthalocyanine arrays on Au single-crystal surfaces.

Adlayers of 15-crown-5-ether-substituted cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoCRPc) were prepared by immersion of either Au(111) or Au(100) substrate into benzene-ethanol (9:1 v/v) mixed solutions containing CoCRPc. In situ STM imaging was carried out after transferring the CoCRPc-modified Au crystals into aqueous HClO(4) solution. The packing arrangement of the CoCRPc array on Au(111) was determined to be p(8 x 4 radical 3R - 30 degrees ), and the internal structure was clearly observed by high-resolution STM. Two adlayer structures of CoCRPc, (8 x 9) and (4 radical 5 x 4 radical 5)R26.7 degrees, were found on the Au(100)-(1 x 1) terrace. In the presence of 1 mM Ca(2+), two Ca(2+) ions were trapped in two diagonally located 15-crown-5-ether moieties of each CoCRPc molecule on Au(111), whereas encapsulation of Ca(2+) ions was not seen in the CoCRPc arrays on the Au(100)-(1 x 1) surface. The present study demonstrates that the relationship between crown moieties of CRPc and the underlying Au lattice is important in the trapping of Ca(2+) ions in crown rings.     

Formation of highly ordered and orientated gold islands: effect of immersion time on the molecular adlayer structure of pentafluorobenzenethiols (PFBT) SAMs on Au(111)

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of pentafluorobenzenethiol (PFBT) on Au(111) substrates, prepared with different immersion times (ITs) at room temperature, were studied using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS). In the present study, the focus was on several important points of interest in the field of SAMs. First, the gold islands formed upon adsorption of PFBT molecules on the gold surface were monitored at different ITs in terms of their size, density, and shape. After short ITs (5 to 30 min), small gold islands with rounded shape were formed. These gold islands were arranged in a rather regular fashion and found to be quite mobile under the influence of the STM-tip during the scanning. When the IT was increased to 16 h, the results revealed the formation of highly ordered and orientated gold islands with very unusual shapes with straight edges meeting at 60° or 120° running preferentially along the [11(-)0] substrate directions. The density of the gold islands was found to decrease with increasing IT until they almost disappeared from the SAMs prepared after 190 h of IT. On top of the gold islands, the PFBT molecules were found to adopt the closely packed (10√3 × 2) structure. Second, a number of structural defects such as disordered regions at the domain boundaries and dark row(s) of molecules within the ordered domains of the PFBT SAMs were observed at different ITs. The SAMs prepared after 190 h of IT were found to be free of these defects. Third, at low and moderate ITs, a variation in the PFBT molecular contrast was observed. This contrast variation was found to depend mainly on the tunneling parameters. Finally, our results revealed that the organization process of PFBT SAMs is IT-dependent. Consequently, a series of structural phases, namely, α, β, γ, δ, and ε were found. The α-, β-, γ-, and δ-phases were typically accompanied by the ε-phase that appeared on top of gold islands. With increasing IT, the α→β→ γ→δ→ε phase transitions took place. The resulting ε-phase, which covered the entire gold surface after 190 h of IT, yielded well-ordered self-assembled monolayers with large domains having a (10√3 × 2) superlattice structure.     

The surface structure of flame-annealed Au(100) in aqueous solution: An STM study

The initial structure of flame-annealed Au(100) surfaces has been studied in air and in 0.1 M H₂SO₄ by scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). It is shown that before, during and after contact with the electrolyte, at potentials sufficiently negative to prevent specific adsorption of anions, the flame-annealed Au(100) surface is reconstructed into exactly the same “hex” form as a surface which has been prepared by annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). However, the quality of the reconstructed surface depends sensitively on the sample preparation and on the experimental conditions of the flame-annealing procedure. The influence of the cooling procedure after flame annealing on the initial surface structure of the Au(100) electrode is demonstrated and briefly discussed in the light of results published previously.     

Adsorption of phenylacetylene on Si(100)-2 x 1: kinetics and structure of the adlayer

Direct adsorption of phenylacetylene on clean silicon surface Si(100)-2 x 1 is studied in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). The combination of scanning tunnel microscopy (STM) and surface differential reflectance spectroscopy (SDRS) with Monte Carlo calculations are put together to draw a realistic kinetic model of the evolution of the surface coverage as a function of the molecular exposure. STM images of weakly covered surfaces provide evidence of two very distinct adsorption geometries for phenylacetylene, with slightly different initial sticking probabilities. One configuration is detected with STM as a bright spot that occupies two dangling bonds of a single dimer, whereas the other configuration occupies three dangling bonds of adjacent dimers. These data are used to implement a Monte Carlo model which further serves to design an accurate kinetic model. The resulting evolution toward saturation is compared to the optical data from surface differential reflectance spectroscopy (SDRS). SDRS is an in situ technique that monitors the exact proportion of affected adsorption sites and therefore gives access to the surface coverage which is evaluated at 0.65. We investigate the effect of surface temperature on this adsorption mechanism and show that it has no major effect either on kinetics or on structure, unless it passes the threshold of dissociation measured at ca. 200 degrees C. This offers a comprehensive image of the whole adsorption process of phenylacetylene from initial up to complete saturation.     

Unequal-sphere packing model for simulation of the uniaxially compressed iodine adlayer on Au(111)

A simple unequal-sphere packing (USP) model, based on pure geometrical principles, was applied to study the centered-rectangular iodine c(px radical3)R30 degrees adlayer on the Au(111) surface, well-known from surface X-ray structure (SXS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments. To reproduce the exact patterns observed in experiments, two selective conditions-minimum average adsorbate height and minimum adlayer roughness-were imposed. As a result, a series of adlayer patterns with c(px radical3)R30 degrees symmetry (2.3 < p < 3), with precise structural details, including atomic registry and identification of the p-bisector as the most likely trajectory for the iodine adatom movement during the so-called uniaxial compression phenomenon, were identified. In addition, using the same model, the difference between the iodine adlayer arranged in hexagonal and centered-rectangular c(px radical3)R30 degrees patterns, as in the case of Pt(111) and Au(111) surfaces, was investigated. Qualitative and quantitative comparison shows that iodine adatoms in these two arrangements differ significantly in atomic registry, distance from the substrate, and the adlayer corrugation. Our findings could be of special interest in the study of the nature of the iodine adatom bonding to different substrates (i.e., Au vs Pt).     

Two-dimensional supramolecular organization of copper octaethylporphyrin and cobalt phthalocyanine on Au(111): molecular assembly control at an electrochemical interface

Mixed adlayers of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-21H,23H-porphine copper(II) (CuOEP) and cobalt(II) phthalocyanine (CoPc) were prepared by immersing Au(111) substrate in a benzene solution containing CuOEP and CoPc molecules, and they were investigated in 0.1 M HClO(4) by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The composition of the mixed adlayer consisting of CuOEP and CoPc molecules was found to vary depending on the immersion time. CoPc molecules displaced CuOEP molecules during the modification process with increasing immersion time, and the CuOEP molecules were completely replaced with CoPc molecules in the mixed solution after a long modification time. The two-component adlayer consisting of CuOEP and CoPc, which has a structure with the constituent molecules arranged alternately, was found to form either a p(9 x 3(square root)7R - 40.9 degrees) or a p(9 x 3(square root)7R - 19.1 degrees) structure, each involving two molecules on the Au(111) surface. The surface mobility and the molecular reorganization of CuOEP and CoPc were accelerated by modulation of the electrode potential. Different surface structures were produced at different electrode potentials, and hence potential modulation should allow a precisely controllable phase separation to take place in aqueous HClO(4).     

Investigation on the orderly growth of thick zinc phthalocyanine films on Ag(100) surface

The growth of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) on Ag(100) surface from monolayer to multilayer was investigated by low-energy electron diffraction, x-ray diffraction, and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). At monolayer coverage, ZnPc molecules form an ordered film with molecular planes parallel to the substrate. The same structure is maintained as the film thickness increases. HREELS analysis shows that intermolecular π-π interaction dominates during the film growth from monolayer to multilayer. The π-d interaction between the adsorbates and the substrate is only applicable in the first adlayer. Stronger intermolecular-layer interaction is observed at higher coverages.     

On the computational calculation of surface free energies for the disordered semihexagonal reconstructed Au(100) surface

Previously we developed a general method for calculating the free energy of any surface constrained to a distinct surface excess number/density. In this paper we show how to combine a range of such surfaces, whose free energies have been calculated, to produce an ad hoc semigrand canonical ensemble of surfaces from which ensemble surface properties can be calculated, including the ensemble surface free energy. We construct such an ensemble for the disordered Au(100) semihexagonal reconstructed surface using a Glue model potential at 1000 K and calculate the ensemble surface free energy to be 0.088 18 eVA(2). The ensemble average surface lateral density was found to be 1.375 (with respect to the bulk), which is in agreement with previous grand canonical Monte Carlo studies.     

Growth of an oligopyridine adlayer on Ag(100)--a scanning tunnelling microscopy study

The growth behaviour of the oligopyridine derivative 2-phenyl-4,6-bis(6-(pyridine-2-yl)-4-(pyridine-4-yl)pyridine-2-yl)pyrimidine (2,4'-BTP) on Ag(100) in the sub-monolayer regime was investigated by variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Over the entire coverage range, the molecules are adsorbed in a flat lying configuration, with preferential orientations with respect to the <110> direction of the surface. The azimuth angles are derived using a previously introduced algorithm that fits the positions of the intramolecular N atoms geometrically to the underlying surface lattice ("points-to-lattice fit") [H.E. Hoster et al., Langmuir 2007, 23, 11570], indicating that the orientation of the admolecules and thus of the adllayer structure with respect to the Ag(100) surface lattice is determined by the 2,4'-BTP-Ag(100) interaction, while intermolecular interactions are decisive for the structure of the adlayer. The results will be compared to other adsorption systems.     

Multiple two-dimensional structures formed at monolayer and submonolayer coverages of p-sexiphenyl on the Au(111) surface

The two-dimensional structures formed by monolayers and submonolayers of p-sexiphenyl (p-6P) molecules evaporated onto the Au(111) surface are investigated using ultrahigh vacuum scanning tunneling microscopy (UHV-STM). Five different 2D structures corresponding to different surface coverages are discovered and their 2D structures solved. The trends in the molecular alignment with respect to the underlying gold lattice are discussed. An unusual structure that consists of paired rows of p-6P molecules was discovered. A surface structure with alternating domains of slightly differently packed p-6P molecules was also found. The boundary between these two domains contains systematic molecular vacancies.     

Au adatoms in self-assembly of benzenethiol on the Au(111) surface

Self-assembly of benzenethiol at low coverage on Au(111) was studied using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Phenylthiolate species (PhS), formed by thermal dehydrogenation of the parent PhSH molecule, was found to self-assemble into surface-bonded complexes with gold adatoms. Each complex involves two PhS species and one gold adatom. The PhS species form either cis- or trans-geometry relative to each other. At a higher coverage, the complexes coalesce, most likely due to the formation of weak C-H...S hydrogen bonds facilitated by the spatial arrangement of the PhS groups. Our findings thus establish that the self-assembly of arenethiols on the Au(111) surface is driven by gold adatom chemistry, which has recently been found to be the key ingredient in the self-assembly of alkanethiols on gold.     

Dipolar and nonpolar altitudinal molecular rotors mounted on an Au(111) surface

We describe the preparation of a compound whose molecules consist of two metal sandwich stands carrying tentacles with affinity to metal surfaces and holding an axle that carries a dipolar or a nonpolar rotator. The dipolar rotor exists as three pairs of enantiomers, rapidly interconverting at room temperature. When mounted on a gold surface, each molecule represents a chiral altitudinal rotor, with the rotator axle parallel to the surface. The surface-mounted rotor molecules are characterized by several spectroscopic and imaging techniques. At any one time, in about one-third of the dipolar rotors the rotator is free to turn and the direction of its dipole can be flipped by the electric field applied by an STM tip, as revealed by differential barrier height imaging. Molecular dynamics calculations suggest that electric field normal to the surface causes members of one pair of enantiomers to rotate unidirectionally.     

Au单晶电极上H2O2的氧化反应研究

本文利用旋转圆盘电极系统研究了酸性介质中H₂O₂在Au(100)和Au(111)电极表面的电化学行为. 实验发现在Au电极上H₂O₂难以发生还原,但是当电位稍微正于H₂O₂氧化为O₂的平衡电势时即可发生氧化. 在Au(111)上H₂O₂氧化的起始电位比在Au(100)正0.1 V左右. Au(100)上的双桥位位点能增强反应中间体*OOH的吸附,可能是导致Au(100)上H₂O₂氧化反应超电势比Au(111)低的主要原因. 在较正电位区(E>1.2 V), 当电极表面被氧物种覆盖时,H₂O₂在两个电极上的氧化都会受到一定程度的抑制,这种影响在Au(111)上比Au(100)上更加明显,这与Au(111)上氧物种的生成与逆向还原可逆性差的趋势一致. 最后还将Au与Pt单晶电极上H₂O₂氧化的行为进行了对比分析.     

Indirect adsorbate-adsorbate interactions mediated through the surface electronic structure of the Si(100) surface

Indirect adsorbate-adsorbate interactions between adsorbed ammonia (NH3) molecules on the Si(100) surface are investigated using density functional theory. Two different nonlocal effects mediated through the surface electronic structure are observed: "poisoning" and hydrogen bonding. We find that adsorbed NH3 "poisons" adsorption of NH3 on neighboring Si dimers on the same side of the dimer row whereas neighboring NH2(a) groups favor this configuration. Adsorption of NH3 involves charge transfer to the surface that localizes on neighboring Si dimer atoms, preventing adsorption of NH3 at these sites. These indirect interactions are similar to Friedel-type interactions observed on metal surfaces with an estimated range of less than 7.8 A on the Si(100) surface. These interactions may be manipulated to construct local ordering of the adsorbates on the surface.     

Monolayer structure of tetracene on Cu (100) surface: parallel geometry

The geometrical arrangement of tetracene on Cu (100) surface at monolayer coverage is studied by using scanning tunneling microscopy measurement and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Tetracene molecule is found to be oriented with its molecular plane parallel to the substrate surface, and no perpendicular geometry is observed at this coverage. The molecule is aligned either in the [011] or [011] direction due to the fourfold symmetry of the Cu (100) surface. DFT calculations show that the molecule with the "flat-lying" mode has larger adsorption energy than that with the "upright standing" mode, indicating that the former is the more stable structure. With the flat-lying geometry, the carbon atoms prefer to be placed between surface Cu atoms. The molecular center prefers to be located at the bridge site between two nearest surface Cu atoms.