Chemisorption of CO on Cu(100), Ag(110) and Au(110)

The adsorption of CO on Cu, Ag and Au is studied using core and valence photoemission, X-ray absorption and autoionization of core excited states. The purpose is to investigate the nature of the adsorption bond starting out from the well-established chemisorption system CO/Cu(100)-c(2 × 2), and from the results we suggest that CO forms chemisorbed phases also on Ag(110) and Au(110). The photoemission spectra show strong shake-up satellites both for the valence levels and the core levels. The separation to the satellite appearing closest to the main line is observed to follow the position of the substrate d-band relative to the Fermi level. The CO adsorption strength for the noble metals is deduced to decrease in the order Cu-Au-Ag. This is based on the widths of the XA resonances, which are related to the adsorbate-substrate interaction strength of the core excited states, and the relative shake-up intensities, which are expected to increase with a decreasing adsorption strength in the ground state. The same trends regarding the shake-up intensities are observed both for the valence and core levels.     

Interactions of HCOOH with stoichiometric and defective TiO2(110) surfaces

Interactions of HCOOH with stoichiometric (nearly defect-free) and defective TiO₂(110) surfaces have been studied experimentally using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS), and theoretically using electronic structure calculations. The HCOOH saturation coverages were 0.58 ML, 0.77 ML, and 0.92 ML (1 ML ≈ 5.2 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻²) for nearly defect-free surfaces, for electron-beam exposed surfaces, and for Ar⁺ ion bombarded surfaces, respectively. The excess formic acid adsorption quantitatively corresponds to the number of newly exposed sites created by electron-beam exposure. Electronic structure calculations show a strong adsorptive interaction for formate on cation sites on both stoichiometric and defective TiO₂ surfaces, consistent with the experimental observations. In spite of adsorption at defect sites, little or no defect healing (defect healing means a reduction in defect signal observed by the photoemission measurements) was observed for either electron-beam exposed or Ar⁺ bombarded surfaces by HCOOH exposure up to 10⁴L at room temperature. However, some healing will occur if extra energy provided by electrons is introduced to breakdown formate species. In contrast to water adsorption, electronic structure calculations on defective TiO₂ have found that formate is located in an asymmetric position with respect to the Ti³⁺ sites with a potential additional interaction with the Ti⁴⁺ site.     

The co-adsorption of H2 and CO on Ni(110)

The effect of co-adsorption of hydrogen and CO on Ni(110) has been examined with HREELS. In the mixed adlayer at low CO and hydrogen coverage, the spectra indicate that no strong interaction between H_(a) and CO_(a) occurs. At high hydrogen coverage the surface reconstructs and consequently the adsorption site for the CO is modified. The reconstruction and site modification is reversible and depends on the hydrogen coverage.     

Chemisorption and dissociation of O2, on Ag(110)

Using an Ag₂₄ cluster, we have calculated the potential energy surface of an O₂ molecule chemisorbing and dissociating on the Ag(110) surface, with its molecular axis parallel to the grooves in the [1̄10] direction. For molecular chemisorption, we find equilibrium positions and vibrational frequencies in good agreement with experiment and with earlier calculations; the chemisorption energy, ∼ 0.1 eV, may be somewhat too low. Although both our calculated and the experimental vibrational frequencies suggest a chemisorbed O²⁻₂ ion, our calculated charge transfer to the O₂ molecule is a little less than one electron. We can explain the calculated low OO strength frequency by changing occupations of OO bonding and antibonding states with changing OO separation. These results show that one has to be cautious in directly relating observed vibrational frequency lowerings of chemisorbed molecules to their charge states. The dissociation path is completely along the direction of the OO stretch; we find a barrier height of ∼ 0.2 eV. The atomic equilibrium distance, vibrational frequency, and binding energy are in reasonable agreement with experiment. At large OO separation, the energy still decreases with increasing OO distance, indicative of OO Coulomb repulsion.     

Adsorption of H2 and CO on clean and oxidized (110) Pt

Binding states and sticking coefficients of CO and H₂ on clean and oxide covered (110) planes of Pt are examined using flash desorption mass spectrometry to characterize binding states and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to characterize oxide densities. It is found that on the oxide both adsorbates have new binding states with significantly higher binding energies than on the clean surface. For H₂ the binding states associated with the clean surface are also shifted to higher energies as the oxide coverage increases. The oxide state for H₂ desorbs with first order kinetics, and isotope exchange experiments are used to examine exchange between isotopes and between states. The initial sticking coefficients for CO are 1.0 and 0.85 on clean and oxidized surfaces, and the initial sticking coefficient for H₂ increases from 0.15 on the clean surface to 0.28 on the oxidized surface. Enhanced bonding on the oxide is interpreted in terms of models involving microfacets, electronic structure alteration, and compound formation.     

Titanium overlayers on TiO2(110)

Non-stoichiometric, Ti-rich TiO₂(110) surfaces were prepared by evaporation of Ti on stoichiometric TiO₂(110). Changes in the spectra of core levels, valence bands, Auger emissions, electron energy losses, conductivities and work functions were investigated during overlayer formation in the monolayer range and during subsequent annealing of non-stoichiometric surfaces at high temperatures and high oxygen partial pressures. These annealing procedures make it possible to restore the ideal stoichiometry of TiO₂(110). The results are discussed quantitatively by calculating concentrations of (sub)surface intrinsic defects in a space-charge layer model.     

Chemisorption of oxygen on the silver (110) surface

In the present work the interaction between oxygen and the silver (110) surface is investigated, mainly using LEED-Auger techniques and thermal desorption spectra. The formation and stability of adsorption layers is studied after exposures at pressures from 10^?3 to 1 torr. At maximum coverage, a (2 × 1) superstructure is formed which is stable up to the desorption temperature. At lower coverage, (3 × 1) and (4 × 1) superstructures are also observed. On the basis of the experimental evidence, tentative models for these structures are presented and discussed.     

Adsorption of L-cysteine on rutile TiO2(110)

We have used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study the adsorption of L-cysteine on a rutile TiO₂(110) surface at room temperature and ? 65 °C. For the molecules in direct contact with the surface our results suggest that the molecules bind dissociatively to the fivefold-coordinated Ti atoms of the surface through their deprotonated carboxylic groups. A second, dissociative interaction occurs between the molecular thiol groups and the surface. It is attributed to a dissociative bond to the bridging oxygen vacancies. Most likely, the thiol groups are deprotonated and a bond is formed between the thiolates and defects. In an alternative scenario, the C–S bond is cleaved and atomic sulfur binds to the defects. With regard to the molecular amino groups, they remain neutral at the lowest investigated coverages (0.3–0.5 ML), but already starting from around 0.7 ML nominal coverage protons are being transferred to them. The fraction of protonated amino groups increases with coverage and becomes dominating in multilayers prepared at room temperature and ? 65 °C. In these multilayers the carboxylic groups are deprotonated.     

Photoemission study of the adsorption of O2, CO and H2 on GaAs(110)

Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy with hv < 12 eV has been used to study O₂, CO, and H₂ adsorption on the cleaved GaAs(110) face. It was found that O₂ exposures above 10⁵ L(1LM = 10^?6 Torr sec) were required to produce changes in the energy distribution curves. At O₂ exposures of 10⁶ L on p-type and 10⁸ L on n-type an oxide peak is observed in the EDC's located 4 eV below the valence band maximum. On p-type GaAs, O₂ exposures cause the Fermi level at the surface to move up to a point 0.5 eV above the valence band maximum, while on n-type GaAs O₂ exposures do not remove the Fermi level pinning caused by empty surface states on the clean GaAs. CO was found to stick to GaAs, but to desorb over a period of hours, and not to change the surface Fermi level position. H₂ did not affect the EDC's, but atomic H lowered the electron affinity and raised the surface position of the Fermi level on p-type GaAs. A correlation is found in which gases which stick to the GaAs cause an upward movement of the Fermi level at the surface on p-type GaAs, while gases which stick only temporarily do not change the surface position of the Fermi level.     

Methylene bromide chemistry and photochemistry on rutile TiO2(110)

The chemistry and photochemistry of methylene bromide (CD₂Br₂) on the rutile TiO₂(110) surface was probed using temperature programmed desorption (TPD). CD₂Br₂ desorbed in three desorption states at 145, 160 and 250 K tentatively assigned to desorption from the multilayer, from an η¹-CD₂Br₂ species and a bridging η²-CD₂Br₂ species, respectively. The latter two TPD states presumably involve binding of CD₂Br₂ molecules to the surface through Br coordination at five-coordinate Ti⁴⁺ surface sites. The 160 and 250 K TPD states saturated at coverages of 1.0 and 0.33 ML, respectively, where 1 ML is equivalent to the surface Ti⁴⁺ site density (5.2 × 10¹⁴ cm^? 2). No thermal decomposition of CD₂Br₂ was observed on either the clean surface or with preadsorbed O₂. UV irradiation of CD₂Br₂ on TiO₂(110) resulted in predominately photodesorption, with trace amounts of photodecomposition evidenced in TPD. The rate of CD₂Br₂ photodesorption from TiO₂(110) occurred with a low cross section (~ 2 × 10^? 21 cm²) similar to that expected from direct optical excitation of CD₂Br₂. This observation suggests that charge carriers generated in TiO₂(110) were no more effective in activating adsorbed CD₂Br₂ molecules than would be expected through direct molecular excitation. These findings suggest that photocatalytic destruction of halocarbons such as CD₂Br₂ on TiO₂ may preferentially occur though indirect processes (such as OH radical attack) as opposed to direct electron transfer processes involving charge carriers generated in TiO₂ by bandgap excitation.     

Chemisorption of CO on Ir(100) studied by photoemission

Chemisorption of cabon monoxide on a reconstructed Ir(100) surface has been studied by means of LEED and photoemission. In the photoemission spectrum, apart from a low lying peak due to the 4σ-orbital of CO, there is also a broad bump divided by a clear dip. The upper part of this double peak is assigned to the 5σ orbital and the lower part to the 1 π orbital of CO.     

Vacancy-assisted diffusion of alkoxy species on rutile TiO2(110)

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory simulations, we have studied the diffusion of alkoxy species formed by the dissociation of alcohols on bridge-bonded oxygen (BBO) vacancies (BBO(V)'s) on TiO2(110). At elevated temperatures (>or=400 K) the sequential isothermal STM images show that mobile BBO(V)'s mediate the diffusion of alkoxy species by providing space for alkyl-group-bearing BBO atom to diffuse into. The experimental findings are further supported by simulations that find that BBO(V) diffusion is the rate limiting step in the overall diffusion mechanism.     

Chemisorption of CO on differently prepared Cu(111) surfaces

The adsorption of CO on Cu(111) has been studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), work function measurements and thermal desorption spectroscopy. Two LEED overlayers of CO on Cu(111) have been found: $\text{√3 × √3}\text{R}\text{30°}$ and $\text{√}\text{7}\text{3}\text{× √}\text{7}\text{3}\text{R}\text{49.1°}$. Two different heats of adsorption were derived from thermal desorption spectra: 44.2 and 35.1 kj/mole. The isosteric heat of adsorption evaluated from work function measurements corresponds to the thermal desorption results. Energy losses due to CO adsorption have been found by means of EELS at 4.7, 7.7, and 13.8 eV.     

Stability of gold nanostructures on rutile TiO2(110) surface

The adsorption of gold atoms and formation of nanostructures on the rutile TiO₂(110) surface with different degree of oxygen reduction was studied from first principles. The Au atoms adsorb strongest at oxygen vacancy sites. Starting from a very low coverage limit the potential energy profiles or diffusion paths of the adsorbed Au monomers and dimers were calculated. Stable structures of two to nine Au atoms arranged in finite and infinite rows and in the shape of finite-size clusters were determined. All these structures are found to bind to the reduced surface stronger than 2 eV/atom. The elongated Au row-like structures bind by about 0.1 eV stronger than 3D clusters, suggesting a preference for the 1D-like Au growth mode on the missing-row reconstructed TiO₂(110).