A leed-aes study of the structure of sulfur monolayers on the Mo(100) crystal face

The formation of ordered phases of sulfur on the molybdenum (100) crystal face has been studied by Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Thermal Desorption Spectroscopies (TDS). Sulfur was deposited from a S₂ molecular flux streaming out of an Ag₂S containing electrochemical cell inside the UHV chamber. The use of a controlled flux of S₂ allowed the careful determination of saturation values for the monolayer, as well as the formation of multilayers of sulfur. This allowed the calibration of Auger intensities in terms of sulfur coverage. Various ordered structures, c(2 × 2), (1 × 2), $\text{2}\text{1}\text{?}\text{1}\text{1}$ and c(2 × 4), were observed by LEED for different values of the S coverage. Real space models for these structures are proposed that satisfy the coverage values observed and place sulfur atoms only on high symmetry four-fold sites on the (100) molybdenum surface.     

LEED and AES study of the interaction of H2S and Mo (100)

Previous studies of the adsorption of H₂S on Mo (100) at low pressures have been extended to higher pressures. Earlier work was repeated on two separate crystals to ensure reproducibility. The initial rate of sulphure adsorption as measured by AES is proportional to the partial pressure of H₂S and not strongly dependent on temperature indicating a non-activated initial process. For pressures up to 10^?2Torr no MoS₂ nuclei were seen over a wide range of temperatures. The first appearance of MoS₂occurred after an exposure of 0.1 Torr H₂S for 30 min with the crystal at 500°C. Diffraction from the MoS₂ was weak indicating that the nuclei were not fully developed. Four-fold symmetrical streaks from the underlying metal could be seen, thus enabling the epitaxy to be deduced by inspection. The basal plane of MoS₂aligns parallel to the original Mo (100) surface with [100]MoS₂∥[010] forming one domain and [100]MoS₂∥[001]Mo forming another. The change from a 2D chemisorbed sulphur layer to a 3D bulk compound produces significant changes in Auger spectra at low energies.     

Adsorption of sulfur dioxide and the interaction of coadsorbed oxygen and sulfur on Pt(111)

The adsorption of sulfur dioxide and the interaction of adsorbed oxygen and sulfur on Pt(111) have been studied using flash desorption mass spectrometry and LEED. The reactivity of adsorbed sulfur towards oxygen depends strongly on the sulfur surface concentration. At a sulfur concentration of 5 × 10¹⁴ S atoms cm^?2 ($\text{(}\text{3}\text{×}\text{3}\text{)R30°}$ structure) oxygen exposures of 5 × 10^?5 Torr s do not result in the adsorption of oxygen nor in the formation of SO₂. At concentrations lower than 3.8 × 10¹⁴ S stoms cm^?2 ((2 × 2) structure) the thermal desorption following oxygen dosing at 320 K yields SO₂ and O₂. With decreasing sulfur concentration the amount of desorbing O₂ increases and that of SO₂ passes a maximum. This indicates that sulfur free surface regions, i.e. holes or defects in the (2 × 2) S structure, are required for the adsorption of oxygen and for the reaction of adsorbed sulfur with oxygen. SO₂ is adsorbed with high sticking probability and can be desorbed nearly completely as SO₂ with desorption maxima occurring at 400, 480 and 580 K. The adsorbed SO₂ is highly sensitive to hydrogen. Small H₂ doses remove most of the oxygen and leave adsorbed sulfur on the surface. After adsorption of SO₂ on an oxygen predosed surface small amounts of SO₃ were desorbed in addition to SO₂ and O₂ during heating. Preadsorbed oxygen produces variations of the SO₂ peak intensities which indicate stabilization of an adsorbed species by coadsorbed oxygen.     

The interaction of Cs and O2 on the basal plane of MoS2

The interaction of Cs and O₂ on MoS₂(0001) has been studied both in the alternate adsorption and the codeposition mode by LEED, AES, TDS and WF measurements at 170 and 300 K. Oxygen does not interact with Cs when θ_Cs?0.04 at 300 K or θ_Cs?0.08 at 170 K, where Cs is known to adsorb as strongly ionized, individual adatoms. The interaction at higher θ_Cs, where Cs is known to form clusters on MoS₂(0001), leads to clusters of a Cs/O complex characterized by a Cs(563 eV)/O(512 eV) Auger peak ratio of 1.1–1.3. The minimum WF is 2.1 eV at 300 and 170 K upon alternate adsorption, and 1.7 eV at both T upon codeposition. Upon heating, oxygen and Cs desorb independently, as no oxide desorption is observed. The Cs TDS spectrum is shifted to lower T in the presence of oxygen and a new desorption peak appears at ～ 880 K. The differences in the Cs/O interaction between MoS₂(0001) and other semiconductors and metals are attributed to the Cs clustering and the inertness of MoS₂(0001) to O₂ adsorption.     

A thermal desorption study of thiophene adsorbed on the clean and sulfided Mo(100) crystal face

The adsorption of thiophene (C₄H₄S) on the clean and sulfided Mo(100) crystal surface has been studied. A fraction of the adsorbed thiophene desorbs molecularly while the remainder decomposes upon heating, evolving H₂ and leaving carbon and sulfur deposits on the surface. The reversibly adsorbed thiophene exhibits three distinct desorption peaks at 360, 230–290 and 163–174 K, corresponding to binding energies of 22, 13–16 and 7–9 kcal/mol respectively. Sulfur on the Mo(100) surface preferentially blocks the highest energy binding state and causes an increase in the amount of thiophene bound in the low binding energy, multilayer state. The thiophene decomposition reactions yield H₂ desorption peaks in the temperature range 300–700 K. We estimate that 50–66% of the thiophene adsorbed to the clean Mo(100) decomposes. The decomposition reaction is blocked by the presence of c(2 × 2) islands of sulfur and is blocked completely at θ_s = 0.5, at which point thiophene adsorption is entirely reversible.     

CO adsorption on clean and oxidized Pt3Ti(111)

CO adsorption on clean and oxidized Pt₃Ti(111) surfaces has been investigated by means of Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS), Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED) and High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (HREELS). On clean Pt₃Ti(111) the LEED patterns after CO adsorption exhibit either a diffuse or a sharp c(4 × 2) structure (stable up to 300 K) depending on the adsorption temperature. Remarkably, the adsorption/desorption behavior of CO on clean Pt₃Ti(111) is similar to that on Pt(111) except that partial CO decomposition on Ti sites and partial CO oxidation have also been evidenced. Therefore, the clean surface cannot be terminated by a pure Pt plane. Partially oxidized Pt₃Ti(111) surfaces (< 135 L O₂ exposure at 1000 K) exhibit a CO adsorption/desorption behavior rather similar to that of the clean surface, showing again a c(4 × 2) structure (stable up to 250 K). Only the oxidation of CO is not detectable any more. These results indicate that some areas of the substrate remain non-oxidized upon low oxygen exposures. Heavily oxidized Pt₃Ti(111) surfaces (> 220 L O₂ exposure at 1000 K) allow no CO adsorption indicating that the titanium oxide film prepared under these conditions is completely closed.     

Anomalous adsorption of Cs on Pt(1 1 1)

The adsorption of Cs on Pt(1 1 1) surfaces and its reactivity toward oxygen and iodine for coverages θ_Cs?0.15 is reported. These surfaces show unusual “anomalous” behavior compared to higher coverage surfaces. Similar behavior of K on Pt(1 1 1) was previously suggested to involve incorporation of K into the Pt lattice. Despite the larger size of Cs, similar behavior is reported here. Anomalous adsorption is found for coverages lower than 0.15 ML, at which point there is a change in the slope of the work function. Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) shows a high-temperature Cs peak at 1135 K, which involves desorption of Cs⁺ from the surface.The anomalous Cs surfaces and their coadsorption with oxygen and iodine are characterized by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), TDS and Low Electron Energy Diffraction (LEED). Iodine adsorption to saturation on Pt(1 1 1)(anom)-Cs give rise to a sharp LEED pattern and a distinctive work function increase. Adsorbed iodine interacts strongly with the Cs and weakens the Cs-Pt bond, leading to desorption of Cs_xI_y clusters at 560 K. Anomalous Cs increases the oxygen coverage over the coverage of 0.25 ML found on clean Pt. However, the Cs-Pt bond is not significantly affected by coadsorbed oxygen, and when oxygen is desorbed the anomalous cesium remains on the surface.     

SIMS and TDS study of the reaction of water and oxygen on Pt(111)

The reaction of H₂¹⁶O with ¹⁸O on Pt(111) was investigated using temperature programmed static secondary ion mass spectrometry (TPSSIMS), SSIMS and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The TPSSIMS behavior of the H₃O⁺ and H₃¹⁸O⁺ signals, after coadsorption of the reactants at 95 K, indicates that the isotopic exchange rate increases sharply at temperatures above 130 K. At 150 K, hydroxyl formation is indicated by a sharp drop in the H₃O⁺ and a similar sharp increase in the H₃¹⁸O⁺ signals. Using TDS, the overall stoichiometry of the reaction was determined to be 2H₂O(a)+O(a)→ 3 OH(a)+H(a). SSIMS data suggest that at least two kinds of hydroxyls are formed and that they do not interconvert at 160 K.     

The chemisorption of sulphur on W(100)

The interaction of sulphur vapour with a W(100) surface is studied in detail with Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), LEED, work function difference (Δ?) measurements and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The dissociative adsorption of S occurs on the W surface without reconstruction. Several LEED structures are observed which indicate repulsive adatom interactions. TDS shows that the desorption energy of atomic S decreases from about 8 eV at θ = 0.1 ML to about 3 eV near saturation in close vicinity of 1 ML. Above $\text{θ =}\text{3}\text{4}$ ML, S₂ desorbs in addition to S in a high temperature peak which saturates at about 1 ML. Sulphur in excess of about 1 ML is desorbed in two low temperature peaks of which the lower one consists not only of S and S₂ but also of S₃ and S₄.     

Initial oxidation stages on FeCr(100) and FeCr(110) surfaces

Simultaneous LEED and AES are used to follow early stages of oxidation of monocrystalline FeCr(100) and (110) between 700 and 900 K in the oxygen pressure range 10^?9–10^?6 Torr. A chromium-rich oxide region at the alloy/oxide interface is observed, which exhibits different surface structures on oxidized FeCr(100) and FeCr(110). The chromium concentration in this initially formed oxide film is found to be enhanced by low oxygen pressures or high temperatures. During further oxidation different behaviours are observed on FeCr(100) and FeCr(110), which are explained by assuming different ion permeabilities through the initial chromium rich oxide regions on the two surface planes. On FeCr(110) surfaces oxidation is initiated on chromium enriched (100) facets at 800 K or below. At 900 K a film consisting of rhombohedral Cr₂O₃ or (Fe, Cr)₂O₃ is epitaxially growing with its (001) plane parallel to the alloy (110) face. On FeCr(100) surfaces the chromium rich oxide region next to the substrate is of fcc type. As soon as the diffusion of iron from the alloy to the gas/oxide interface is observable, a spinel type oxide is formed and connected with the location of iron in tetrahedral lattice sites. Closer to the fcc lattice the spinel oxide consists of FeCr₂O₄ or a solid solution of FeCr₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄ whereas next to the gas phase the oxide is pure Fe₃O₄.     

The adsorption of CO,O2, and H2 on Pt(100)-(5×20)

The adsorption/desorption characteristics of CO, O₂, and H₂ on the Pt(100)-(5 × 20) surface were examined using flash desorption spectroscopy. Subsequent to adsorption at 300 K, CO desorbed from the (5×20) surface in three peaks with binding energies of 28, 31.6 and 33 kcal gmol^?1. These states formed differently from those following adsorption on the Pt(100)-(1 × 1) surface, suggesting structural effects on adsorption. Oxygen could be readily adsorbed on the (5×20) surface at temperatures above 500 K and high O₂ fluxes up to coverages of $\text{2}\text{3}$ of a monolayer with a net sticking probability to ssaturation of ? 10^?3. Oxygen adsorption reconstructed the (5 × 20) surface, and several ordered LEED patterns were observed. Upon heating, oxygen desorbed from the surface in two peaks at 676 and 709 K; the lower temperature peak exhibited atrractive lateral interactions evidenced by autocatalytic desorption kinetics. Hydrogen was also found to reconstruct the (5 × 20) surface to the (1 × 1) structure, provided adsorption was performed at 200 K. For all three species, CO, O₂, and H₂, the surface returned to the (5 × 20) structure only after the adsorbates were completely desorbed from the surface.     

Hexagonal overlayer of hydroxyl groups on Ni(100) modified by sulfur: effect on the H2-D2 isotope exchange reaction

The hexagonal overlayer formed by adsorption of H₂, and O₂ on Ni(100) was studied by AES, LEED, TDS and HREELS. This overlayer was generated when H(a) and O₂ coexisted, regardless of the coverage of sulfur. Hydroxyl groups (-OH(a)) were detected by HREEL Spectroscopy. This overlayer was also formed during the H₂+D₂ isotope exchange reaction in the medium-pressure range with O₂ concentrations of ppm. H₂+D₂ isotope exchange reaction was completely arrested by this overlayer. Mechanism of formation of the hexagonal overlayer is discussed.     

The behaviour of carbon species produced by CO disproportionation on Ru(1, 1, 10) and Ru(001) surfaces

The behaviour of adsorbed CO on Ru(001) flat and Ru(l,1,10) stepped surfaces in the CO pressure range between 10^?6 and 10¹ Pa has been investigated by TDS, AES, LEED and UPS. The disproportionation of CO proceeds rapidly on the stepped surface and its apparent activation energy was obtained to be 20 kJ mol^?1 at nearly zero coverage. The carbon species produced by CO disproportionation show non-uniform reactivity with ¹⁸O₂ and provide four CO desorption peaks in TPR spectra, which are assigned to α-C¹⁸O,ß-C¹⁸O and those derived from carbidic and graphitic carbons. At smaller carbon coverage, only α-CO and β-CO were observed, but with increasing coverage the amount of ß-CO reaches a maximum and carbidic carbon is newly formed. Further increase of carbon deposition gives graphitic carbon. The conversion from carbidic to graphitic carbon and the dissolution into the bulk took place upon heating to 1000 K. It is remarkable that very active carbon species are converted to molecular CO through the reaction with O₂ even at low temperature such as 200 K. It was also confirmed that active carbon species are formed on Ru surface during COH₂ reaction.     

Electron stimulated desorption of carbon monoxide from a (111) niobium surface

Electron stimulated desorption of CO from the (111) face of a Nb single crystal produced both CO⁺ and O⁺ ions after adsorption at 150°K on a clean surface. When the surface was heated to above 250 °K only O⁺ ions were observed, and this current disappeared as the temperature was increased to 700 °K. Readsorption (at 150 °K) was inhibited following the 700 °K heating. These data indicate the formation on heating of a tightly bound surface phase with very low ionic desorption cross section. Threshold energies for CO⁺ and O⁺ ion production were 10.0 ± 0.5 eV and 19.0 ± 0.5 eV, respectively. The cross section for electron stimulated depopulation of the O⁺ producing phase was (4 ± 1) × 10^?18 cm² for 100 eV electrons.     

The adsorption of oxygen on Cu(210)

The system Cu(210)-O₂ has been examined using LEED and AES, combined with optical simulation of diffraction patterns to investigate the detailed structure of the adsorbed layer. Exposure at 300 K and 5 × 10^?9 Torr resulted in LEED patterns showing pronounced streaks. The corresponding structures are believed to require an adsorption mechanism in which O₂ dissociation can occur only at a limited number of surface sites and in which O atoms after dissociation diffuse over quite large distances (?10 nm) before becoming chemisorbed. Heating these structures to 500–600 K produced a sharp (2 × 1) pattern; this step is thought to involve equilibration of the adsorbed layer. Further combinations of exposure (?1 × 10^?6Torr) and heating (up to 500 K) resulted in a series of (2 × 1) and (3 × 1) patterns, while heating to 800 K at any stage of the oxygen interaction regenerated the clean surface.     

The adsorption and reaction of H2O on clean and oxygen covered Ag(110)

The adsorption and reaction of water on clean and oxygen covered Ag(110) surfaces has been studied with high resolution electron energy loss (EELS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopy. Non-dissociative adsorption of water was observed on both surfaces at 100 K. The vibrational spectra of these adsorbates at 100 K compared favorably to infrared absorption spectra of ice Ih. Both surfaces exhibited a desorption state at 170 K representative of multilayer H₂O desorption. Desorption states due to hydrogen-bonded and non-hydrogen-bonded water molecules at 200 and 240 K, respectively, were observed from the surface predosed with oxygen. EEL spectra of the 240 K state showed features at 550 and 840 cm^?1 which were assigned to restricted rotations of the adsorbed molecule. The reaction of adsorbed H₂O with pre-adsorbed oxygen to produce adsorbed hydroxyl groups was observed by EELS in the temperature range 205 to 255 K. The adsorbed hydroxyl groups recombined at 320 K to yield both a TPD water peak at 320 K and adsorbed atomic oxygen. XPS results indicated that water reacted completely with adsorbed oxygen to form OH with no residual atomic oxygen. Solvation between hydrogen-bonded H₂O molecules and hydroxyl groups is proposed to account for the results of this work and earlier work showing complete isotopic exchange between H₂¹⁶O_(a) and ¹⁸O_(a).     

AES and TDS studies of electrochemically oxidized Pt(100)

Anodic films formed on Pt(100) in 0.3M HF using a quasi thin-layer electrochemical cell within a vacuum envelope were transferred to ultra-high vacuum for study by AES and TDS. Films generated at potentials above 1.1 V (RHE) survived emersion and pumpdown in a hydrated state. As the emersion potential increased, the integrated H₂O and O₂ thermal desorption signals increased in parallel, indicating a constant stoichiometry consistent with the formation of a platinum hydroxide layer. The oxygen TDS and AES signals after holding the electrode at constant potentials above 1.9 V (RHE) for several minutes saturated with formation of a surface phase containing 2.3 O/Pt (desorbing as O₂) and 2 H₂O/Pt. Much thicker films could be grown by AC polarization. XPS analysis combined with TDS indicated the most likely chemical state of the saturation layer to be Pt(OH)₄. Water evolved from all films at 400 K and higher, temperatures much higher than that reported for surface adsorbed hydroxyl groups produced by low-temperature gas-phase coadsorption of O₂ and h₂O [G.B. Fisher and B.A. Sexton, Phys. Rev. Letters 44 (1980) 683]. The higher temperature desorption is ascribed to the incorporation of hydroxyls into a surface phase involving place-exchange between Pt and OH.     

The adsorption of oxygen on gold

The oxidation of gold has been studied under UHV conditions by AES, XPS, and TDS. The previously reported adsorbed oxygen state, which formed by heating the sample above 600 K in 10^?5 Torr of oxygen and which remained after subsequent heating to 1100 K in vacuo, has been shown to result from the reaction of oxygen with silicon diffusing from the bulk. No oxygen adsorption was detected on a clean sample for oxygen pressures up to 10^?4 Torr and sample temperatures between 300–600 K. Chemisorption of oxygen atoms could be induced by placing a hot platinum filament close to the sample during exposure to oxygen. The activation energy for desorption of this oxygen state was estimated from the thermal desorption spectra to be about 163 kJ mol^?1. The chemisorbed oxygen atoms and the oxygen associated with silicon were distinguished by different O(1s) binding energies (529.2 and 532.3 eV respectively) and by different O(KVV) Auger fine structure.     

The adsorption and dehydrogenation of cyclopentane on Ru(001)

The adsorption of cyclopentane on Ru(001) has been studied using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) and Thermal Desorption Mass Spectroscopy (TDMS). Thermal desorption shows with increasing coverage a chemisorbed first layer desorbing at 180 K with subsequent multilayer formation. The vibrational spectrum of the first chemisorbed layer is characterized by a C-H soft mode at 2610 cm^?1. This mode is ascribed to a C-H-metal interaction, which is also responsible for the dehydrogenation to cyclopentene upon annealing to 200 K. It appears that a $\text{close}$ geometrical fit between the $\text{entire}$ molecule and the metal substrate is not necessary for this type of interaction. Coadsorbed oxygen suppresses the C-H-metal interaction. This is believed to be due to site-blocking or ligand effects of oxygen on the three-fold hollow sites of Ru(001).