Experimental and theoretical investigation of the stability of Pt-3d-Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces under oxygen environment

The stability of the Pt-3d-Pt(111) (3d = Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, or Ni) bimetallic surface structures in the presence of adsorbed oxygen has been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT). The dissociative binding energies of oxygen on Pt-3d-Pt(111) (i.e., subsurface 3d monolayer) and 3d-Pt-Pt(111) (i.e., surface 3d monolayer) were calculated. All of the Pt-3d-Pt(111) surfaces were found to have weaker oxygen binding energies than pure Pt(111) whereas all of the 3d-Pt-Pt(111) surfaces were found to have stronger oxygen binding energies than pure Pt(111). The total heat of reaction was calculated for the segregation for 3d metal atoms from Pt-3d-Pt(111) to 3d-Pt-Pt(111) when exposed to a half monolayer of oxygen. All of the Pt-3d-Pt(111) subsurface structures were predicted to be thermodynamically unstable with adsorbed oxygen. In addition, the segregation of subsurface Ni and Co to the surfaces of Pt-Ni-Pt(111) and Pt-Co-Pt(111) was investigated experimentally using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). AES and HREELS confirmed the trend predicted by DFT modeling and showed that both the Pt-Ni-Pt(111) and Pt-Co-Pt(111) surface structures were unstable in the presence of adsorbed oxygen. The activation barrier of the segregation of surbsurface Ni and Co atoms was determined to be 15 +/- 2 and 7 +/- 1 kcal/mol, respectively. These results are further discussed for their implication in the design and selection of cathode bimetallic electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrode membrane (PEM) fuel cells.     

Cosegregation-induced formation of surface compounds on (110) and (111) oriented surfaces of bcc alloys with 3d and 4d metals

Cosegregation phenomena were studied on the (110) and (111) surfaces of Fe-3.5%Mo-N single crystals by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). On both surface orientations cosegregation of molybdenum and nitrogen was found to cause the formation of two-dimensional MoN surface compounds which are stabilized by strong chemical interactions between the two solutes. The maximum surface coverages of the segregants, which were established at temperatures around 500°C, correspond to less than a full monolayer of the MoN surface compounds. LEED investigations revealed a complex diffraction pattern of the MoN covered (110) alloy surface, while a (1 × 1) structure was observed on the (111) surface. However, no facetting of either surfaces occurred. This finding is in sharp contrast to previous results obtained for ferritic alloys with various 3d metals such as Fe-15%Cr-N and Fe-3%V-C,N. It is concluded that the maximum MoN surface coverage is too small to induce the facetting of the bcc(110) and bcc(111) alloy surfaces.     

Modification of the surface electronic and chemical properties of Pt(111) by subsurface 3d transition metals

The modification of the electronic and chemical properties of Pt(111) surfaces by subsurface 3d transition metals was studied using density-functional theory. In each case investigated, the Pt surface d-band was broadened and lowered in energy by interactions with the subsurface 3d metals, resulting in weaker dissociative adsorption energies of hydrogen and oxygen on these surfaces. The magnitude of the decrease in adsorption energy was largest for the early 3d transition metals and smallest for the late 3d transition metals. In some cases, dissociative adsorption was calculated to be endothermic. The surfaces investigated in this study had no lateral strain in them, demonstrating that strain is not a necessary factor in the modification of bimetallic surface properties. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of catalyst design, particularly for fuel cell electrocatalysts.     

Electronic structures of mixed-sandwich complexes of cyclopentadienyl and Hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate ligands with 3d transition metals

The electronic and magnetic properties of a series of mixed-sandwich complexes MCp(R)Tp (Cp(R) = Cp or Cp; Tp = hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate; M = V, Cr, Fe, Co or Ni) have been studied and compared to their homoleptic analogues, MCp(R)(2) and MTp(2). Solid-state magnetic susceptibility measurements and EPR spectroscopic data indicate that complexes with d(3), d(6), and d(8) configurations are similar electronically to their metallocene analogues, except for FeCpTp, which displays a spin equilibrium (S = 0 if S = 2) in solution which was investigated by variable- temperature NMR spectroscopy. The d(2) complex [VCpTp](+) displays magnetic behavior consistent with an orbitally nondegenerate ground state. The d(4) species CrCpTp has a high-spin (S = 2) ground state. The d(7) species CoCpTp is high spin (S = 3/2) whereas its Cp analogue and [NiCpTp](+) are both low-spin (S = 1/2) species. The optical spectra of the d(3), d(6), and d(8) complexes were assigned in a fashion similar to the analogous metallocenes and ligand-field parameters (delta(1) = delta-sigma gap, delta(2) = sigma-pi gap for d-orbitals in axial symmetry) calculated. The analysis shows that for 15-electron species the total ligand-field splitting, delta(TOT), is larger than for their metallocene analogues, whereas for the 18-electron case Delta(TOT) is smaller and for 20-electron systems delta(TOT) is approximately the same. In all cases delta(2) is substantially reduced compared to the metallocenes, and in the majority of cases delta(1) is markedly larger. DFT calculations were performed to investigate further the nature of the ligand environment on the frontier orbitals in these complexes. Orbital energies and compositions were calculated and compared for a series of homoleptic and mixed-sandwich complexes of Ni(II) and across the 1st transition series for MCp(R)Tp species. The ability of Tp (vs Cp) to act as a delta-donor (with respect to the principal molecular axis) imparts significant ligand antibonding character to the delta-orbitals and results in decreased epsilon(pi)-epsilon(delta) values compared to the metallocenes and an increased tendency toward high-spin complexes in the mixed-sandwich complexes. Structure calculations were performed for CrCpTp, [VCpTp](+), and CoCpTp which show substantial distortions from ideal axial symmetry in their crystal structures. The origins of these distortions were confirmed to arise from unequal occupancy of near-degenerate delta- and pi-levels.     

Investigation of oxygen reduction reaction kinetics at (111)-(100) nanofaceted platinum surfaces in acidic media

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied on CO-treated and untreated (111)-(100) nanofaceted platinum surfaces [Komanicky et al. J. Phys. Chem. 2005, 109, 23543] in sulfuric and perchloric acids using the rotating disk electrode technique. Activities of nanofaceted surfaces are found to be considerably higher than a simple average of the activities of (111) and (100) surfaces. We find that the high activity in sulfuric acid is consistent with the higher activity of (111) facets. It is due the weaker sulfate adsorption on finite-size (111) surfaces than on (111) single crystal surfaces where the ORR activity is suppressed by strong sulfate adsorption. However, the high activity found in the weakly absorbing perchloric acid cannot be explained by the finite-size effect, since the activities are reportedly insensitive to terrace sizes [Macia, M. D.; et al. J.Electroanal. Chem., 2004, 564, 141]. We propose a cooperative activity, unique to nanoscale objects, which results from oxy species crossing over between adjacent facets in nanometer proximities.     

Surface X-ray scattering of stepped surfaces of platinum in an electrochemical environment: Pt(331) = 3(111)-(111) and Pt(511) = 3(100)-(111)

Real surface structures of the high-index planes of Pt with three atomic rows of terraces (Pt(331) = 3(111)-(111) and Pt(511) = 3(100)-(111)) have been determined in 0.1 M HClO(4) at 0.1 and 0.5 V(RHE) with the use of surface X-ray scattering (SXS). The surfaces with two atomic rows of terraces, Pt(110) = 2(111)-(111) and Pt(311) = 2(100)-(111) = 2(111)-(100), are reconstructed to a (1 × 2) structure according to previous studies. However, the surfaces with three atomic rows of terraces have pseudo-(1 × 1) structures. The interlayer spacing between the first and the second layers, d(12), is expanded 13% on Pt(331) compared to that of the bulk, whereas it is contracted 37% on Pt(511). The surface structures do not depend on the applied potential on either surface.     

A theoretical study on the structures and energetics of hypothetical TiM(NCN)3 compounds of the 3d transition metals

Quasi-ternary cyanamides and carbodiimides of general formula AB(NCN)(3) with A not equal B have neither been predicted nor synthesized. Thus, hypothetical compounds of that kind containing 3d transition metals were considered (A = Ti, B = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) by means of density-functional calculations on 34 structural models, most of which were derived from chemically related phases. After performing structure optimizations based on the local-density approximation, the relative energetic orderings are rationalized in terms of geometrical factors such as molar volumes and polyhedral connections. Total-energy generalized-gradient calculations evidence that the most stable models are enthalpically favored with respect to the elements. Even at ambient temperatures, the ternary phases are predicted as being thermodynamically stable in terms of their Gibbs free formation energies, especially if energetically competing and low-lying binaries (TiC, TiN) can be excluded by a kinetic reaction control. The best models are characterized by low-spin magnetic transition metals found in octahedral coordination, and the TiN(6) and MN(6) polyhedra either share faces or edges.     

Plasma-assisted oxidation of Cu(100) and Cu(111)

Oxidized copper surfaces have attracted significant attention in recent years due to their unique catalytic properties, including their enhanced hydrocarbon selectivity during the electrochemical reduction of CO₂. Although oxygen plasma has been used to create highly active copper oxide electrodes for CO₂RR, how such treatment alters the copper surface is still poorly understood. Here, we study the oxidation of Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces by sequential exposure to a low-pressure oxygen plasma at room temperature. We used scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), low energy electron microscopy (LEEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) for the comprehensive characterization of the resulting oxide films. O₂-plasma exposure initially induces the growth of 3-dimensional oxide islands surrounded by an O-covered Cu surface. With ongoing plasma exposure, the islands coalesce and form a closed oxide film. Utilizing spectroscopy, we traced the evolution of metallic Cu, Cu₂O and CuO species upon oxygen plasma exposure and found a dependence of the surface structure and chemical state on the substrate''s orientation. On Cu(100) the oxide islands grow with a lower rate than on the (111) surface. Furthermore, while on Cu(100) only Cu₂O is formed during the initial growth phase, both Cu₂O and CuO species are simultaneously generated on Cu(111). Finally, prolonged oxygen plasma exposure results in a sandwiched film structure with CuO at the surface and Cu₂O at the interface to the metallic support. A stable CuO(111) surface orientation is identified in both cases, aligned to the Cu(111) support, but with two coexisting rotational domains on Cu(100). These findings illustrate the possibility of tailoring the oxidation state, structure and morphology of metallic surfaces for a wide range of applications through oxygen plasma treatments.

A low-pressure oxygen plasma oxidized Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces at room temperature. The time-dependent evolution of surface structure and chemical composition is reported in detail for a range of exposure times up to 30 min.     

A DFT Study of Alkaline Earth Metal-Doped FAPbI3 (111) and (100) Surfaces

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to study the effect of replacing lead by alkaline earth metals on the stability, electronic and optical properties of the formamidinium lead triiodide (FAPbI₃) (111) and (100) surfaces with different terminations in the form of FAPb_1-xAE_xI₃ structures, where AE is Be, Mg or Ca. It is revealed that the (111) surface is more stable, indicating metallic characteristics. The (100) surfaces exhibit a suitable bandgap of around 1.309 and 1.623 eV for PbI₅ and PbI₆ terminations, respectively. Increases in the bandgaps as a result of Mg- and Ca-doping of the (100) surface were particularly noted in FAPb_0.96Ca_0.04I₃ and FAPb_0.8Ca_0.2I₃ with bandgaps of 1.459 and 1.468 eV, respectively. In the presence of Be, the band gap reduces critically by about 0.315 eV in the FAPb_0.95Be_0.05I₃ structure, while increasing by 0.096 eV in FAPb_0.96Be_0.04I₃. Optimal absorption, high extinction coefficient and light harvesting efficiency were achieved for plain and doped (100) surfaces in the visible and near UV regions. In order to improve the optical properties of the (111)-PbI₃ surface in initial visible areas, we suggest calcium-doping in this surface to produce FAPb_0.96Ca_0.04I₃, FAPb_0.92Ca_0.08I₃, and FAPb_0.88Ca_0.12I₃ structures.     

Thermodynamics of complex formation reactions between d metals and linear oligopyrroles

The interaction of alkyl-substituted α,α-dipyrrolylmethenes with d metal acetates and acetylacetonates was studied by spectrophotometric and calorimetric titration methods. The thermodynamics of complex formation reactions between d metal ions and dipyrrolyl ligands was found to depend on the entropy and enthalpy contributions, the nature of a metal, and on the solvation factors.     

Chiral structures of 6,12-dibromochrysene on Au(111) and Cu(111) surfaces

Nanoscale low-dimensional chiral architectures are increasingly receiving scientific interest, because of their potential applications in many fields such as chiral recognition, separation and transformation. Using 6,12-dibromochrysene (DBCh), we successfully constructed and characterized the large-area two-dimensional chiral networks on Au(111) and one-dimensional metal-liganded chiral chains on Cu(111) respectively. The reasons and processes of chiral transformation of chiral networks on Au(111) were analyzed. We used scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) to analyze the electronic state information of this chiral structure. This work combines scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) with non-contact atomic force microscopy (nc-AFM) techniques to achieve ultra-high-resolution characterization of chiral structures on low-dimensional surfaces, which may be applied to the bond analysis of functional nanofilms. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to simulate the adsorption behavior of the molecular and energy analysis in order to verify the experimental results.     

Similarities and differences on the molecular mechanism of CO oxidation on Rh(111) and bimetallic RhCu(111) surfaces

The reaction between adsorbed CO and atomic O on various sites of Rh(111) and on the bimetallic RhCu(111) surface has been investigated by first principles density functional theory using slab models. The most likely reaction pathway for CO oxidation on Rh(111) involves probably migration of atomic oxygen from fcc to hcp sites. On the bimetallic surface the mechanism is similar, although depending on the type of bimetallic site a reduction of the energy barrier is predicted. Consequences for the NO reduction by CO reaction are analyzed.     

EHT study of hydrogen chemisorption on Pt-Au(111) bimetallic clusters

The results of an EHT study of the chemisorption of hydrogen on Pt, Au and mixed Pt-Au clusters (up to 19 atoms) are presented. On pure Pt clusters the adsorption sites have equal stability, while on pure Au the top site is the less favoured one. When Au atoms substitute Pt, a destabilization of the metal-H bond is observed, while the insertion of Pt into an Au cluster leads to bond stabilization.     

Polarization inscription in ferroelectric (111) PZT and (100) SBT films

Ferroelectric thin films form an equilibrium domain structure compatible with their respective crystallographic symmetry. In tetragonal (111) PZT, 90° domains prevail; in (pseudo-tetragonal) (100) SBT both 90° and 180° domains are present. The size of 90° domains has been measured for e.g., PZT as slabs of 15 nm width. Domain size is a result of stress minimization in the film during the paraelectric (PE) → ferroelectric (FE) transition. A precise and regular domain pattern for (111) PZT and (100) SBT films has been investigated in detail by TMSFM. Single domains can be addressed mechanically with the tip of an AFM. Such single domain switching corresponds to a data storage density of 200 Gbit/inch². Applications of ferroelectric and high- paraelectric materials for e.g., non-volatile data storage replacing DRAM devices or as sensors in infrared cameras are increasingly becoming popular.     

Sequential segregation of Sn and Sb in a Cu(111) single crystal

The sequential segregation of Sn and Sb to the surface of a Cu(111) single crystal was measured in the temperature range 400–1100 K by Auger electron spectroscopy. It was found that Sn with the higher diffusion coefficient first segregates to the surface and then is replaced by the slower‐segregating Sb. The results were fitted by a ternary segregation model yielding segregation energies (ΔG_Sn = 76.3 kJ mol^?1, ΔG_Sb = 95.9 kJ mol^?1), interaction parameters (Ω_SnCu = 3.8 kJ mol^?1, Ω_SbCu = 16.2 kJ mol^?1, Ω_SnSb = ?5.3 kJ mol^?1) and diffusion coefficients (D_0(Sn) = 1.8 × 10^?5 m² s^?1, E_Sn = 173 kJ mol^?1, D_0(Sb) = 6.0 × 10^?5 m² s^?1, E_Sb = 205 kJ mol^?1) for both species. The validity of the interaction coefficients and segregation energies was verified using the Guttman equations for equilibrium segregation in ternary systems. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interface-controlled synthesis of CeO2(111) and CeO2(100) and their structural transition on Pt(111)

Ceria-based catalytic materials are known for their crystal-face-dependent catalytic properties. To obtain a molecular-level understanding of their surface chemistry, controlled synthesis of ceria with well-defined surface structures is required. We have thus studied the growth of CeO_x nanostructures (NSs) and thin films on Pt(111). The strong metal-oxide interaction has often been invoked to explain catalytic processes over the Pt/CeO_x catalysts. However, the Pt-CeO_x interaction has not been understood at the atomic level. We show here that the interfacial interaction between Pt and ceria could indeed affect the surface structures of ceria, which could subsequently determine their catalytic chemistry. While ceria on Pt(111) typically exposes the CeO₂(111) surface, we found that the structures of ceria layers with a thickness of three layers or less are highly dynamic and dependent on the annealing temperatures, owing to the electronic interaction between Pt and CeO_x. A two-step kinetically limited growth procedure was used to prepare the ceria film that fully covers the Pt(111) substrate. For a ceria film of ~3–4 monolayer (ML) thickness on Pt(111), annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) at 1000 K results in a surface of CeO₂ (100), stabilized by a c-Ce₂O₃(100) buffer layer. Further oxidation at 900 K transforms the surface of the CeO₂(100) thin film into a hexagonal CeO₂(111) surface.     

Experimental and theoretical study of reactivity trends for methanol on Co/Pt(111) and Ni/Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces

Methanol was used as a probe molecule to examine the reforming activity of oxygenates on NiPt(111) and CoPt(111) bimetallic surfaces, utilizing density functional theory (DFT) modeling, temperature-programmed desorption, and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). DFT results revealed a correlation between the methanol and methoxy binding energies and the surface d-band center of various NiPt(111) and CoPt(111) bimetallic surfaces. Consistent with DFT predictions, increased production of H2 and CO from methanol was observed on a Ni surface monolayer on Pt(111), designated as Ni-Pt-Pt(111), as compared to the subsurface monolayer Pt-Ni-Pt(111) surface. HREELS was used to verify the presence and subsequent decomposition of methoxy intermediates on NiPt(111) and CoPt(111) bimetallic surfaces. On Ni-Pt-Pt(111) the methoxy species decomposed to a formaldehyde intermediate below 300 K; this species reacted at approximately 300 K to form CO and H2. On Co-Pt-Pt(111), methoxy was stable up to approximately 350 K and decomposed to form CO and H2. Overall, trends in methanol reactivity on NiPt(111) bimetallic surfaces were similar to those previously determined for ethanol and ethylene glycol.     

Structure and bonding of alkanethiols on Cu(111) and Cu(100)

The local structure of the sulfur atom of methanethiolate and ethanethiolate on the Cu(111) and Cu(100) surfaces was investigated from first principles employing the periodic supercell approach in the framework of density functional theory. On the 111 surface, we investigated the (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees and (2 x 2) structures, whereas on the 100 surface, we investigated the p(2 x 2) and c(2 x 2) structures. The landscape of the potential energy surface on each metal surface presents distinctive features that explain the local adsorption structure of thiolates found experimentally. On the Cu(111) surface, the energy difference between the hollow and bridge sites is only 3 kcal/mol, and consequently, adsorption sites ranging from the hollow to the bridge site were observed for increasing surface coverages. On the Cu(100) surface, there is a large energy difference of 12 kcal/mol between the hollow and bridge sites, and therefore, only the 4-fold coordination was observed. The high stabilization of thiolates on the hollow site of Cu(100) may be the driving force for the pseudosquare reconstruction observed experimentally on Cu(111). Density of states analysis and density difference plots were employed to characterize the bonding on different surface sites. Upon interaction with the metal d bands, the pi* orbital of methanethiolate splits into several peaks. The two most prominent peaks are located on either edge of the metal d band. They correspond to bonding and antibonding S-Cu interactions. In the case of ethanethiolate, all the back-bonds are affected by the surface bonding, leading to alternating regions of depletion and accumulation of charge in the successive bonds.     

Zirconocene interaction with MAO on (111) and (100) silica surfaces

This work examines a polymerisation catalyst based on zirconocene with methylaluminoxane (MAO) as a cocatalyst on silica surfaces. Calculations were carried out using the Atom Superposition and Electron Delocalisation method (ASED‐MO) considering the (111) and (100) silica planes, both completely and partially hydrated. Our results suggest the production of a cationic zirconocene as a final step for the active site formation for (111) silica plane, occurring preferentially on partially hydrated silica. On the contrary this may not be possible for the (100) plane, resulting in this case in the formation of a MAO‐zirconocene complex as a final and most stable state.