Dynamics of surface catalyzed reactions; the roles of surface defects, surface diffusion, and hot electrons

The mechanism that controls bond breaking at transition metal surfaces has been studied with sum frequency generation (SFG), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and catalytic nanodiodes operating under the high-pressure conditions. The combination of these techniques permits us to understand the role of surface defects, surface diffusion, and hot electrons in dynamics of surface catalyzed reactions. Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy and kinetic measurements were performed under 1.5 Torr of cyclohexene hydrogenation/dehydrogenation in the presence and absence of H(2) and over the temperature range 300-500 K on the Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces. The structure specificity of the Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces is exhibited by the surface species present during reaction. On Pt(100), pi-allyl c-C6H9, cyclohexyl (C6H11), and 1,4-cyclohexadiene are identified adsorbates, while on the Pt(111) surface, pi-allyl c-C6H9, 1,4-cyclohexadiene, and 1,3-cyclohexadiene are present. A scanning tunneling microscope that can be operated at high pressures and temperatures was used to study the Pt(111) surface during the catalytic hydrogenation/dehydrogenation of cyclohexene and its poisoning with CO. It was found that catalytically active surfaces were always disordered, while ordered surface were always catalytically deactivated. Only in the case of the CO poisoning at 350 K was a surface with a mobile adsorbed monolayer not catalytically active. From these results, a CO-dominated mobile overlayer that prevents reactant adsorption was proposed. By using the catalytic nanodiode, we detected the continuous flow of hot electron currents that is induced by the exothermic catalytic reaction. During the platinum-catalyzed oxidation of carbon monoxide, we monitored the flow of hot electrons over several hours using a metal-semiconductor Schottky diode composed of Pt and TiO2. The thickness of the Pt film used as the catalyst was 5 nm, less than the electron mean free path, resulting in the ballistic transport of hot electrons through the metal. The electron flow was detected as a chemicurrent if the excess electron kinetic energy generated by the exothermic reaction was larger than the effective Schottky barrier formed at the metal-semiconductor interface. The measurement of continuous chemicurrent indicated that chemical energy of exothermic catalytic reaction was directly converted into hot electron flux in the catalytic nanodiode. We found the chemicurrent was well-correlated with the turnover rate of CO oxidation separately measured by gas chromatography.     

Energetics of cyclohexene adsorption and reaction on Pt(111) by low-temperature microcalorimetry

The heat of adsorption and sticking probability of cyclohexene on Pt(111) were measured as a function of coverage using single-crystal adsorption calorimetry in the temperature range from 100 to 300 K. At 100 K, cyclohexene adsorbs as intact di-sigma bonded cyclohexene on Pt(111), and the heat of adsorption is well described by a second-order polynomial (130 - 47 theta - 1250 theta(2)) kJ/mol, yielding a standard enthalpy of formation of di-sigma bonded cyclohexene on Pt(111) at low coverages of -135 kJ/mol and a C-Pt sigma bond strength of 205 kJ/mol. At 281 K, cyclohexene dehydrogenates upon adsorption, forming adsorbed 2-cyclohexenyl (c-C6H(9,a)) and adsorbed hydrogen, and the heat of adsorption is well described by another second-order polynomial (174 - 700 theta + 761 theta(2)) kJ/mol. This yields a standard enthalpy of formation of adsorbed 2-cyclohexenyl on Pt(111) at a low coverage of -143 kJ/mol. At coverages below 0.10 ML, the sticking probability of cyclohexene on Pt(111) is close to unity (>0.95), independent of temperature.     

Ab initio reaction path analysis of benzene hydrogenation to cyclohexane on Pt(111)

First-principles density functional theory calculations were performed to obtain detailed insight into the mechanism of benzene hydrogenation over Pt(111). The results indicate that benzene hydrogenation follows a Horiuti-Polanyi scheme which involves the consecutive addition of hydrogen adatoms. A first-principles-based reaction path analysis indicates the presence of a dominant reaction path. Hydrogenation occurs preferentially in the meta position of a methylene group. Cyclohexadiene and cyclohexene are expected to be at best minor products, since they are not formed along the dominant reaction path. The only product that can desorb is cyclohexane. Along the dominant reaction path, two categories of activation energies are found: lower barriers at approximately 75 kJ/mol for the first three hydrogenation steps, and higher barriers of approximately 88 kJ/mol for steps four and six, where hydrogen can only add in the ortho position of two methylene groups. The highest barrier at 104 kJ/mol is calculated for the fifth hydrogenation step, which may potentially be the rate-determining step. The high barrier for this step is likely the result of a rather strong C-H...Pt interaction in the adsorbed reactant state (1,2,3,5-tetrahydrobenzene) which increases the barrier by approximately 15 kJ/mol. Benzene and hydrogen are thought to be the most-abundant reaction intermediates.     

Adsorption and reactions of C(6) hydrocarbons at high pressures on Pt(111) single-crystal surfaces studied by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy: mechanisms of isomerization and dehydrocyclization of n-hexane

The adsorption geometries and surface reactions of various C(6) hydrocarbons (n-hexane, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, and 1-hexene) adsorbed on Pt(111) were investigated using sum frequency generation (SFG) surface vibrational spectroscopy. The adsorptions and reactions were carried out in 1.5 Torr of C(6) hydrocarbons in the absence and presence of excess hydrogen (15 Torr) and in the temperature range 296-453 K. At 296 K and in the presence of excess hydrogen, n-hexane and 3-methylpentane adsorbed molecularly on Pt(111) mostly in "flat-lying" geometries. Upon heating the sample up to 453 K, the molecules underwent dehydrogenation to form new surface species in "standing-up" geometries, such as hexylidyne and metallacyclic species. However, 2-methylpentane and 1-hexene were dehydrogenated to metallacyclobutane and hexylidyne, respectively, at 296 K in the presence of excess hydrogen. The dehydrogenated species remained unreacted on the surface upon heating the sample up to 453 K. The absence of excess hydrogen enhanced dehydrogenation of n-hexane and 3-methylpentane to form pi-allyl c-C(6)H(9) and metallacyclohexane, respectively, at 296 K. Upon heating to 453 K, the pi-allyl c-C(6)H(9) species underwent irreversible dehydrogenation, while hexylidyne and metallacyclic species remained unreacted. On the basis of these results, the mechanisms for catalytic isomerization and dehydrocyclization of n-hexane, which are the important "reforming" reactions to produce high-octane fuels over platinum, were discussed.     

Ni/Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces: unique chemistry at monolayer ni coverage.

We have utilized the dehydrogenation and hydrogenation of cyclohexene as probe reactions to compare the chemical reactivity of Ni overlayers that are grown epitaxially on a Pt(111) surface. The reaction pathways of cyclohexene were investigated using temperature-programmed desorption, high-resolution electron energy loss (HREELS), and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Our results provide conclusive spectroscopic evidence that the adsorption and subsequent reactions of cyclohexene are unique on the monolayer Ni surface as compared to those on the clean Pt(111) surface or the thick Ni(111) film. HREELS and NEXAFS studies show that cyclohexene is weakly pi-bonded on monolayer Ni/Pt(111) but di-sigma-bonded to Pt(111) and Ni(111). In addition, a new hydrogenation pathway is detected on the monolayer Ni surface at temperatures as low as 245 K. By exposing the monolayer Ni/Pt(111) surface to D2 prior to the adsorption of cyclohexene, the total yield of the normal and deuterated cyclohexanes increases by approximately 5-fold. Furthermore, the reaction pathway for the complete decomposition of cyclohexene to atomic carbon and hydrogen, which has a selectivity of 69% on the thick Ni(111) film, is nearly negligible (<2%) on the monolayer Ni surface. Overall, the unique chemistry of the monolayer Ni/Pt(111) surface can be explained by the weaker interaction between adsorbates and the monolayer Ni film. These results also point out the possibility of manipulating the chemical properties of metals by controlling the overlayer thickness.     

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopic and high-pressure scanning tunneling microscopic studies of benzene hydrogenation on Pt(111)

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and high-pressure scanning tunneling microscopy (HP-STM) have been used in combination for the first time to study a catalytic reaction. These techniques have been able to identify surface intermediates in situ during benzene hydrogenation on a Pt(111) single-crystal surface at Torr pressures. In a background of 10 Torr of benzene, STM is able to image small ordered regions corresponding to the c(2 radical3 x 3)rect structure in which each molecule is chemisorbed at a bridge site. In addition, individual benzene molecules are also observed between the ordered regions. These individual molecules are assumed to be physisorbed benzene on the basis of the SFG results showing both chemisorbed and physisorbed molecules. The surface becomes too mobile to image upon addition of hydrogen but is determined to have physisorbed and chemisorbed benzene present by SFG. It was spectroscopically determined that heating the platinum surface after poisoning with CO displaces benzene molecules. The high-coverage pure CO structure of (radical19 x radical19)R23.4 degrees imaged with STM is a verification of spectroscopic measurements.     

In Situ Raman Study of CO Electrooxidation on Pt(hkl) Single-Crystal Surfaces in Acidic Solution

The adsorption and electrooxidation of CO molecules at well-defined Pt(hkl) single-crystal electrode surfaces is a key step towards addressing catalyst poisoning mechanisms in fuel cells. Herein, we employed in situ electrochemical shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) coupled with theoretical calculation to investigate CO electrooxidation on Pt(hkl) surfaces in acidic solution. We obtained the Raman signal of top- and bridge-site adsorbed CO* molecules on Pt(111) and Pt(100). In contrast, on Pt(110) surfaces only top-site adsorbed CO* was detected during the entire electrooxidation process. Direct spectroscopic evidence for OH* and COOH* species forming on Pt(100) and Pt(111) surfaces was afforded and confirmed subsequently via isotope substitution experiments and DFT calculations. In summary, the formation and adsorption of OH* and COOH* species plays a vital role in expediting the electrooxidation process, which relates with the pre-oxidation peak of CO electrooxidation. This work deepens knowledge of the CO electrooxidation process and provides new perspectives for the design of anti-poisoning and highly effective catalysts.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of ammonia on Pt(111) and Pt(100) surfaces

The electrocatalytic oxidation of ammonia on Pt(111) and Pt(100) has been studied using voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and in situ infrared spectroscopy. The oxidative adsorption of ammonia results in the formation of NH(x) (x = 0-2) adsorbates. On Pt(111), ammonia oxidation occurs in the double-layer region and results in the formation of NH and, possibly, N adsorbates. The experimental current transients show a hyperbolic decay (t(-1)), which indicates strong lateral (repulsive) interactions between the (reacting) species. On Pt(100), the NH(2) adsorbed species is the stable intermediate of ammonia oxidation. Stabilization of the NH and NH(2) fragments on Pt(111) and Pt(100), respectively, is in an interesting agreement with recent theoretical predictions. The Pt(111) surface shows extremely low activity in ammonia oxidation to dinitrogen, thus indicating that neither NH nor N (strongly) adsorbed species are active in dinitrogen production. Neither nitrous oxide nor nitric oxide is the product of ammonia oxidation on Pt(111) at potentials up to 0.9 V, as deduced from the in situ infrared spectroscopy measurements. The Pt(100) surface is highly active in dinitrogen production. This process is characterized by a Tafel slope of 30 mV decade(-1), which is explained by a rate-determining dimerization of NH(2) fragments followed by a fast decay of the resulting surface-bound hydrazine to dinitrogen. Therefore, the high activity of the Pt(100) surface for ammonia oxidation to dinitrogen is likely to be related to its ability to stabilize the NH(2) adsorbate.     

Catalytic reaction energetics by single crystal adsorption calorimetry: hydrocarbons on Pt(111)

Single crystal adsorption calorimetry provides essential information about the energetics of surface reactions on well-defined surfaces where the adsorbed reaction products can be clearly identified. In this tutorial review, we cover the essentials of that technique, with emphasis on our lab's recent advances in sensitivity and temperature range, and demonstrate what can be achieved through a review of selected example studies concerning adsorption and dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons on Pt(111). A fairly complete reaction enthalpy diagram is presented for the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane to benzene on Pt(111).     

Methane dissociative adsorption on the Pt(111) surface over the 300-500 K temperature and 1-10 Torr pressure ranges

The dissociative adsorption of methane on the Pt(111) surface has been investigated and characterized over the 1-10 Torr pressure and 300-500 K temperature ranges using sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). At a reaction temperature of 300 K and a pressure of 1 Torr, C-H bond dissociation occurs in methane on the Pt(111) surface to produce adsorbed methyl (CH(3)) groups, carbon, and hydrogen. SFG results suggest that C-C coupling occurs at higher reaction temperatures and pressures. At 400 K, methyl groups react with adsorbed C to form ethylidyne (C(2)H(3)), which dehydrogenates at 500 K to form ethynyl (C(2)H) and methylidyne (CH) species, as shown by SFG. By 600 K, all of the ethylidyne has reacted to form the dissociation products ethynyl and methylidyne. Calculated C-H bond dissociation probabilities for methane, determined by carbon deposition measured by AES, are in the 10(-8) range and increase with increasing reaction temperature. A mechanism has been developed and is compared with conclusions from other experimental and theoretical studies using single crystals.     

Electrochemical and FTIRS characterisation of NO adlayers on cyanide-modified Pt(111) electrodes: the mechanism of nitric oxide electroreduction on Pt

We report here a study, using cyclic voltammetry and FTIRS, of NO irreversibly adsorbed on a cyanide-modified Pt(111) electrode. NO adlayers were formed by immersion of the cyanide-modified Pt(111) electrode in an acidic solution of KNO(2). The behaviour of NO adsorbed on the cyanide-modified electrode is very similar to that of NO on the clean Pt(111) surface, suggesting that adsorbed cyanide (saturation coverage theta(CN) = 0.5) behaves simply as a third body, blocking some of the surface sites but leaving the free Pt sites unaffected. Comparison of the voltammetric profile for NO electroreduction on Pt(111) and on cyanide-modified Pt(111) electrodes has allowed us: (i) to confirm that the reduction of three-fold hollow NO and atop NO on Pt(111) electrodes occurs in two distinct reduction peaks, as previously proposed by Rosca et al. (Langmuir, 2005, 21, 1448); (ii) to suggest that the reduction of irreversibly adsorbed NO layers on Pt electrodes can proceed through two possible paths, one involving an EE mechanism in which the rate-determining step (rds) is an Eley-Rideal reaction, with a direct proton transfer from the solution to adsorbed NO, and the other involving an EC mechanism in which the rds is a Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction of adsorbed NO with adsorbed H. The availability of adsorbed hydrogen determines which path is followed by the reaction; (iii) to identify the smallest atomic ensemble for the reduction of NO on Pt as being composed of two adjacent Pt atoms.     

Sum-frequency generation of acetate adsorption on Au and Pt surfaces: molecular structure effects

The reversible adsorption of acetate on polycrystalline Au and Pt surfaces was investigated with broadband sum-frequency generation (SFG) and cyclic voltammetry. Specifically adsorbed acetate as well as coadsorbed sulfuric acid anions are observed for the first time with SFG and give rise to dramatically different SFG intensities on Au and Pt surfaces. While similar coverages of acetate adlayers on Au and Pt surfaces are well established by previous studies, an identification of the interfacial molecular structure has been elusive. However, we have applied the high sensitivity of SFG for interfacial polar ordering to identify different acetate structures at Au and Pt surfaces in contact with HClO(4) and H(2)SO(4) electrolytes. Acetate competes with the formation of surface oxides and shifts the oxidation threshold of both Au and Pt electrodes anodically. Effects of the supporting electrolyte on the formation of acetate adlayers are revealed by comparing SFG spectra in HClO(4) and H(2)SO(4) solutions: Sulfuric acid anions modify the potential-dependent acetate adsorption, compete with adsorbed acetate on Au and coadsorb with acetate on Pt surfaces.     

Study of oscillations and pattern formation in the NO + CO reaction on Pt(100) surfaces through dynamic Monte Carlo simulation: toward a realistic model

Oscillations and pattern formation driven by a surface reconstruction are studied for the catalytic reduction of NO by CO on Pt(100) single-crystal surfaces through dynamic Monte Carlo simulations at low pressure and relatively high temperatures conditions. This study incorporates recent experimental evidence obtained for the same reaction on a Rh(111) surface, which modifies the reaction scheme used in previous approaches. The main consequence of such experimental evidence is that the production of N(2) occurs through two parallel mechanisms: (a) the classical N + N recombination step; (b) the formation and subsequent decay of an (N-NO) intermediate species as the fastest pathway. Moreover, different factors influencing the NO dissociation rate, the key step in the whole reaction, such as the availability of neighboring vacant sites, the formation of N-islands, and the presence of other NO and CO adsorbed species in the neighborhood, are also taken into account and their effects discussed. Sustained, modulated, irregular, and damped oscillations are observed in our analysis as well as the formation of cellular structures and turbulent patterns. The effect and the importance of each elementary reaction step on the behavior of the system are discussed.     

Evidence for cyclohexyl as a reactive surface intermediate during high-pressure cyclohexane catalytic reactions on Pt(111) by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Sum frequency generation (SFG) surface vibrational spectroscopy has been used to identify reactive surface intermediates in situ during catalytic dehydrogenation reactions of high-pressure cyclohexane (C(6)H(12)) on the Pt(111) crystal surface in the presence and absence of high-pressure hydrogen. These experiments provide the first spectroscopic evidence of cyclohexyl (C(6)H(11)) as a reactive surface intermediate during the cyclohexane catalytic conversion to benzene at high pressure in the presence of excess hydrogen. In addition, it was proposed from temperature-dependent SFG experiments that dehydrogenation of cyclohexyl is a rate-limiting step in the cyclohexane catalytic conversion to benzene.     

氧原子在Pt(s)-[n(111)×(100)]型台阶面上的吸附和振动

应用原子和表面簇合物相互作用的5-参数Morse势(简称5-MP)方法系统地研究了氧-铂台阶面体系.理论结果表明:在Pt(s)-[n(111)×(100)]型台阶面上，氧原子吸附在台阶下的四重位，对应稳定吸附态β2；平台上靠近四重位的三重吸附态被湮灭，其它三重位对应吸附态β1；而且平台的长度对四重吸附态有影响.     

Vibrational spectroscopy on platinum single-crystal electrodes: Part I. In-situ infrared spectroscopic studies of the adsorption and oxidation of CO on Pt (111) in sulphuric acid

Platinum single-crystal electrodes of 5 mm diameter were prepared for in situ infrared spectroscopic measurements by melting platinum wires. The linear potential sweep voltammograms of hydrogen adsorption/desorption on Pt (111), (110) and (100) in 0.5 M sulphuric acid are in excellent agreement with those observed on smaller platinum single-crystal surfaces.The adsorption and oxidation of CO on Pt (111) in 0.5 M sulphuric acid was studied by in situ polarization modulated infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. The effects of the initial adsorption potential and surface reconstruction on the nature and oxidation mechanism of the adsorbed CO layer are reported.     

CO and methanol adsorption on (2 × 1)Pt(110) and ion‐eroded Pt(111) model catalysts

Methanol adsorption on ion‐sputtered Pt(111) surface exhibiting high concentration of vacancy islands and on (2 × 1)Pt(110) single crystal were investigated by means of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and thermal desorption spectroscopy. The measurements showed that methanol adsorbed at low temperature on sputtered Pt(111) and on (2 × 1)Pt(110) surfaces decomposed upon heating. The PES data of methanol adsorption were compared to the data of CO adsorbed on the same Pt single crystal surfaces. In the case of the sputtered Pt(111) surface, the dehydrogenation of H_xCO intermediates is followed by the CO bond breakage. On the (2 × 1)Pt(110) surface, carbon monoxide, as product of methanol decomposition, desorbed molecularly without appearance of any traces of atomic carbon. By comparing both platinum surfaces we conclude that methanol decomposition occurs at higher temperature on sputtered Pt(111) than on (2 × 1)Pt(110). Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical analysis of the conversion mechanism of acetylene to ethylidyne on Pt(111)

The conversion of acetylene to ethylidyne on Pt(111) has been comprehensively investigated using self-consistent periodic density functional theory. Geometries and energies for all of the intermediates involved as well as the conversion mechanism were analyzed. On Pt(111), the carbon atoms in the majority of stable C(2)H(x) (x = 1-4) intermediates prefer saturated sp(3) configurations with the missing H atoms substituted by the adjacent metal atoms. The most favorable conversion pathway for acetylene to ethylidyne is via a three-step reaction mechanism, acetylene → vinyl → vinylidene → ethylidyne. The first step, acetylene → vinyl, depends on the availability of surface H atoms: without preadsorbed H the reaction occurs via the initial disproportionation of acetylene, which resulted in adsorbed vinyl; with an abundance of preadsorbed H, acetylene could transform to vinyl via both the disproportionation and hydrogenation reactions. Conversions through initial dehydrogenation of acetylene and isomerizations of acetylene and vinyl are unfavorable due to high energy barriers along the relevant pathways. The conversion rate involving vinylidene as an intermediate is at least 100 times larger than that involving ethylidene.     

红外光谱法考察苯加氢过程中的氢溢流效应

以点状Pt/η-Al_2O_3催化剂作为产生溢流氢的“源”, 用原位红外光谱观察η-Al_2O_3上苯的加氢过程, 发现溢流氢在η-Al_2O_3表面上可以迁移相当长的距离, 它的迁移速度是苯加氢反应的控制步骤。结合TPSR-MS数据, 认为苯的加氢是分步进行的, 它先被加氢成环已二烯, 再转化成环已烯, 最终形成环已烷脱附。这些反应都是快速反应。     

An angle resolved UPS study of benzene adsorption on Pt(111)

The results of an ARUPS study of benzene adsorption on Pt(111) at 300 K are presented. It is concluded that benzene is adsorbed on this surface with the ring parallel to the surface, and that the local symmetry of the adsorbed benzene is best described as C_Зυ(σ_d). The n MO's of benzene are stabilized by ∼1.7 eV with respect to the σ M.O.S. on ehemisorption. These results are compared briefly with NEXAFS, HREELS and FT-i.r. data for benzene on this and other surfaces. The strength of the metal-benzene interaction on this surface appears to be greater than on Ni(1 11), Pd(1 1 1) or Rh(111) but less than on Ir(1 11), Os(0001) or Re(0001).