A LEED, TPD and HREELS investigation of NO adsorption on Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys

The adsorption of NO on Pt(111), and the (2 × 2)Sn/Pt(111) and (√3 × √3)R30°Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys has been studied using LEED, TPD and HREELS. NO adsorption produces a (2 × 2) LEED pattern on Pt(111) and a (2√3 × 2√3)R30° LEED pattern on the (2 × 2)Sn/Pt(111) surface. The initial sticking coefficient of NO on the (2 × 2)Sn/Pt(111) surface alloy at 100 K is the same as that on Pt(111), S₀ = 0.9, while the initial sticking coefficient of NO on the (√3 × √3)R30°Sn/Pt(111) surface decreases to 0.6. The presence of Sn in the surface layer of Pt(111) strongly reduces the binding energy of NO in contrast to the minor effect it has on CO. The binding energy of β-state NO is reduced by 8–10 kcal/mol on the Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys compared to Pt(111). HREELS data for saturation NO coverage on both surface alloys show two vibrational frequencies at 285 and 478 cm⁻¹ in the low frequency range and only one N-O stretching frequency at 1698 cm⁻¹. We assign this NO species as atop, bent-bonded NO. At small NO coverage, a species with a loss at 1455 cm⁻¹ was also observed on the (2 × 2)Sn/ Pt(111) surface alloy, similar to that observed on the Pt(111) surface. However, the atop, bent-bonded NO is the only species observed on the (√3 × √3)R30°Sn/Pt(111) surface alloy at any NO coverage studied.     

Atomistic simulation of Fe deposition and alloy formation on Pt substrates

Fe-Pt alloys are of significant importance toward future applications of high-density magnetic recording media. In this work, we apply the BFS method for alloys to study the energetic pathway for subsurface Fe-Pt alloy formation upon deposition of Fe atoms on Pt(1 0 0), Pt(1 1 1), and vicinal Pt(9 9 7) substrates. The simulation results indicate preference for Fe atoms to occupy sites in the Pt subsurface layers and form an ordered alloy phase upon deposition on a low-index Pt surface. This behavior results in Pt surface segregation leading to nucleation of 3D Pt islands. However, the energetics behind deposition of Fe on Pt(9 9 7) indicate that Fe atoms prefer decoration of Pt step edges prior to formation of the ordered Fe-Pt surface alloy, where the ordered alloy is observed to form at the edges of the monoatomic surface steps. In each case presented here, the results are in agreement with experiment, and the formation of a Fe-Pt subsurface alloy is explained by a simple analysis emerging from the competition between BFS strain and chemical energy contributions.     

TPD study of the adsorption and reaction of nitromethane and methyl nitrite on ordered Pt–Sn surface alloys

The adsorption and reaction of the isomers nitromethane (CH₃NO₂) and methyl nitrite (CH₃ONO) on two ordered Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys were studied using TPD, AES, and LEED. Even though the Sn–O bond is stronger than the Pt–O bond and Sn is more easily oxidized than Pt, alloying with Sn reduces the reactivity of the Pt(111) surface for both of these oxygen-containing molecules. This is because of kinetic limitations due to a weaker chemisorption bond and an increased activation energy for dissociation for these molecules on the alloys compared to Pt(111). Nitromethane only weakly adsorbs on the Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys, shows no thermal reaction during TPD, and undergoes completely reversible adsorption under UHV conditions. Methyl nitrite is a much more reactive molecule due to the weak CH₃O–NO bond, and most of the chemisorbed methyl nitrite decomposes below 240 K on the alloy surfaces to produce NO and a methoxy species. Surface methoxy is a stable intermediate until 300 K on the alloys, and then it dehydrogenates to evolve gas phase formaldehyde with high selectivity against complete dehydrogenation to form CO on both alloy surfaces.     

Alloy formation of Co/Ni/Pt(1 1 1)

The initial growth and alloy formation of ultrathin Co films deposited on 1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) were investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). A sequence of samples of d_Co Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) (d_Co = 1, 2, and 3 ML) were prepared at room temperature, and then heated up to investigate the diffusion process. The Co and Ni atoms intermix at lower annealing temperature, and Co-Ni intermixing layer diffuses into the Pt substrate to form Ni-Co-Pt alloys at higher annealing temperature. The diffusion temperatures are Co coverage dependent. The evolution of UPS with annealing temperatures also shows the formation of surface alloys. Some interesting LEED patterns of 1 ML Co/1 ML Ni/Pt(1 1 1) show the formation of ordered alloys at different annealing temperature ranges. Further studies in the Curie temperature and concentration analysis, show that the ordered alloys corresponding to different LEED patterns are Ni_xCo_1−xPt and Ni_xCo_1−xPt₃. The relationship between the interface structure and magnetic properties was investigated.     

Backscattering correction for quantitative Auger analysis: II. Verifications of the backscattering factors through quantification by AES

The validity and utility of the backscattering correction factors obtained from Monte Carlo calculations for quantitative analysis by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were examined through practical quantification of surface concentrations of binary alloys. Quantifications were attempted, first, to access the surface composition of a sputter-deposited NiPt layer, which is probably the most appropriate test-sample with known surface composition for surface analysis. The quantification by AES has led to the result that the surface composition of the layer agrees well with the bulk composition of the sputtered NiPt alloy, as expected. The composition of a sputtered AuCu alloy surface was, then, examined according to the same correction procedure as for the NiPt layer, leading to the confirmation that no preferential sputtering is observed for AuCu alloys by AES as Färber et al. reported.     

The surface composition of silica-supported Pt-Ni alloys

In this work we have determined the surface composition of small supported Pt-Ni alloy particles (diameter 2–5 nm) by means of infrared spectra of adsorbed CO and NO. By dosing carbon monoxide and nitric oxide in the appropriate sequence to the alloys, carbon monoxide is adsorbed selectively on the Pt atoms and nitric oxide on the Ni atoms. On the alloy surfaces no reaction occurs between these adsorbed species as the bands observed do not change upon standing in vacuo. With increasing bulk nickel concentration the intensity of the CO/Pt band drops, whereas the intensity of the NO/Ni band increases. Also the band maximum of the CO/Pt band shifts continuously to lower wavenumbers and the shape of the NO/Ni band changes. It is concluded that the composition of the surface is almost equal to that of the bulk.     

S在Pt皮肤Pt3Ni(111)面吸附的第一性原理研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法,计算并分析了S原子在 Pt皮肤Pt3Ni(111)面不同位置的吸附特性.结果表明：S原子在Pt皮肤Pt3Ni的fcc位吸附最强,吸附能为5. 49 eV;与S原子在纯净Pt(111)表面的吸附相比,S原子在Pt皮肤Pt3Ni表面相应吸附位置的吸附能变小、与近邻的Pt原子形成的S-Pt键变长,表明掺杂的Ni会减小相应位点S原子的吸附能,降低体系对S原子的吸附能力,进而减弱S吸附对体系催化能力的影响;态密度分析发现, S原子的吸附使得Pt基催化剂的催化活性降低,主要是S的2p电子引起的;这些结果将为后续研究Pt基合金电极抗S中毒效果以及探究S原子吸附后Pt3Ni的活性位提供依据.     

Stable atomic structure and magnetism of Pt–Cr binary surface alloys on Pt(0 0 1): First-principle calculations

The possibility of Pt–Cr surface alloys formation on Pt(0 0 1) was investigated and their magnetism was calculated by the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method with eight different atomic configurations. The most stable structure was calculated to be the Pt-segregated L1₂ ferromagnetic surface alloy. A₃B types (L1₂ or D0₂₂) were more stable compared to AB types (L1₀). It implies that the A₃B type surface alloys may be formed when depositing a monolayer of Cr on Pt(0 0 1). It was found from the total energy calculations that there exists a strong tendency of the Pt segregation. The segregation further stabilizes the surface alloy significantly. The work function of the most stable surface alloy was calculated to be 6.02 eV and the magnetic moment of the surface Cr was much enhanced to 3.3 μ_B. It is a quite interesting finding that the coupling between Cr and Pt atoms on the surface plane is ferromagnetic in the Pt-segregated L1₂ ferromagnetic surface alloy, while the coupling is antiferromagnetic in the bulk.     

Growth and alloy formation of ultrathin Ni films on Co/Pt(1 1 1)

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to study the growth and the structural evolution of Ni/Co/Pt(1 1 1) following high-temperature annealing. From the oscillation of the specular beam of the LEED and Auger uptake curve, we concluded that the growth mode of thin Ni films on 1 ML Co/Pt(1 1 1) is at least 2 ML layer-by-layer growth before three-dimensional island growth begins. The alloy formation of Ni/1 ML Co/Pt(1 1 1) was analyzed by AES. The temperature for the intermixing of Ni and Co layers in the upper interface without diffusing into the bulk of Pt is independent of the thickness of Ni when a Co buffer is one atomic monolayer. After the temperature was increased, formations of Ni-Co-Pt alloy, Ni-Pt alloy and Co-Pt alloy were observed. The temperature required for the Ni-Co intermixing layer to diffuse into Pt bulk increases with the thickness of Ni. The interlayer distance as a function of annealing temperature for 1 ML Ni/1 ML Co/Pt(1 1 1) was calculated from the I-V LEED. The evolution of LEED patterns was also observed at different annealing temperatures.     

A temperature programmed desorption study of the reaction of methylacetylene on Pt(111) and Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys

The adsorption and reaction of methylacetylene (H₃CC≡CH) on Pt(111) and the p(2×2) and

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surface alloys were investigated with temperature programmed desorption, Auger electron spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. Hydrogenation of methylacetylene to form propylene is the most favored reaction pathway on all three surfaces accounting for ca 20% of the adsorbed monolayer. Addition of Sn to the Pt(111) surface to form these two ordered surface alloys suppresses the decomposition of methylacetylene to surface carbon. The alloy surfaces also greatly increase the amount of reversibly adsorbed methylacetylene, from none on Pt(111) to 60% of the adsorbed layer on the

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surface alloy. Methylacetylene reaction also leads to a small amount of desorption of benzene, along with butane, butene, isobutylene and ethylene. There is some difference in the yield of these other reaction products depending the Sn concentration, with the (2×2)-Sn/Pt(111) surface alloy having the highest selectivity for these. Despite previous experiments showing cyclotrimerization of acetylene to form benzene on the Pt–Sn surface alloys, the analogous reaction of methylacetylene on the alloy surfaces was not observed, that is, cyclotrimerization of methylacetylene to form trimethylbenzene. It is proposed that this and the high yield of propylene is due to facile dehydrogenation of methylacetylene because of the relatively weak H–CH₂CCH bond compared to acetylene. The desorption of several C₄ hydrocarbon products at low (<170 K) temperature indicates that some minor pathway involving C–C bond breaking is possible on these surfaces.     

A combined XPS/AES study of Cu segregation to the high and low index surfaces of a Cu-Ni alloy

Quantitative information was obtained regarding the equilibrium segregation of Cu to the high index surfaces (cut 5° off the (100) plane in the [001] and [011] directions) and low index surfaces ((100), (111) and (110)) of a Cu: Ni, 5: 95% alloy crystal. Data regarding segregation to the (111) surface of a Cu: Ni, 50: 50% alloy crystal was also obtained. Equilibrium surfaces were obtained by careful annealing in the temperature range 850–920 K to avoid Cu loss by evaporation. The surface composition profile was calculated using data from the combination of the X-ray Photo-electron Spectroscopy and Auger Electron Spectroscopy techniques. Using these techniques, a wide range of electron kinetic energies and associated electron escape depths can be probed, yielding information about the topmost layer concentration and about the concentration profile into the bulk. Extensive Cu segregation was observed for the 5% and 50% Cu alloys. Topmost layer compositions of 85–100% Cu were found for both the high and low index surfaces of the 5% Cu alloy. In the next two or three atomic layers the composition was found to drop swiftly to near bulk Cu levels. For atomic layers deeper than this, some experimental evidence suggested a rise in Cu composition over three or four layers to 8–17% Cu before bulk levels were finally regained. For the 50% Cu alloy sample, a topmost layer composition was found of 95–100% Cu. Bulk levels of Cu were regained in about four atomic layers. These results are discussed in relation to other theoretical and experimental studies of segregation in these Cu-Ni alloys. The significance of the measured composition in relation to an equilibrium surface is also considered.     

Adsorption an Einkristall-Oberflächen von Cu/Ni-legierungen. I

The adsorption of O₂ and CO on the (110) face of a Cu/Ni alloy (55 at% Cu) has been studied by means of low energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy, work function measurements, and flash desorption. A comparison with the behavior of Cu(110) and Ni(110) is made. It is shown that the height of an Auger peak is proportional to the surface concentration of the corresponding species and that the surface composition of the alloy is identical with the composition of the bulk. Adsorption of oxygen leads to the formation of an ordered 2 × 1 structure, as is the case for Cu(110) and Ni(110). Further exposure causes disordered adsorption in contrast to the pure components where c6 × 2 respectively 3 × 1 structures are formed. Oxygen increases the work function of Cu and Cu/Ni by about 0.25 eV whereas for Ni the increase is > 1 eV. CO is not irreversibly adsorbed on Cu at 25°C, but forms a stable 1 × 1 structure on Ni(110). With the alloy two ordered phases (2 × 1 and 2 × 2) are observed. The flash desorption spectrum shows three maxima which are similar to the binding states of CO on Ni(110) and Ni(100). The results are discussed in view of the electronic structure of Cu/Ni alloys and the parameters influencing the configuration of adsorbed particles.     

An effect of phonons on the surface segregation of random binary alloys

We have calculated the Einstein temperatures of the alloy surface as a function of composition employing the self-consistent Einstein model. The Einstein temperatures are found to vary almost linearly with surface and bulk compositions. Based upon these calculations,we have estimated the phonon contribution to the surface segregation of CuNi and NiPt alloys.     

Monte Carlo simulation of surface segregation phenomena in extended and nanoparticle surfaces of Pt-Pd alloys

The surface segregation phenomena in the extended and nanoparticle surfaces of Pt-Pd alloys have been studied using the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation method and the modified embedded-atom method (MEAM) potentials developed for Pt-Pd alloys. The MEAM potentials were fitted to reproduce the experimental values of the lattice parameters, cohesive energies and surface energies of pure Pt and Pd metals, as well as the density functional theory calculation results of the lattice parameters and heat of formation of L1(2) Pt(3)Pd, L1(0) PtPd and L1(2) PtPd(3) crystal. Using the MC method and the developed MEAM potentials, we calculated the Pt concentrations in the outermost three layers of the equilibrium (111), (100) and (110) extended surfaces as well as the outermost surfaces of the equilibrium cubo-octahedral nanoparticles of Pt-Pd alloys. Our simulation results showed that the Pd atoms would segregate into the outermost layers of the extended surfaces and the Pt concentration would increase monotonically from the extended surfaces into the bulk. The equilibrium Pt-Pd nanoparticles were found to have Pd-enriched shells and Pt-enriched cores. In the shell of the Pt-Pd nanoparticles, the Pd atoms were predicted to preferably segregate to the (100) facets rather than the (111) facets.     

自发有序Ga_（0．5）In_（0．5）P合金的喇曼光谱研究

在室温和非共振条件下测量了自发有序Ｇａ０．５Ｉｎ０．５Ｐ合金的喇曼散射谱。测得的３８０，３６０和３３０ｃｍ－１附近的三个散射峰分别归结于合金中的类ＧａＰ的ＬＯ模、类ＩｎＰ的ＬＯ模和ＴＯＭ。发现有序合金的类ＧａＰ的ＬＯ模的声子频率随着合金的带隙能量的降低而增大。认为这与在有序合金中形成沿［１１１］方向的（ＧＳＰ）１／（ＩｎＰ）１单层超晶格有一定联系。在几种偏振配置下测得的有序合金的喇曼谱的偏振特性与通常的闪锌矿结构的半导体材料的偏振特性类似。     

Effect of the electronic structure of a substrate on the photoinduced behavior of adsorbed NO and CO molecules

Photoprocesses in systems produced by adsorption of NO and CO molecules on the Pt(111) and Ni(111) surfaces, as well as on the (111) surface of Pt-Ge alloy, is studied by the IR absorption spectroscopy, resonant multiphoton ionization, and UV photoelectron spectroscopy methods. The energy of photons varies between 2.3 and 6.4 eV. The character of the processes depends on the type of the metallic substrate. On the Pt(111) surface, NO molecules dissociate or are desorbed, depending on the degree of coverage. On the Ni(111) surface, the molecules only dissociate. Conversely, NO molecules adsorbed on the (111) surface of the Pt-Ge alloy are only desorbed from the surface. In the CO/Pt(111) and CO/Pt(111)-Ge systems, CO molecules adsorbed on on-top adsorption sites are desorbed under the action of the photons, while those occupying bridging adsorption sites change their properties insignificantly. A model of photoinduced processes is suggested. According to this model, the lifetime of a state excited by charge transfer between the valence band of the metal and the 2π-antibonding molecular orbital plays a decisive part in the occurrence of one or the other of these processes.     

Thermo-stimulated surface segregation in the ordering alloy Pt80Co20(1 1 1): Experiment and modeling

In this paper, a method of Ionization Spectroscopy (IS) is proposed for the non-destructive layer-by-layer analysis of the elemental composition of a solid surface. Using ionization energy loss spectra, a layer-by-layer concentration profile of the Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) alloy surface is obtained for different annealing temperatures. For the disordered Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) at room temperature, the first atomic layer consists of pure Pt with damped oscillations in the deeper layers. Heating the sample reduces the oscillations. However, at a temperature of 823 K, a sandwich-like structure of the type Pt/Co/Pt was found in the first three atomic layers. For the ordered state the first atomic layer also consists of pure Pt with bulk concentration in other layers. LEED analysis shows a p(2 × 2) superstructure for the surface of the ordered Pt₈₀Co₂₀(1 1 1) alloy. The segregation behavior in this alloy is further studied by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations combined with the Constant Bond Energy (CBE) model. The results of the MC simulations agree well with the experiments at the higher temperatures, both for the surface composition and the concentration depth profile. At lower temperatures, some discrepancies exist between the MC results and the measured concentration profile.     

Surface dependence of the magnetic configurations of the ordered B2 FeCr alloy

Tight-binding linear muffin tin orbitals calculations with generalized gradient approximation were carried out for the magnetic configurations at the surface of the ferromagnetic ordered B2 FeCr alloys. For both (001) and (111) crystallographic phases, non ferromagnetic configurations are shown to be more stable than the ferromagnetic configuration of the bulk alloy. For (001) surface we display a c ground state for either Cr or Fe at the surface. For Cr top layer the magnetic moments are larger than in the bulk B2 FeCr while they are slightly enhanced for Fe top layer. For (111) surface an antiferromagnetic coupling between surface and subsurface is always obtained i.e. for either Fe or Cr at the surface. This change of coupling between Fe and Cr (from ferromagnetic to antiferromagnetic) is expected to be fundamental to any explanation of the experimental results obtained for the interface alloying at the Fe/Cr interfaces. Received 23 March 1998     

Density functional theory calculation of platinum surface segregation energy in Pt3Ni (111) surface doped with a third transition metal

We have used density functional theory method to calculate the Pt surface segregation energy in the Pt₃Ni (111) surface doped with a third transition metal M and thus investigated the influence of component M on the extent of Pt segregation to the outermost layer of these Pt₃Ni/M (111) surface. As a third component in the Pt₃Ni/M (111) surface, V, Fe, Co, Mo, Tc, Ru, W, Re, Os, and Ir were predicted to lead to even more negative Pt surface segregation energies than that in the based Pt₃Ni (111) surface; Ti, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zr, Nb, Rh, Hf, and Ta would still retain the preference of Pt segregation to the surface but with less extent than the replaced Ni, while Pd, Ag, and Au would completely suppress the Pt segregation to the Pt₃Ni/M (111) surfaces. Furthermore, we examined the relation between the Pt surface segregation energy in the Pt₃Ni/M (111) surfaces and the material properties (lattice parameter, heat of solution, and Pt surface segregation energy) of binary alloys Pt₃M. It was found that the surface energy effect, strain effect, and heat of solution effect induced by the doped element M would collectively affect the Pt surface segregation energy in the Pt₃Ni/M (111) surfaces.     

Influence of Ni content on the microstructure and magnetic and magneto-optical properties of sputtered (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy films

Influence of Ni content on the microstructure and magnetic and magneto-optical (MO) properties of sputtered (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy films has been investigated by means of Kerr spectrometer, Kerr hysteresis looper, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). On the whole, the addition of Ni to the CoPt3 alloy film simultaneously decreases the Curie temperature TC and the Kerr rotation angle θK, but the decrease of TC with Ni content is more visible. When the Ni content x is increased from 0 to 0.33, TC decreases from 273 ○C to 233 ○C, whereas the decrease of θK is quite limited and the film still preserves a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) and a high coercivity, indicating that the (Co1-xNix)Pt3 alloy film with x=0.33 can be used for practical MO applications. Further increase of Ni content decreases the θK significantly and destroys the PMA. XRD and AFM studies show that adding a small amount of Ni in the CoPt3 alloy film will promote the growth of grains and roughen the film surface, and thus enhance the coercivity of the film. We observe also that both the coercivity and PMA are not sensitive to the (111) preferred orientation of the (Co1-xNix )Pt3 alloy films.