Density functional theory study of the adsorption of alkanethiols on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) in the low and high coverage regimes

The structure, the surface bonding, and the energetics of alkanethiols adsorbed on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) surfaces were studied under low and high coverages. The potential energy surfaces (PES) for the thiol/metal interaction were investigated in the absence and presence of externally applied electric fields in order to simulate the effect of the electrode potential on the surface bonding. The electric field affects the corrugation of the PES which decreases for negative fields and increases for positive fields. In the structural investigation, we considered the relaxation of the adsorbate and the surface. The highest relaxation in a direction perpendicular to the surface was observed for gold atoms, whereas silver atoms presented the highest relaxation in a plane parallel to the surface. The surface relaxation is more important in the low coverage limit. The surface bonding was investigated by means of the total and projected density of states analysis. The highest ionic character was observed on the copper surface whereas the highest covalent character occurs on gold. This leads to a strong dependence of the PES with the tilt angle of the adsorbate on Au(111) whereas this dependence is less pronounced on the other metals. Thus, the adsorbate-relaxation and the metal-relaxation contributions to the binding energy are more important on gold. The adsorption of thiols on gold was investigated on the 111 surface as well as on a surface with gold adatoms in order to elucidate the effect of thiols on the surface diffusion of gold. The CH(3)CH(2)S radical adsorbs ontop of the gold adatom. The diffusional barrier of the CH(3)CH(2)SAu species is lower than that for a bare gold adatom and is also lower than that for the bare thiol radical. The adsorption of the molecular species CH(3)SH and CH(3)CH(2)SH was also investigated on Au(111). They adsorb via the sulfur atom ontop of a gold atom. On the other hand, the adsorption of the alkanethiol radicals on the perfect 111 surfaces occurs on the face centered cubic (fcc)-bridge site in the low coverage limit for all metals and shifts toward the fcc site at high coverage on copper and silver.     

A new structure of water layer on Cu(111) electrode surface during hydrogen evolution

A layered structure of water molecules formed on a Cu(111) electrode surface during hydrogen evolution in sulfuric acid solution was studied by surface X-ray diffraction and infrared reflection absorption methods. Water molecules in the surface layers take a closest pack-like stacking structure with nearest-neighbor oxygen-oxygen distances in intra-(0.322(5) nm) and inter-(0.275(15) nm) layers of multi-domains; the infrared spectra of the layered water on the Cu electrode surface showed the existence of free OH(OD) and hydrogen-bonded OH(OD) of water molecule.     

离子液体中Au(111)和Pt(111)表面Ge欠电位沉积的现场STM研究

本文研究BMIPF₆离子液体中Au(111)和Pt(111)表面Ge的电沉积行为. 循环伏安法测试结果表明,在含0.1 mol·L^-1 GeCl₄的BMIPF₆溶液Au(111)和Pt(111)表面均有两个与Ge沉积过程相关的还原峰. 第一个还原峰包含了Ge⁴⁺还原成Ge²⁺及Ge的欠电位沉积,第二个还原峰对应Ge的本体沉积. 现场扫描隧道显微镜研究结果表明,Ge在Au(111)和Pt(111)表面均有两层欠电位沉积. 第一层欠电位沉积厚度约为0.25 nm、形貌平整、带有缝隙的亚单层结构. 第二层欠电位沉积形貌相对粗糙的点状团簇结构. 该欠电位沉积过程伴随表面合金化.     

Hydrogen bonding between a water molecule and electronegative additives (O or Cl) on a Pt(111) surface

Water adsorption on Pt(111) surfaces treated with oxygen or hydrogen chloride at 20 K has been studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Water molecules chemisorb predominantly on the sites of the electronegative additives (O or Cl^-), forming hydrogen bonds of O-HO or O-HCl^-. On a Pt(111)-2×2-O surface, water adsorption produces species (O(D₂O)), monomeric water (D₂O), (O(D₂O)₂) and ring tetramer-like cluster (O(D₂O)₃) on a Pt(111) surface. On a Pt(111)-3×3-Cl^- (θ=0.44) surface, water adsorption gives rise to a Pt(111)-(4×2)-(H₃O⁺+Cl^-) co-adsorption structure to form a hydrogen-bonding network between Cl^- and H₃O⁺ ions.     

Effect of anion adsorption on early stages of copper electrocrystallization at Au(111) surface

The monolayer and submonolayer deposition of copper on Au(111) electrode surface in the presence of chloride and sulfate ions was studied by in situ X-ray absorption and electrochemical techniques. The anions coadsorb with the deposited copper adatoms and have a strong influence on the structure of these mixed overlayers. Copper deposited in the presence of chloride forms a bilayer in which copper atoms are sandwiched between the gold substrate and the top layer of chloride ions. The bilayer is well ordered and has a (5×5) long range structure. The copper atoms are packed in registry with the top layer of chloride ions. In contrast, copper adatoms deposited in the presence of sulfate ions are packed in registry with respect to the Au(111) substrate. The coadsorbed copper and sulfate form a highly corrugated overlayer. The copper adatoms assume a honeycomb (√3×√3) structure with the center of the honeycomb occupied by sulfate. The sulfate ion adsorbs with three of its four oxygens directed towards the hexagon of copper adatoms. The bond angle between the copper adatom and the oxygen of the sulfate ion is approximately equal to 45 °. Our data indicate that, in contrary to the literature reports, the (√3×√3) structure observed on STM and AFM images corresponds to the corrugation of adsorbed sulfate ions rather than copper adatoms.     

Self-assembly of alkanols on Au(111) surfaces

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanols (1-C(N)H(2N+1)OH) with varying carbon-chain lengths (N = 10-30) have been systematically studied by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at the interfaces between alkanol solutions (or liquids) and Au(111) surfaces. The carbon skeletons were found to lie flat on the surfaces. This orientation is consistent with SAMs of alkanols on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and MoS2 surfaces, and also with alkanes on reconstructed Au(111) surfaces. This result differs from a prior report, which claimed that 1-decanol molecules (N = 10) stood on their ends with the OH polar groups facing the gold substrate. Compared to alkanes, the replacement of one terminal CH3 group with an OH group introduces new bonding features for alkanols owing to the feasibility of forming hydrogen bonds. While SAMs of long-chain alkanols (N > 18) resemble those of alkanes, in which the aliphatic chains make a greater contribution, hydrogen bonding plays a more important role in the formation of SAMs of short-chain alkanols. Thus, in addition to the titled lamellar structure, a herringbone-like structure, seldom seen in SAMs of alkanes, is dominant in alkanol SAMs for values of N < 18. The odd-even effect present in alkane SAMs is also present in alkanol SAMs. Thus, the odd N alkanols (alkanols with an odd number of carbon atoms) adopt perpendicular lamellar structures owing to the favorable interactions of the CH3 terminal groups, similar to the result observed for odd alkanes. In contrast to alkanes on Au(111) surfaces, for which no SAMs on an unreconstructed gold substrate were observed, alkanols are capable of forming SAMs on either the reconstructed or the unreconstructed gold surfaces. Structural models for the packing of alkanol molecules on Au(111) surfaces have been proposed, which successfully explain these experimental observations.     

Slab model studies of water adsorption and decomposition on clean and X- (X = C, N and O) contaminated Pd(111) surfaces

To explore the effect of surface contaminants on water chemistry at metallic surfaces, adsorption and decomposition of water monomers on clean and X/Pd(111)(X = C, N and O) surfaces are investigated based on density functional theory calculations. It is revealed that H(2)O binds to Pd(111) surface primarily through the mixing of its 1b(1) with the Pd 4d(z(2)) state. A charge accumulation between the oxygen atom of water and the bound Pd atom is calculated, which is found to be relevant to the H(2)O-Pd interaction. Water adsorption results in a reduction of surface work function and the polarization of the X 2p states. The O-H bond scission of H(2)O on the clean Pd(111) is an energy unfavorable process. In the case of X-assisted O-H bond breaking on X/Pd(111) surfaces, however, the reaction barrier tends to be lower than that on the clean surface and decreases from C/Pd(111) to O/Pd(111). In particular, water decomposition is found to become feasible on O/Pd(111), in agreement with the experimental observations. The calculated barrier is demonstrated to be correlated linearly with the density of X 2p states at the Fermi level. A thorough energy analysis demonstrates that the following geometrical and electronic factors favor the barrier reduction on X/Pd(111) with respect to water decomposition on clean Pd(111): (i) the less deformed structure of water in TS; (ii) the decreased bonding competition between the fragments OH and H. The remarkable decrease of the barrier on O/Pd(111) is revealed to be due to the largest stabilization of the split H atom and the least deformation of water in the TS.     

Electrochemical redox control of ferrocene using a supramolecular assembly of ferrocene-linked C(60) derivative and metallooctaethylporphyrin array on a Au(111) electrode

Supramolecular assembled layers of ferrocene-linked C(60) derivative (C(60)Fc) and various metal ions coordinated to octaethylporphyrin (MOEP) were formed on the surface of a Au(111) single-crystal electrode by immersing the Au substrate successively into a benzene solution containing MOEP and one containing C(60)Fc molecules. The MOEPs used were zinc(II) (ZnOEP), cobalt(II) (CoOEP), copper(II) (CuOEP), and iron(III) chloride (FeClOEP) of OEP (2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-21H,23H-porphine). The molecules of C(60)Fc directly attached to the Au(111) electrode showed poorly defined electrochemical redox response, whereas a clear electrochemical redox reaction of the ferrocene group in the C(60)Fc molecule was observed at 0.78 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode on ZnOEP, CoOEP, and CuOEP adlayers, but not on the FeClOEP adlayer. Adlattices of the underlying layer and the top layer of C(60)Fc were determined by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy. Adlayer structures of MOEP were independent of the central metal ion; that is, MOEP molecules were arranged hexagonally with two different orientations. Highly ordered C(60)Fc arrays were formed with 1:1 composition on the ZnOEP-, CoOEP-, and CuOEP-modified Au(111) surface, whereas a disordered structure of C(60)Fc was found on the FeClOEP-modified Au(111) surface. The presence of Cl ligand was found to prevent the formation of supramolecularly assembled layers with C(60)Fc molecules, resulting in an ill-defined unclear electrochemical response of the Fc group. The well-defined electrochemical response of the Fc group in C(60)Fc was clearly due to the control of orientation of C(60)Fc molecules.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the adsorption of fumaramide [2]rotaxane on Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces

Thin films of fumaramide [2]rotaxane, a mechanically interlocked molecule composed of a macrocycle and a thread in a "bead and thread" configuration, were prepared by vapor deposition on both Ag(111) and Au(111) substrates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy were used to characterize monolayer and bulklike multilayer films. XPS determination of the relative amounts of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen indicates that the molecule adsorbs intact. On both metal surfaces, molecules in the first adsorbed layer show an additional component in the C 1s XPS line attributed to chemisorption via amide groups. Molecular-dynamics simulation indicates that the molecule orients two of its eight phenyl rings, one from the macrocycle and one from the thread, in a parallel bonding geometry with respect to the metal surfaces, leaving three amide groups very close to the substrate. In the case of fumaramide [2]rotaxane adsorption on Au(111), the presence of certain out-of-plane phenyl ring and Au-O vibrational modes points to such bonding and a preferential molecular orientation. The theoretical and experimental results imply that the three-dimensional intermolecular configuration permits chemisorption at low coverage to be driven by interactions between the three amide functions of fumaramide [2]rotaxane and the Ag(111) or Au(111) surface.     

氧化锌有序结构在Au(111)和Cu(111)上的生长

利用NO₂或O₂作为氧化剂,研究了氧化锌在Au(111)和Cu(111)上的生长和结构。NO₂表现了更好的氧化性能,有利于有序氧化锌纳米结构或薄膜的生长。在Au(111)和Cu(111)这两个表面上,化学计量比氧化锌都形成非极性的平面化ZnO(0001)的表面结构。在Au(111)上,NO₂气氛下室温沉积锌倾向于形成双层氧化锌纳米结构;而在更高的沉积温度下,在NO₂气氛中沉积锌则可同时观测到单层和双层氧化锌纳米结构。O₂作为氧化剂时可导致形成亚化学计量比的ZnO_x结构。由于铜和锌之间的强相互作用会促进锌的体相扩散,并且铜表面可以被氧化形成表面氧化物,整层氧化锌在Cu(111)上的生长相当困难。我们通过使用NO₂作为氧化剂解决了这个问题,生长出了覆盖Cu(111)表面的满层有序氧化锌薄膜。这些有序氧化锌薄膜表面显示出莫尔条纹,表明存在一个ZnO和Cu(111)之间的莫尔超晶格。实验上观察到的超晶格结构与最近理论计算提出的Cu(111)上的氧化锌薄膜结构相符,具有最小应力。我们的研究表明,氧化锌薄膜的表界面结构可能会随氧化程度或氧化剂的不同而变化,而Cu(111)的表面氧化也可能影响氧化锌的生长。当Cu(111)表面被预氧化成铜表面氧化物时,ZnO_x的生长模式会发生变化,锌原子会受到铜氧化物晶格的限域形成单位点锌。我们的研究表明了氧化锌的生长需要抑制锌向金属基底的扩散,并阻止亚化学计量比ZnO_x的形成。因此,使用原子氧源有利于在Au(111)和Cu(111)表面上生长有序氧化锌薄膜。     

Scanning tunneling microscopy of self-assembled phenylene ethynylene oligomers on Au(111) substrates

In this paper, we report the self-assembly, electrical characterization, and surface modification of dithiolated phenylene-ethynylene oligomer monolayers on a Au(111) surface. The self-assembly was accomplished by thiol bonding the molecules from solution to a Au(111) surface. We have confirmed the formation of self-assembled monolayers by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and optical ellipsometry, and have studied the kinetics of film growth. We suggest that self-assembled phenylene ethynylene oligomers on Au(111) surfaces grow as thiols rather than as thiolates. Using low-temperature STM, we collected local current-voltage spectra showing negative differential resistance at 6 K.     

Adsorption, diffusion, dewetting, and entrapment of acetone on Ni(111), surface-modified silicon, and amorphous solid water studied by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and temperature programmed desorption

Interactions of acetone with the silicon surfaces terminated with hydrogen, hydroxyl, and perfluorocarbon are investigated; results are compared to those on amorphous solid water (ASW) to gain insights into the roles of hydrogen bonds in surface diffusion and hydration of acetone adspecies. The surface mobility of acetone occurs at ～60 K irrespective of the surface functional groups. Cooperative diffusion of adspecies results in a 2D liquid phase on the H- and perfluorocarbon-terminated surfaces, whereas cooperativity tends to be quenched via hydrogen bonding on the OH-terminated surface, thereby forming residues that diffuse slowly on the surface after evaporation of the physisorbed species (i.e., 2D liquid). The interaction of acetone adspecies on the non-porous ASW surface resembles that on the OH-terminated Si surface, but the acetone molecules tend to be hydrated on the porous ASW film, as evidenced by their desorption during the glass-liquid transition and crystallization of water. The roles of micropores in hydration of acetone molecules are discussed from comparison with the results using mesoporous Si substrates.     

Role of the anion in the underpotential deposition of cadmium on a Rh(111) electrode: probed by voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) were employed to examine the underpotential deposition (UPD) of cadmium on a rhodium(111) electrode in sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. The (bi)sulfate and chloride anions in the electrolytes played a main role in controlling the number and arrangement of Cd adatoms. Deposition of Cd along with hydrogen adsorption occurred near 0.1 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) in either 0.05 M H2SO4 or 0.1 M HCl containing 1 mM Cd(ClO4)2. These coupled processes resulted in an erroneous coverage of Cd adatoms. The process of Cd deposition shifted positively to 0.3 V and thus separated from that of hydrogen in 0.05 M H2SO4 containing 0.5 M Cd2+. The amount of charge (80 microC/cm2) for Cd deposition in 0.5 M Cd2+ implied a coverage of 0.17 for the Cd adatoms, which agreed with in situ STM results. Regardless of [Cd2+], in situ STM imaging revealed a highly ordered Rh(111)-(6 x 6)-6Cd + HSO4- or SO42- structure in sulfuric acid,. In hydrochloric acid, in situ STM discerned a (2 x 2)-Cd + Cl structure at potentials where Cd deposition commenced. STM atomic resolution showed roughly one-quarter of a monolayer of Cd adatoms were deposited, ca. 50% more than in sulfuric acid. Dynamic in situ STM imaging showed potential dependent, reversible transformations between the (6 x 6) Cd adlattices and (square root 3 x square root 7)-(bi)sulfate structure, and between (2 x 2) and (square root 7 x square root 7)R19.1 degrees -Cl structures. The fact that different Cd structures observed in H2SO4 and HCl entailed the involvement of anions in Cd deposition, i.e. (bi)sulfate and chloride anions were codeposited with Cd adatoms on Rh(111).     

镍和铂单晶(111)面上氢解离的比较研究

镍和铂单晶（１１１）面上氢解离的比较研究周鲁，孙本繁，吕日昌，唐向阳，滕礼坚（中国科学院大连化学物理研究所分子反应动力学国家重点实验室，大连１１６０２３）关键词镍晶面，铂晶面，氢解离吸附，位能面，分子催化过渡金属镍和铂是催化加氢、脱氢以及临氢重整的重...     

水在HfO2(111)和(110)表面的吸附与解离

运用广义梯度近似密度泛函理论方法(GGA-PW91)结合周期平板模型, 研究水分子在二氧化铪(111)和(110)表面不同吸附位置在不同覆盖度下的吸附行为. 通过比较不同吸附位的吸附能和几何构型参数发现:(111)和(110)表面铪原子(top 位)是活性吸附位. 水分子与表面的吸附能值随覆盖度的变化影响较小. 在(111)和(110)表面, 水分子都倾向以氧端与表面铪原子相互作用. 同时也计算了羟基、氧和氢在表面的吸附, Mulliken 电荷布居, 态密度及部分频率. 结果表明, 在两种表面羟基以氧端与表面铪相互作用, 氧原子与表面铪和氧原子同时成键, 而氢原子直接与表面氧原子相互作用形成羟基. 通过过渡态搜索, 水分子在(111)和(110)表面发生解离, 反应能垒分别为9.7和17.3 kJ·mol^-1, 且放热为59.9和47.6 kJ·mol^-1.     

Theoretical Investigations of the Activation of CO_2 on the Transition Metal-doped Cu(100) and Cu(111) Surfaces

Periodic density functional theory calculations have been performed to investigate the chemisorption behavior of CO_2 molecule on a series of surface alloys that are built by dispersing individual middle-late transition metal(TM) atoms(TM = Fe, Co, Ni, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Pt, Au) on the Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces. The most stable configurations of CO_2 chemisorbed on different TM/Cu surfaces are determined, and the results show that among the late transition metals, Co, Ru, and Os are potentially good dopants to enhance the chemisorption and activation of CO_2 on copper surfaces. To obtain a deep understanding of the adsorption property, the bonding characteristics of the adsorption bonds are carefully examined by the crystal orbital Hamilton population technique, which reveals that the TM atom primarily provides d orbitals with z-component, namely d_z~2, d_(xz), and d_(yz) orbitals to interact with the adsorbate.     

Dual-scale modeling of benzene adsorption onto Ni(111) and Au(111) surfaces in explicit water.

We present a multiscale modeling approach for studying interactions of organic molecules with metal surfaces in explicit water. The approach is based on combining adsorption energies of isolated molecules on transition metal surfaces calculated by ab initio density functional methods and classical molecular dynamics simulations using atomistically detailed force fields. The interaction of benzene with Ni(111) and Au(111) surfaces was studied. It is shown that a strong affinity of water for the hydrophilic surfaces makes benzene adsorption on Au thermodynamically unfavorable, while on Ni there is no preference. The work presented here serves as a first step in modeling the interactions of larger organic molecules with metal surfaces.     

A First‐Principle Calculation of Sulfur Oxidation on Metallic Ni(111) and Pt(111), and Bimetallic Ni@Pt(111) and Pt@Ni(111) Surfaces

Sulfur, a pollutant known to poison fuel‐cell electrodes, generally comes from S‐containing species such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). The S‐containing species become adsorbed on a metal electrode and leave atomic S strongly bound to the metal surface. This surface sulfur is completely removed typically by oxidation with O₂ into gaseous SO₂. According to our DFT calculations, the oxidation of sulfur at 0.25 ML surface sulfur coverage on pure Pt(111) and Ni(111) metal surfaces is exothermic. The barriers to the formation of SO₂ are 0.41 and 1.07 eV, respectively. Various metals combined to form bimetallic surfaces are reported to tune the catalytic capabilities toward some reactions. Our results show that it is more difficult to remove surface sulfur from a Ni@Pt(111) surface with reaction barrier 1.86 eV for SO₂ formation than from a Pt@Ni(111) surface (0.13 eV). This result is in good agreement with the statement that bimetallic surfaces could demonstrate more or less activity than to pure metal surfaces by comparing electronic and structural effects. Furthermore, by calculating the reaction free energies we found that the sulfur oxidation reaction on the Pt@Ni(111) surface exhibits the best spontaneity of SO₂ desorption at either room temperature or high temperatures.     

Two-dimensional Molecular Phase Transition of Alkylated-TDPB on Au(111) and Cu(111) Surfaces

The derivatives of aromatic cores bearing alkyl chains with different lengths are of potential interest in on-surface chemistry, and thus have been widely investigated both at liquid-solid interfaces and in vacuum. Here, we report on the structural evaluation of self-assembled 1,3,5-tri(4-dodecylphenyl)benzene(TDPB) molecules with increased molecular coverages on both Au(111) and Cu(111) surfaces. As observed on Au(111), rhombic and herringbone structures emerge successively depending on surface coverage. In the case of Cu(111), the same process of phase conversion is also observed, but with two distinct structures. In comparison, the self-assembled structures on Au(111) surface are packed more densely than that on Cu(111) surface under the same preparation conditions. This may fundamentally result from the higher adsorption energy of TDPB molecules on Cu(111), restricting their adjustment to optimize a thermodynamically favorable molecular packing.     

Electrochemical characterization of gold stepped surfaces modified with Pd

Three different single crystals, Au(111), Au(332), and Au(331), were used as the substrate for palladium deposition in the underpotential deposition (UPD) regime. The Au(111) single crystal was used for control experiments to compare the behavior of the vicinal surfaces. Cyclic voltammetry in 0.1 M sulfuric acid solution, as well as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the hydrogen adsorption on the Pd thin films. Our results suggest that the voltammetric peaks at approximately 0.3 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) are related to the adsorption of hydrogen at large palladium terraces, and that at least two adjacent Pd rows are needed in order for the adsorption to take place. Further cycling to more positive potentials leads to the oxidation and slow dissolution of the Pd film. The behavior of the oxidation cycles is explained in terms of a higher stability of Pd at the steps.