Molecular level study of the formation and the spread of MoO3 on Au(111) by scanning tunneling microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The formation of MoO(3) and its spontaneous spread over an Au (111) surface have been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Metallic Mo clusters grown by Mo(CO)(6) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have a constant size independent of the Mo coverage. Molecular oxygen does not react with low coverage of Mo, probably due to the encapsulation of the Mo clusters by Au. At higher coverage, O(2) reacts with Mo, partially transforming the metallic Mo to Mo(4+). NO(2) can oxidize Mo efficiently to Mo(6+) and Mo(5+) species at all coverages investigated. XPS experiments show that the integrated intensity of the Mo 3d peaks increases by a factor of 2 upon the oxidation, suggesting the spread of the MoO(3) over the surface. The STM study confirms this suggestion and provides the mechanistic details of the spreading. Mo oxide forms ramified two-dimensional islands covering a substantially larger fraction of the Au surface than the metallic Mo. We propose that the morphology change starts with the diffusion of oxide clusters (ramified-cluster-diffusion mechanism), followed by their breakdown to highly disordered two-dimensional islands of molecular MoO(3).     

Novel synthesis of two-dimensional TiS2 nanocrystallites on Au111

We describe a novel approach to synthesize two-dimensional nanocrystalline TiS2 islands on Au111. Ti is deposited by physical vapor deposition at room temperature on AuS-covered Au111 surfaces. Subsequent annealing to temperatures between 670 K and 800 K leads to the formation of single-layer, triangular TiS2 islands. These TiS2 nanocrystallites reflect the structure of bulk TiS2, and are composed of S-Ti-S stacking units with hexagonally close-packed layers of sulfur atoms and titanium occupying the octahedral sites in between. The lattice constant of the hexagonal unit cell is 3.45 A. A superlattice with a repeat distance of 17.3 A results from the coincidence of five TiS2 units with six Au atoms and is observed in scanning tunneling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction. The triangular shape of the islands indicates a preference for one of the two possible edge terminations. The observation of two island orientations rotated by 60 degrees with respect to each other can be attributed to the formation of twin-related TiS2 domains. The population of the two different island orientations changes during annealing at 800 K indicating a thermodynamic preference for one of the possible stacking sequences.     

铈基模型催化剂的纳米结构:有序CeO2(111)薄膜上的Pt-Co纳米颗粒

制备并表征了原子分散的模型体系:氧化铈负载的Pt-Co核壳催化剂.采用超高真空物理气相沉积法制备了有序CeO2(111)膜上的Pt@Co和Co@Pt核壳纳米结构,并用同步辐射光电子能谱和共振光发射光谱对其进行了研究.在低Co覆盖率(0.5 ML)下Co在CeO2(111)上沉积生成Co-CeO2(111)固溶体,然后在更高Co覆盖率下生长为金属Co纳米粒子.Pt@Co和Co@Pt两种模型结构在300-500 K温度范围内都能稳定地抗烧结.在500 K退火后, Pt@Co纳米结构含有接近纯的钴壳,而Co@Pt中的铂壳部分被金属钴覆盖.在550 K以上,在Pt@Co和Co@Pt纳米结构中近表面区域的重新排序中产生了次表层的Pt Co合金和富铂外壳.对于Co@Pt纳米粒子,近表面区域的化学有序性取决于沉积铂壳的初始厚度.无论初始铂壳的厚度如何,在有氧存在下对Co@Pt纳米结构进行退火,都会导致Pt-Co合金的分解以及Co的氧化.Co的逐步氧化与吸附质诱导的Co偏析共同导致在负载的Co@Pt纳米结构表面形成厚的Co O层.这一过程伴随着CeO2(111)薄膜的裂解,以及在550K以上氧气中退火后CeO2包裹氧化的Co@Pt纳米结构.很明显,于不同温度下在氧气和氢气的氧化-还原循环过程中,无论铂的初始厚度是多少,负载的Co@Pt纳米颗粒的结构和化学成分的变化主要是由氧化所致,而还原处理的影响则很小.     

Characterization of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles formed on Au(111) using reactive-layer assisted deposition

Temperature programmed desorption (TPD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have been used to characterize molybdenum carbide nanoparticles prepared on a Au(111) substrate. The MoC(x) nanoparticles were formed by Mo metal deposition onto a reactive multilayer of ethylene, which was physisorbed on a Au(111) substrate at low temperatures (<100 K). The resulting clusters have an average diameter of approximately 1.5 nm and aggregate in the fcc troughs located on either side of the elbows of the reconstructed Au(111) surface. Core level XPS shows that the electronic environment of the Mo and C atoms in the nanoparticles is similar to that found in Mo(2)C(0001) single crystals and carburized Mo metal surfaces. Peak intensities in XPS and AES spectra were used to estimate an average Mo/C atomic ratio of 1.2 +/- 0.3 for nanoparticles annealed above 600 K.     

Growth of large-area aligned molybdenum nanowires by high temperature chemical vapor deposition: synthesis, growth mechanism, and device application

Large-area aligned Mo nanowires have been grown on stainless steel substrates by high-temperature chemical vapor deposition with the use of Mo metal. The detailed physical and chemical growth processes regarding the formation of the nanowires have been investigated using mass spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis, as well as structure analysis by electron microscopy. In reference to Gibbs energy calculation, our study reveals that the growth relies on the decomposition of MoO2 vapors through condensation of its vapor at high substrate temperatures. The aligned growth is a result of competing growth with the nanowires normal to the substrate surface reaching the final growth front. The field emission measurement and the vacuum luminescent tube study show that the Mo nanowires have potential application as electron emitters.     

Interaction of cobalt with ceria thin films and its influence on supported Au nanoparticles

The interaction of Co with ceria thin films and its influence on the sintering behavior of Au were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy(STM), synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy(SRPES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The strong interaction between Co and CeO_2(111) leads to oxidation of Co to Co~(2+) at 300 K, accompanied by partial reduction of ceria surface at low Co coverages. Subsequent Co deposition results in an increasing fraction of metallic Co. Annealing to high temperatures induces Co~(2+)ions diffuse into the CeO_2 film, while the small metallic Co islands agglomerate into larger ones. The bimetallic Co–Au particles were prepared by deposition of Au on the existing Co particles on ceria surfaces. The sintering behavior of Co–Au bimetallic surfaces is found to be highly determined by the stoichiometry of ceria supports. The addition of Co to the Au/CeO_2 surface suppresses the sintering of Au particles at high temperatures in comparison with that of pure Au particles. However, Au particles are less stable on the Co/CeO_(1.82) layer than on CeO_(1.82) surface.     

Interaction of Au with thin ZrO2 films: influence of ZrO2 morphology on the adsorption and thermal stability of Au nanoparticles

The model catalysts of ZrO(2)-supported Au nanoparticles have been prepared by deposition of Au atoms onto the surfaces of thin ZrO(2) films with different morphologies. The adsorption and thermal stability of Au nanoparticles on thin ZrO(2) films have been investigated using synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The thin ZrO(2) films were prepared by two different methods, giving rise to different morphologies. The first method utilized wet chemical impregnation to synthesize the thin ZrO(2) film through the procedure of first spin-coating a zirconium ethoxide (Zr(OC(2)H(5))(4)) precursor onto a SiO(2)/Si(100) substrate at room temperature followed by calcination at 773 K for 12 h. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations indicate that highly porous "sponge-like nanostructures" were obtained in this case. The second method was epitaxial growth of a ZrO(2)(111) film through vacuum evaporation of Zr metal onto Pt(111) in 1 × 10(-6) Torr of oxygen at 550 K followed by annealing at 1000 K. The structural analysis with low energy electron diffraction (LEED) of this film exhibits good long-range ordering. It has been found that Au forms smaller particles on the porous ZrO(2) film as compared to those on the ordered ZrO(2)(111) film at a given coverage. Thermal annealing experiments demonstrate that Au particles are more thermally stable on the porous ZrO(2) surface than on the ZrO(2)(111) surface, although on both surfaces, Au particles experience significant sintering at elevated temperatures. In addition, by annealing the surfaces to 1100 K, Au particles desorb completely from ZrO(2)(111) but not from porous ZrO(2). The enhanced thermal stability for Au on porous ZrO(2) can be attributed to the stronger interaction of the adsorbed Au with the defects and the hindered migration or coalescence resulting from the porous structures.     

L-cysteine adsorption structures on Au(111) investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions

Adsorption structures formed upon vapor deposition of the natural amino acid L-cysteine onto the (111) surface of gold have been investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Following deposition at room temperature and at cysteine coverages well below saturation of the first monolayer, we found coexistence of unordered molecular islands and extended domains of a highly ordered molecular overlayer of quadratic symmetry. As the coverage was increased, a number of other structures with local hexagonal order emerged and became dominant. Neither of the room temperature, as-deposited, ordered structures showed any fixed rotational relationship to the underlying gold substrate, suggesting a comparatively weak and nonspecific molecule-substrate interaction. Annealing of the cysteine-covered substrate to 380 K lead to marked changes in the observed adsorption structures. At low coverages, the unordered islands developed internal order and their presence started to perturb the appearance of the surrounding Au(111) herringbone reconstruction. At coverages beyond saturation of the first monolayer, annealing led to development of a ( radical3 x radical3)R30 degrees superstructure accompanied by the formation of characteristic monatomically deep etch pits, i.e., the behavior typically observed for alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers on Au(111). The data thus show that as-deposited and thermally annealed cysteine adsorption structures are quite different and suggest that thermal activation is required before vacuum deposited cysteine becomes covalently bound to single crystalline Au(111).     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol on Pt deposits on Au(111)

This work presents characteristics of Pt deposits on Au(111) obtained by the use of spontaneous deposition and investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). On such prepared and STM characterized Au(111)/Pt surfaces, we studied electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol. We show that the first monatomic layer of Pt displays a (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees surface structure, while the second layer is (1 x 1). After prolonged deposition, multilayer Pt deposits are formed selectively on Au(111) surface steps and are 1-20 nm wide and one to five layers thick. On the optimized Au(111)/Pt surface, formic acid oxidation rates are enhanced by a factor of 20 compared to those of pure Pt(111). The (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees-Pt yields very low methanol oxidation rates, but the rates increase significantly with further Pt growth.     

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。     

Formation of ordered self-assembled monolayers by adsorption of octylthiocyanates on Au(111)

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) were formed by the spontaneous adsorption of octythiocyanate (OTC) on Au(111) using both solution and ambient-pressure vapor deposition methods at room temperature and 50 degrees C. The surface structures and adsorption characteristics of the OTC SAMs on Au(111) were characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The STM observation showed that OTC SAMs formed in solution at room temperature have unique surface structures including the formation of ordered and disordered domains, vacancy islands, and structural defects. Moreover, we revealed for the first time that the adsorption of OTC on Au(111) in solution at 50 degrees C led to the formation of SAMs containing small ordered domains, whereas the SAMs formed by vapor deposition at 50 degrees C had long-range ordered domains, which can be described as (radical3 x 2 radical19)R5 degrees structures. XPS measurements of the peaks in the S 2p and N 1s regions for the OTC SAMs showed that vapor deposition is the more effective method as compared to solution deposition for obtaining high-quality SAMs by adsorption of OTC on gold. The results obtained will be very useful in understanding the SAM formation of organic thiocyanates on gold surfaces.     

Rich coordination chemistry of Au adatoms in gold sulfide monolayer on Au(111)

The rich chemistry of Au nanoparticles and ions has attracted tremendous interest, in part because the surfaces of bulk Au have traditionally been considered to be chemically inert. On the other hand, large-scale mass transport and the formation of vacancy islands have been observed on the Au(111) surface following the deposition of adsorbates, such as sulfur and thiols, that can interact strongly with the Au surface. In this work, we revisit the structure and chemistry of an ordered incommensurate AuS adlayer that forms on Au(111) following the deposition of sulfur and annealing to 450 K. A structural model of this AuS surface phase has not yet been determined experimentally due to the complexity of the system. Here, we use state-of-the-art density functional theory to develop an atomic-scale model that is consistent with the previously reported Au-S stoichiometry. In particular, we introduce theoretical techniques to take into account the charge transfer in an incommensurate system. Our model reproduces convincingly STM images and is remarkably robust. Bonding analysis based on Wannier functions shows that the model exhibits rich coordination chemistry corresponding to different Au oxidation states. The extraordinary stability and rich chemistry of this structure have implications for related S-Au interfaces and previously reported surface features of this system.     

Initial oxidation and interfacial diffusion of Zn on faceted MgO(111) films

The interaction of zinc and faceted MgO(111) thin films prepared on a Mo(110) substrate was investigated in situ by using various surface analysis techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. The results revealed that three-dimensional Zn islands exist on the faceted MgO(111) films and that no chemical interaction takes place at the interface at room temperature. Initially, deposited Zn is stable at temperatures below 400 K and diffuses into MgO at temperatures above 425 K. A portion of Zn is oxidized at approximately 10 (-6) mbar O 2 at room temperature. An interfacial phase of Zn x Mg 1- x O was formed after Zn was exposed to approximately 10 (-6) mbar O 2 at temperatures >or=500 K. The faceted structure on the MgO(111) surface is of a disadvantage for the epitaxial growth of ZnO films.     

Low‐Temperature Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide with Gold(III) Ions Supported on Titanium Oxide

Au/TiO₂ catalysts prepared by a deposition–precipitation process and used for CO oxidation without previous calcination exhibited high, largely temperature‐independent conversions at low temperatures, with apparent activation energies of about zero. Thermal treatments, such as He at 623 K, changed the conversion–temperature characteristics to the well‐known S‐shape, with activation energies slightly below 30 kJ mol^?1. Sample characterization by XAFS and electron microscopy and a low‐temperature IR study of CO adsorption and oxidation showed that CO can be oxidized by gas‐phase O₂ at 90 K already over the freeze‐dried catalyst in the initial state that contained Au exclusively in the +3 oxidation state. CO conversion after activation in the feed at 303 K is due to Au^III‐containing sites at low temperatures, while Au⁰ dominates conversion at higher temperatures. After thermal treatments, CO conversion in the whole investigated temperature range results from sites containing exclusively Au⁰.     

溶胶-凝胶法制备Fe2(MoO4)3超微粒子催化剂

以硝酸铁和钼酸铵为原料，采用溶胶－凝胶法和微波加热技术制备了F 2(MoO4)3超微子催化剂，使用DTA－TG，IR，XRD以及BET比表面测试等手段，考察了制备条件对复合氧化物超微粒子形成、晶相和比表面积的影响。同时测试了该样品对甲苯选择性氧化制苯甲醛的催化性能。结果表明：制备Fe2(MoO4)2超微粒子的适宜条件为：初始溶液pH=1.0,mol柠檬酸：mol(铁＋钼）＝0．4。在此条件下制得的干凝胶，经微波加热处理后粒子的比表面积为36.4m^2/g，粒径约为35nm。在由甲苯气相选择氧化制苯甲醛的反应中表现出较高的催化活性。     

Thermally Driven Structural Order of Oligo(Ethylene Glycol)-Terminated Alkanethiol Monolayers on Au(111) Prepared by Vapor Deposition

To probe the effects of deposition temperature on the formation and structural order of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Au(111) prepared by vapor deposition of 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethanethiol (CH₃O(CH₂)₂O(CH₂)₂SH, EG2) for 24 h, we examined the surface structure and electrochemical behavior of the resulting EG2 SAMs using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV). STM observations clearly revealed that EG2 SAMs vapor-deposited on Au(111) at 298 K were composed of a disordered phase on the entire Au surface, whereas those formed at 323 K showed improved structural order, showing a mixed phase of ordered and disordered phases. Moreover, at 348 K, uniform and highly ordered EG2 SAMs on Au(111) were formed with a (2 × 3√3) packing structure. CV measurements showed sharp reductive desorption (RD) peaks at −0.818, −0.861, and −0.880 V for EG2 SAM-modified Au electrodes formed at 298, 323, and 348 K, respectively. More negative potential shifts of RD peaks with increasing deposition temperature are attributed to an increase in van der Waals interactions between EG2 molecular backbones resulting from the improved structural quality of EG2 SAMs. Our results obtained herein provide new insights into the formation and thermally driven structural order of oligo(ethylene glycol)-terminated SAMs vapor-deposited on Au(111).     

Au/SnO2的制备及其低温CO氧化催化性能

用沉积-沉淀法制备了不同金含量的Au/SnO2催化剂.采用XRD和UV-Vis等手段对催化剂样品进行了表征并考察了沉积溶液的pH值、金的负载量、焙烧温度和气氛等对Au/SnO2催化CO氧化活性的影响.结果表明：当沉积溶液的pH=9～10时,所制得的金属金的平均粒径最小；随着金的负载量的增大,金属金的粒径增大, Au/SnO2的催化活性降低；在所研究的条件下, Au/SnO2前驱体在空气中473 K下焙烧4 h,得到的催化剂活性最高；在氢气中373 K下处理2 h的Au/SnO2的催化活性在所有样品中是最高的.     

Decorated Ru/Au(111) and Os/Au(111) surfaces: An in situ STM and electrochemistry study

The structure and reactivity of bimetallic electrodes obtained by spontaneous deposition of Ru and Os on Au(111) single-crystal surfaces are studied. In situ electrochemical STM and cyclic voltammetry are used to characterize a wide range of surface morphologies thus produced. The STM results on Ru/Au(111) demonstrate a pronounced step decoration, while a random distribution of Ru nuclei, quite uniform in size, occurs on terraces. Osmium deposits show a slight preference for deposition on steps, but it also occurs readily on terraces. However, many of the Os islands grow into multilayer heights. The coverage of the Au(111) by the deposited Ru or Os islands for a particular solution concentration depends on the deposition time. Nanostructures of Ru and Os are tested for catalytic behavior and correlated to CO oxidation activity as measured by CO stripping voltammetry. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 11, pp. 1385–1392. Based on the report delivered at the 8th International Frumkin Symposium “Kinetics of the Electrode Processes,” October 18–22, 2005, Moscow. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Single-crystalline gold microplates: synthesis, characterization, and thermal stability

Single-crystalline gold microplates of several 10 microm in lateral size, characterized by hexagonal, truncated triangular, and triangular shapes with (111) planes as two basal surfaces, have been synthesized in large quantities through a solution phase process. Significantly, such anisotropic Au nanostructures exhibit remarkable optical properties, in which the dipole plasmon resonance shifting in the NIR region and the quadrupole plasmon resonance at approximately 820 nm were observed. Fragmentation of Au microplates is found when the temperature is higher than 450 degrees C, indicating they are not thermodynamically stable structure at high temperature. Investigations on the Au microplates upon heating suggest that the melting and collapsing start mainly at the edges that should be Au (110) facets. This work is valuable for Au nanostructures applied at elevated temperatures.     

Au/Al2O3催化剂的制备及其在CH4/CO2重整反应中的催化活性

采用浸渍法和沉积－沉淀法制备了四种不同的Au/Al2O3催化剂，测定了它们在氢气还原前后及催化反应后的金含量及比表面积，结果表明，制备方法明显影响催化剂的金含量，应用X－光粉末衍射技术研究了这些催化剂经还原处理及反应后的物相变化，金以Au^0物相存在，没有发现氧化态的金物相，考察了该催化剂在CH4／CO2重整反应中的催化活性，发现金催化剂的活性取决于金粒子的大小，浸渍法制备的金催化剂具有较大的金晶粒尺寸，催化活性低，沉积－沉淀法制备的金催化剂金晶粒尺寸较小，催化活性较高，以尿素为沉淀剂制备的催化剂给出1073K时的CH4和CO2转化率分别为8．1％和17．6％，高温反应不仅导致金晶粒的聚集，而且存在明显的金流失现象。