Vibrational lifetimes of molecular adsorbates on metal surfaces

We report density functional theory calculations of electron-hole pair induced vibrational lifetimes of diatomic molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces. For CO on Cu(100), Ni(100), Ni(111), Pt(100), and Pt(111), we find that the C-O internal stretch and the bending modes have lifetimes in the 1-6 ps range, and that the CO-surface stretch and the frustrated translational modes relax more slowly, with lifetimes >10 ps for all cases except CO on Ni(111). This strong mode selectivity confirms earlier calculations for CO on Cu(100) and demonstrates that the trends carry over to other metal substrates. In contrast, for NO adsorbed on Pt(111), whereas we still find that the bending mode has the shortest lifetime, about 1.3 ps, we predict the other three modes to have almost equal lifetimes of 8-10 ps. Similarly, for CN adsorbed on Pt(111), we calculate that the internal stretching and molecule-surface stretching modes have approximately equal lifetimes of about 15 ps. Our results are in reasonable agreement with experiment, where available. We discuss some of the underlying factors that may contribute to the observed mode selectivity with adsorbed CO and the altered selectivity with NO and CN.     

Second-harmonic generation and effect of adsorbates for free-electron metal and semiconductor surfaces

We discuss aspects of a developing microscopic theory of SHG from simple metal and semiconductor surfaces. For semiconductors calculations of the dynamical nonlinear susceptibility on the basis of realistic tight-binding parametrizations of the electronic Hamiltonian provide a practical scheme. In the resulting spectra the effect of the dangling bonds on SHG is clearly seen together with a strong decrease upon saturation with H atoms. In the metal case the adsorbate induced changes of the static nonlinear electron density can be calculated self-consistently by applying density functional theory to the jellium model. The second-order dipole moment determines the effect of adsorbates on the SHG intensity in the adiabatic limit. Quite general a correlation with the nature of the adsorbate expressed by its electronegativity and the characteristic charge transfer, adsorption dipole and polarizabilities in first and second order is found.     

Vibrational lineshapes of adsorbates on solid surfaces

A review is presented of the current activity in vibrational spectroscopy of adsorbates on metal surfaces. A brief introduction of the representative spectroscopies is given to demonstrate the rich information contained in vibrational spectra, which are characterized by their intensity, peak position and width. Analysis of vibrational spectra enables us to gain the deep insight into not only the local character of adsorption site or geometry, but also the dynamical interaction between the adsorbates or between the adsorbate and the substrate. Some recent instructive experimental results, mostly of a CO molecule adsorbed on various metal surfaces, are accompanied by the corresponding theoretical recipe for vibrational excitation mechanisms. Wide spread experimental results of the C-O stretching frequency of CO adsorbed on metal surfaces are discussed in terms of the chemical effect involving the static and dynamic charge transfers between the chemisorbed CO and metal, and also of the electrostatic dipole-dipole interaction between the molecules. The central subject of this review is directed to the linshapes characterized by the vibrational relaxation processes of adsorbates. A simple and transparent model is introduced to show that the characteristic decay time of the correlation function for the vibrational coordinates is the key quantity to determine the spectral lineshapes. Recent experimental results focused on a search for an intrinsic broadening mechanism are reviewed in the light of the so-called T₁ (energy) and T₂ (phase) relaxation processesof the vibrational excited states of adsorbates. Those are the vibrational energy dissipation into the elementary excitation, such as phonons or electron-hole pairs in the metal substrate, and pure dephasing due to the energy exchange with the sorroundings. The change of width and frequency by varying the experimental variables, such as temperature or isotope effect, provides indispensable knowledge for the dynamical interaction between adsorbate and substrate. Besides spectroscopic studies of adsorbate vibrations, infrared stimulated desorption is chosen as a case study of surface chemical reactions activated by laser radiation. The dynamical processes of photodesorption is discussed in conjunction with infrared absorption, which is followed by its energy dissipation into substrate phonons or molecule-surface bond leading to desorption.     

On the HSAB based estimate of charge transfer between adsorbates and metal surfaces

The applicability of the HSAB based electron charge transfer parameter, ΔN, is analyzed for molecular and atomic adsorbates on metal surfaces by means of explicit DFT calculations. For molecular adsorbates ΔN gives reasonable trends of charge transfer if work function is used for electronegativity of metal surface. For this reason, calculated work functions of low Miller index surfaces for 11 different metals are reported. As for reactive atomic adsorbates, e.g., N, O, and Cl, the charge transfer is proportional to the adatom valence times the electronegativity difference between the metal surface and the adatom, where the electronegativity of metal is represented by a linear combination of atomic Mulliken electronegativity and the work function of metal surface. It is further shown that the adatom-metal bond strength is linearly proportional to the metal-to-adatom charge transfer thus making the ΔN parameter a useful indicator to anticipate the corresponding adsorption energy trends.     

Collision-induced migration of adsorbates on solid surfaces: an experimental approach

Collision-induced migration (CIM) is a process in which energetic gas-phase atoms or molecules at the tail of the Boltzmann distribution enhance surface migration of adsorbates upon collision. It is believed to exist and play an important role in any realistic high pressure-high-temperature heterogeneous catalytic system. Combining supersonic beam-surface collision setup with in-situ optical second harmonic generation diffraction technique from a coverage grating, we have shown, for the first time, that indeed energetic collisions (Kr seeded in He) promote surface mobility of CO-K surface complex on Ru(001) with a threshold total kinetic energy of 3 eV. An average migration distance/collision of more than 30 adsorption sites was estimated from the experimental data at Kr total energy of 3.8 eV. This long-range migration distance per collision is understood in terms of a cascade migration mechanism, where adsorbed CO molecules collide and push their neighbors from high to low coverage areas, in a direction dictated by the collision momentum vector. A similar mechanism has recently been suggested to explain adsorbate mobility at high coverage induced by an STM tip.     

Charge transitions in metal adsorbates on foreign metal substrates

Narrow current peaks in the voltammogram for the adsorption of metal ions on foreign metal substrates have been interpreted as charge transitions. A simple quantum-mechanical model for electrochemical adsorption is presented; it may explain why the adsorbate charge can change discontinuously at a certain electrode potential, and why such transitions are seen for adsorption on terraces, but not on steps.     

Excited states at surfaces: Fano profiles in STM spectroscopy of adsorbates

The Fano-Anderson model for a discrete state embedded within a continuum is revisited within the context of excitation and decay processes which lead to some manifestations of Fano lineshape profiles. The phenomenon of resonance tunneling between an STM tip and a metal surface upon which there are isolated adsorbed atoms is discussed and the relationship between the spectroscopic signature of such systems and that of the Fano profile is taken up. Recent experimental studies of Kondo systems of magnetic adsorbates such as Co and Ce adsorbed on noble metal (111) surfaces have motivated this work.     

Anodic oxidation of hydrazine and its methylderivatives on bare Pt and Pt electrode surfaces modified by underpotential metal adsorbates in acetonitrile

The electrooxidation of hydrazine and its methylderivatives (methylhydrazine and 1,1-dimethylhydrazine) on bare Pt and Pt electrode surfaces modified by underpotential metal adsorbates was studied in acetonitrile. On bare Pt, one-third of the molecules of the substances under examination undergo a two-electron oxidation to the corresponding diimides, while the remaining number of molecules act as the required proton acceptors in neutral acetonitrile. In alkaline solutions, hydrazine undergoes a quantitative four-electron oxidation process, while its methyl derivatives are oxidized quantitatively to the corresponding diimides in the same media. The pronounced inhibition effects on hydrazine oxidation caused by underpotential T1 and Pb adsorbates were interpreted in terms of a change in the chemical interaction of hydrazine molecules and the electrode surface modified by the underpotential metal adsorbates.     

The thermochemistry of adsorbates on transition metal cluster ions: relationship to bulk-phase properties

In previous work, guided ion beam tandem mass spectrometry has been used to study the reactions of the cluster cations of several transition metals (V, Cr, Fe and Ni) with D2, O2, CO2 and CD4. By examining the kinetic energy dependence of these reactions and interpreting thresholds observed for various reactions, bond energies for D, O, C, CD, CD2 and CD3 can be obtained. The results of these studies are reviewed with an emphasis on the relationship between the thermochemistry obtained from this work with that for adsorbates on bulk-phase metal surfaces. It is found that in cases where quantitative comparison can be made, for example D and O atoms, modest sized clusters bind these species to approximately the same extent as the bulk-phase surface of the same metal. As there is little information available for the molecular fragments investigated here, the cluster bond energies provide some of the first experimental values for such adsorbates on surfaces.     

Photoinitiated polymerization on metal surfaces

Irradiation of acrolein vapors in the presence of films of nickel and other metals results in the formation of thin films of polyacrolein on the metal surface. The polyarcrolein film protects the metal surface from abrasion and corrosion. Polymer growth is more rapid on oxidized vs. unoxidized metal surfaces indicating a role for surface oxide sites in the polymerization process. Several other monomers investigated fail to form adhesive polymer films on metal films, but can be copolymerized with acrolein.     

Carbon on transition metal surfaces

The review surveys the conditions of formation and properties of four forms of surface carbon on transition metals, to wit, adsorbed atoms and clusters, surface carbide and graphite, and their role in the physical and chemical processes on the surface. The first-order phase transition in the adlayer, when graphite islands coexist with carbon gas, are considered. The effect of intercalation, when atoms (Cs, K, Na, Ba, Pt, Si) penetrate spontaneously under the graphite islands physisorbed on the metal, and its mechanism are discussed. An analysis is made of the poisoning of platinum-group metal catalysts in the reaction of dissociation, when graphite islands characterized by extreme adsorption and catalytic passivity form in the adlayer. The method of CsCl dissociation to probe the surface carbon is treated. Attention is drawn to the adsorption of a number of atoms (Cs, K, Ba, Pt) on a graphite monolayer on metals, and the properties of such systems are discussed. The effects observed in coadsorption of CsCl molecules with K, Na, Ba, Tm atoms on a graphite monolayer on metals are covered. By analogy with the bulk carbides, surface carbides of fixed stoichiometry and very strong metal-carbon bonding have been revealed to form on the surface of transition metals (W, Re, Mo). The effect of displacement of surface carbon into the bulk of the metal stimulated by the adsorption of some atoms (Si, S, O) is discussed. The carbon clusters adsorbed on metals are considered. The transport of surface carbon, its desorption and diffusion between the surface and the bulk of the metal with a single- and double-phase adlayer are reviewed.     

Characterisation of pure or coated metal surfaces with streaming potential measurements

In the field of corrosion prevention, the characterisation of metal surfaces is useful to obtain information about the necessary preparation of the surface and about the quality of thin coatings of coupling and protective agents. Electrokinetic measurements can be used to determine the properties of modified polymer surfaces, metal sheets, and different surface preparations. However, it was necessary first to create special conditions for measuring the streaming potential, such as electrical isolation of the sample sheets together with the use of inert systems, as shown by the example of aluminium. According to the usual procedure the metal was first coated with a thin layer of a coupling agent. The effect of this adhesive agent depends on the degree of its adsorption by the metal surface. The quality of this layer can be characterised by streaming potential measurements, which can show the degree of coverage, the adhesive strength of the coated layer, and the effective chemical properties of the treated surface. These results were confirmed by wetting measurements. The production of surfaces which allow us to couple a coating varnish to the adhesive agent in good quality was demonstrated. Received: 24 June 1996 / Revised: 30 January 1997 / Accepted: 30 January 1997     

Study on functionalization of metal surfaces. III. Photopolymerization of monomer films on metal surfaces

The three kinds of monomer films on metal surfaces were deposited by adsorption from a solution of 6-polymerizable substituents-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-dithiol monosodium salts (RTDN); the polymerizable substituents such as cis-9-octadecenylamino, di(cis-9-octadecenyl)amino, and p-vinylbenzyl(cis-9-octadecenyl)amino groups were selected in view of the polymerization activity of unsaturated groups in the substituents and the packing degree of monomer molecules. The monomer films were estimated to consist of mainly 6-substituents-1,3,5,-triazine-2,4-dithione (3H, 5H) and to be multimolecular layers that are considerably cross-packed and ordered. The monomer films on metal surfaces were polymerizable under a UV light irradiation in air atmosphere to give polymer films. In the photopolymerization, azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) was very effective for increasing the monomer conversion and the polymerization rate. The optimum concentration of AIBN in monomer films was very small, about 0.025 mol %. The monomer conversion was influenced by the kind of monomers, namely, the polymerization activity and the packing degree. The effect of the packing degree was especially remarkable. The monomer conversion decreased with an increase in the thickness of monomer films. This is because the polymerization was initiated by oxygen and AIBN, which were diffused into the inner of monomer films. The possibility of polymerization of the unsaturated groups and the thione groups in monomer molecules under UV light irradiation is discussed.     

Collisional line shapes for low frequency vibrations of adsorbates on a metal surface

The dynamics of atoms or molecules adsorbed on a metal surface, and excited by collisions with an atomic beam, are treated within a theory that includes energy dissipation into lattice vibrations by means of a frequency and temperature dependent friction function. The theory provides dynamic structure factors for energy transfer derived from collisional time correlation functions. It describes the relaxation of a vibrationally excited atom or molecule within a model of a damped quantum harmonic oscillator bilinearly coupled to a bath of lattice oscillators. The collisional time correlation function is generalized to include friction effects and is applied to the vibrational relaxation of the frustrated translation mode of Na adsorbed on a Cu(001) surface, CO on Cu(001), and CO on Pt(111), following excitation by collisions with He atoms. Results for the frequency shift and width of line shapes versus surface temperature are in very good agreement with experimental measurements of inelastic He atom scattering. Our interpretation of the experimental results provides insight on the relative role of phonon versus electron-hole relaxation.     

The chiroptical signature of achiral metal clusters induced by dissymmetric adsorbates

Using a dissymmetrically-perturbed particle-in-a-box model, we demonstrate that the induced optical activity of chiral monolayer protected clusters, such as Whetten's Au28(SG)16 glutathione-passivated gold nanoclusters (J. Phys. Chem. B, 2000, 104, 2630-2641), could arise from symmetric metal cores perturbed by a dissymmetric or chiral field originating from the adsorbates. This finding implies that the electronic states of the nanocluster core are chiral, yet the lattice geometries of these cores need not be geometrically distorted by the chiral adsorbates. Based on simple chiral monolayer protected cluster models, we rationalize how the adsorption pattern of the tethering sulfur atoms has a substantial effect on the induced CD in the NIR spectral region, and we show how the chiral image charge produced in the core provides a convenient means of visualizing dissymmetric perturbations to the achiral gold nanocluster core.     

Nanosecond time-resolved fluorescence studies on the excited-state relaxation of azaaromatic / metal oxide adsorbates

Fluorescence studies reveal that Brønsted-acid as well as Lewis-acid adsorption sites are involved in the interaction of azaaromatic molecules (acridine, benzo{f}quinoline) with metal oxid catalysts (alumina, silica-alumina). Time-resolved investigations indicate that the relaxation of the initially excited (Franck-Condon)-state to the thermally equilibrated excited-state occurs on the nanosecond time-scale even at room-temperature in the case of azaaromatic molecules which are co-ordinated to Lewis-acid surface sites. The slow formation of the equilibrated excited-state is assigned to restrictions of the mobility of the polar constituents (O^2-/OH-groups) within the adsorption complex.     

Thin metal films on quasicrystalline surfaces

Thin metal films with a thickness of one or over one monolayer formed on quasicrystalline surfaces were studied using reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. The substrates were the 10f surface of d-Al–Ni–Co and the 5f surface of i-Al–Pd–Mn. The metals deposited were Au, Pt, Ag and In. None of these metals forms any ordered layer by deposition onto clean quasicrystalline surfaces. However, if a submonolayer of In is present atop the 10f surface, an epitaxial layer of multiply-twinned AuAl₂ crystals is formed by Au deposition and subsequent annealing. This is also the case for Pt deposition, but not for Ag deposition. Although the surfactant effect of In is also observed in the case of Au deposition on the 5f surface of i-Al–Pd–Mn, the ordered layer formed is a film of Au–Al alloy with icosahedral symmetry. No ordered films are formed by Pt or Ag deposition onto the 5f surface, regardless of the presence of an In-precovered layer. A Sn film monolayer induced by surface diffusion was also studied.