Carbon phases on nickel surfaces

The conditions of the formation of different carbon surface phases on nickel substrates by the example of a planar Ni( 110) surface and a stepped Ni(771 ) surface similar in structure were determined. The structure of the phases was investigated by means of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and the influence of carbon on the structure of the nickel surface was demonstrated. The process of graphene synthesis by propylene cracking is described. A method for forming graphene islands on nickel is proposed. A variety of phase transitions between the carbon surface phases (e.g., surface carbide, graphene, and graphene islands) and the reasons for their irreversibility are discussed. The relation between the structures of the surface carbide phases and the crystal structures of the initial surfaces for two different substrates is shown.     

Graphene-graphite phase transition at the surface of a carbonized metal

A phase transition leading to the transformation of a graphene layer into a multilayer graphite film at the surface of a carbonized metal has been experimentally studied on the atomic level under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. It has been shown that this process is governed by dynamic equilibrium between edge atoms of graphene islands and a chemisorbed carbon phase, two-dimensional carbon “gas,” and is observed in the temperature range of 1000–1800 K. The features of the phase transition at the surfaces Ni(111), Rh(111), and Re(10-10) are similar, although the specific kinetic characteristics of the process depend on the properties of the substrate. It has been shown that change in the emissivity of the substrate after the formation of a multilayer graphite film increases the rate of the phase transition and leads to a temperature hysteresis.     

Effects of substrate defects on the carbon cluster formation in graphene growth on Ni(111) surface

The growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition on transition metal has shown promise in this regard. The main hurdle for further improvement is the lack of complete understanding of the atomistic processes involved in the early growth stages, which is conceivable because there are too many factors affecting the growth process. Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the effect of substrate defects on the graphene nucleation on the Ni(111) surface. Our calculations reveal that the defects on substrates can induce the carbon aggregation, and the corresponding structures are completely different from that on the perfect Ni surface. We also compare the critical cluster sizes for the transition from one-dimensional carbon chains to two-dimensional graphene flakes in the growth sequence. Our investigations on the effects of substrate defects would be extremely useful for the future experimental synthesis of high-quality graphene.     

Modification of the electronic structure of graphene by intercalation of iron and silicon atoms

The ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of low-dimensional graphene–iron–nickel and graphene–silicon–iron systems were carried out using the density functional theory. For the graphene–Fe–Ni(111) system, band structures for different spin projections and total densities of valence electrons are determined. The energy position of the Dirac cone caused by the p _z states of graphene depends weakly on the number of iron layers intercalated into the interlayer gap between nickel and graphene. For the graphene–Si–Fe(111) system, the most advantageous positions of silicon atoms on iron are determined. The intercalation of silicon under graphene leads to a sharp decrease in the interaction of carbon atoms with the substrate and largely restores the electronic properties of free graphene.

     

Electronic structure of graphene on Ni(111) and Ni(100) surfaces

Physics of the Solid State - A comparative investigation of graphene prepared by cracking of propylene (C3H6) on nickel surfaces with different orientations, Ni(111) and Ni(100), has been carried...     

Synthesis and electronic structure of nitrogen-doped graphene

The crystalline and electronic structure of nitrogen-doped graphene (N-graphene) has been studied by photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Synthesis of N-graphene from triazine molecules on Ni(111) surface results in incorporation into graphene of nitrogen atoms primarily in the pyridinic configuration. It has been found that inclusions of nitrogen enhance significantly thermal stability of graphene on nickel. An analysis of the electronic structure of N-graphene intercalated by gold atoms has revealed that the pyridinic nitrogen culminates in weak p-type doping, in full agreement with theoretical predictions. Subsequent thermal treatment makes possible conversion of the major part of nitrogen atoms into the substitutional configuration, which involves n-type doping. It has been shown that the crystalline structure of the N graphene thus obtained reveals local distortions presumably caused by inhomogeneous distribution of impurities in the layer. The results obtained have demonstrated a promising application potential of this approach for development of electronic devices based on graphene with controllable type of conduction and carrier concentration.     

The topography of nickel crystals during the reaction towards Ni(CO)4; A field ion microscope study

The structural aspect of the formation of Ni(CO)₄ by the reaction of CO with solid nickel has been studied. The nickel initial state was a nearly hemispherical single crystal as prepared by field evaporation of a nickel field emitter tip. Field-free reaction of CO with the clean nickel surface took place at pressures up to 2 mbar, reaction times up to 45 h, and at a temperature of 373 K, which as a result from work by others was found optimum for highest rates of Ni(CO)₄ formation. Neon field ion imaging at 80 K after reaction with CO showed the crystal always in an intermediate state, which had the features: (1) Areas of {;111} were increased; (2) at half angles between a central (111) and peripherical {111} planes there were {110} planes flanked by {210}, and {100} flanked by {511}, respectively; (3) with the exception of the planes mentioned in feature (2), the remaining surface area was more than mono-atomically stepped. From these results and in accordance with the theory of crystal growth (Kossel, Stranski) and the theory of crystal dissolution (Lacmann, Franke, Heimann) a pure octahedron is expected to be the final state of the crystal. This implies that nickel atoms removed by the reaction are most frequently taken from 〈110〉 atom chains of the {111} planes.     

Effects of subsurface Na,H and C on the bonding of carbon to nickel surfaces

This paper reports the results of a theoretical study of Na, H and C subsurface atomic species in nickel and demonstrates how these interstitial atoms influence the reactivity of the Ni(111) surface and the structure of carbon species adsorbed on the surface. The benzene molecule, C₆H₆, in planar and nonplanar geometries, is used to probe bonding at the surface. Adsorption energies are calculated by ab initio configuration interaction techniques modelling the surface as an embedded cluster. Adsorption energies of planar C₆H₆ at the most stable, three-fold, adsorption site are 18 kcal/mol for the Ni(111) surface, and 10, 19 and 44 kcal/mol in the presence of the Na, H and C interstitials, respectively. The energies required for the planar to puckered distortion are 99 kcal/mol on Ni(111), 69 kcal/mol with the Na interstitial, 83 kcal/mol with H, and 134 kcal/mol with C compared to 198 kcal/mol for distortion of C₆H₆ in the gas phase. The possible relevance of these results to the nucleation of diamond on nickel are discussed. The results indicate that subsurface Na stabilizes tetrahedrally bonded carbon subunits of the diamond structure while subsurface C may make it easier for the overlayer to revert to a planar graphite structure.     

Propylene deep oxidation on the Pt(111) surface: temperature programmed studies over extended coverage ranges

Propylene oxidation was studied on the Pt(111) surface over a wide range of reaction stoichiometries using temperature programmed methods. Reaction of propylene with excess oxygen results in complete oxidation to water and carbon dioxide, with oxydehydrogenation to form water beginning at 290 K. The initiation of skeletal oxidation occurs after water formation begins, except for the highest propylene coverages. A stable dehydrogenated intermediate with a C₃H₅ stoichiometry is formed in the 300 K temperature range during oxidation. Reaction of propylene with substoichiometric amounts of oxygen results in incomplete oxidation with hydrocarbon decomposition dominating after depletion of surface oxygen. Increasing oxygen coverage results in more complete oxidation. Oxidation processes result in water, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, while decomposition results in hydrogen, propylene, and propane desorption with some surface carbon remaining. Propylene-d₆ and selectively labeled propylene-3,3,3-d₃ (CH₂CHCD₃) experiments indicated initial water formation results from oxydehydrogenation of one of the olefinic hydrogens. At the highest propylene and oxygen coverages studied, we observed small amounts of partial oxidation which indicate that the vinyl hydrogen is removed initially, resulting in the formation of an adsorbed H₂CCCH₃ intermediate. The partial oxidation products observed are acetone desorbing at 200 K and acetic acid at 320 K. Removal of the first skeletal carbon begins at 320 K, except for the highest propylene coverages. Preadsorption of molecular oxygen limits adsorption of propylene and preadsorption of propylene limits molecular oxygen adsorption at 110 K. Similar oxidation mechanisms are observed following initial adsorption of both molecular and atomic oxygen, which is expected since molecular oxygen dissociates and/or desorbs well below oxidation temperatures.     

Adsorption and electron properties of thin nickel films on W(110) surface

The evolution of the properties of ordered nickel films with thicknesses increasing from one to three atomic monolayers (ML) adsorbed on the W(110) single crystal surface is studied under ultrahigh vacuum conditions by the methods of reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The film structure corresponds to that of the Ni(111) single crystal face. The RAIRS technique is used to study the vibrational properties of the probing NO molecules adsorbed on the nickel films studied. In the course of the nickel film growth, whereby its thickness increases from 1 to 3 ML, both the vibrational and photoelectron spectra exhibit significant variation, which is indicative of a change in the adsorption and electron properties of the film. Stabilization of the IR and photoelectron spectra at a film thickness of 3 ML indicates that this thickness corresponds to the formation of the main adsorption and electron properties of the deposit. At the same time, the vibrational spectra of NO molecules adsorbed on a monoatomic nickel film exhibit features typical of adsorption on the W[110] surface of a massive tungsten crystal.     

Ni(111)表面C原子吸附的密度泛函研究

基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算,对过渡金属Ni晶体与Ni (111)表面的结构和电子性质进行了研究, 并探讨了单个C原子在过渡金属Ni (111)表面的吸附以及两个C原子在Ni(111)表面的共吸附. 能带和态密度计算表明, Ni晶体及Ni (111)表面在费米面处均存在显著的电子自旋极化. 通过比较Ni (111)表面各位点的吸附能,发现单个C原子在该表面最稳定的吸附位置为第二层Ni原子上方所在的六角密排洞位, 吸附的第二个C原子与它形成碳二聚物时最稳定吸附位为第三层Ni原子上方所在的面心立方洞位. 电荷分析表明,共吸附时从每个C原子上各有1.566e电荷转移至相邻的Ni原子, 与单个C原子吸附时C与Ni原子间的电荷转移量(1.68e)相当. 计算发现两个C原子共吸附时在六角密排洞位和面心立方洞位的磁矩分别为0.059μ_B和 0.060μ_B,其值略大于单个C原子吸附时所具有的磁矩(0.017μ_B).     

Structure study of oxygen-adsorbed Ni(111) surface by high energy ion scattering

Surface atomic structures of clean, oxygen-adsorbed, and oxidized (111) nickel have been studied quantitatively by using MeV ion scattering in combination with AES and MEED. We show that; the clean (111) nickel surface has the bulk-like structure with reconstruction or relaxation less than 0.02 Å, the surface thermal vibration amplitude is enhanced by ~20% compared to the bulk value, adsorbed oxygen results in surface lattice expansion by ~0.15 Å which is closely correlated to the p(2 × 2) or (√3 × √3) R30° superstructure, and oxidation at room temperature saturates at a stage which incorporates ~ 3 monolayers of nickel in a stoichiometric amorphous film of NiO whereas at temperatures higher than ~200° C thicker oxide films are produced. Our study indicates that each oxygen atom adsorbed on the Ni(111) surface interacts with and relaxes three nearest neighbor nickel atoms, and after saturation of the relaxation, oxidation of three monolayers takes place abruptly after which the oxide layer on the surface apparently blocks further reaction.     

Benzene adsorption on nickel (100) and (111) faces studied by leed and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy

Studies of benzene (C₆H₆ and C₆D₆) adsorption have been performed by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HRELS) and LEED experiments on nickel (100) and (111) single crystal faces at room temperature. Chemisorption induces ordered structures, c(4 × 4) on Ni(100) and (2√3 × 2√3)R30° on Ni(111), and typical energy loss spectra with 4 loss peaks accurately identified with the strongest infrared vibration bands of the gazeous molecules. Benzene chemisorption preserves the aromatic character of the molecule and involves respectively 8 nickel surface atoms on the (100) face and 12 on the (111) face by adsorbed molecule. The interaction takes place via the π electrons of the ring. Significant shifts of the CHτ bending and CH stretching vibrations show a weakening of the CH bonds due to the formation of the chemisorption bond and a coupling of H atoms with the nickel substrate.     

Electronic structure of the Au-intercalated graphene/Ni(111) surface

We report the electronic structure of the Au-intercalated graphene/Ni(111) surface using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. The graphene/Ni(111) shows no Dirac cone near the Fermi level and a relatively broad C 1s core level spectrum probably due to the broken sublattice symmetry in the graphene on the Ni(111) substrate. When Au atoms are intercalated between them, the characteristic Dirac cone is completely recovered near the Fermi level and the C 1s spectrum becomes sharper with the appearance of a 10?×?10 superstructure. The fully Au-intercalated graphene/Ni(111) surface shows a p-type character with a hole pocket of ～0.034?Å^?1 diameter at the Fermi level. When the surface is doped with Na and K, a clear energy gap of ～0.4?eV is visible irrespective of alkali metal.     

Comparative study of the nature of chemical bonding of corrugated graphene on Ru(0001) and Rh(111) by electronic structure calculations

Recently, atomic resolved scanning tunneling microscopy investigations revealed that, depending on the substrate (Ni(111), Ru(0001), Ir(111), Pt(111), Rh(111)), graphene overlayer might present regular corrugation patterns, with periodically repeated units of a few nanometers. Variations of the interactions at the interface and the modulation of the local electronic properties are associated with the exact atomic arrangement of the carbon pairs with respect to the metal atoms of the substrate. Better understanding of the atomic structure and of the chemical bonding between graphene and the underlying transition metal is motivated by the fundamental scientific relevance of such systems, but it is also crucial in the perspective of possible applications. With the present work, we propose model systems for the two interfaces showing the most pronounced corrugation patterns, i.e. graphene/Ru(0001) and graphene/Rh(111). Our goal is to understand the nature of the interactions by means of electronic structure calculations based on Density Functional Theory. Our simulations qualitatively reproduce very well experimental results such as the STM topographies and the electrostatic potential maps, and quantitatively provide the closest agreement that has been published so far. The detailed analysis of the electronic structure at the interface highlights similarities and differences by changing the supporting transition metal. Our results point to a fundamental role of the hybridization between the π orbitals of graphene with the d band of the metal in determining the specific corrugation of the adsorbed monolayer. It is shown that differences in the response of the graphene electronic structure to the interaction with the metal can hinder the hybridization and lead to substantially different structures.     

In-situ observation of graphene growth on Ni(111)

Graphene growth of mono-, bi- and tri-layers on Ni(111) through surface segregation was observed in situ by low energy electron microscopy. The carbon segregation was controlled by adjusting substrate temperature from 1200 K to 1050 K. After the completion of the first layer at 1125 K, the second layer grew at the interface between the first-layer and the substrate at 1050 K. The third layer also started to grow at the same temperature, 1050 K. All the layers exhibited a 1 × 1 atomic structure. The edges of the first-layer islands were straight lines, reflecting the hexagonal atomic structure. On the other hand, the shapes of the second-layer islands were dendritic. The edges of the third-layer islands were again straight lines similar to those of the first-layer islands. The phenomena presumably originate from the changes of interfacial-bond strength of the graphene to Ni substrate depending on the graphene thickness. No nucleation site of graphene layers was directly observed. All the layers expanded out of the field of view and covered the surface. The number of nucleation sites is extremely small on Ni(111) surface. This finding might open the way to grow the high quality, single-domain graphene crystals.     

Synergetic effects of impurities and alloying element Cr on oxidation and dissolution corrosion of Ni (111) surfaces: A DFT study

Using density-functional calculations, we studied the interactions between interstitial impurities (H, O, N, S, and P) and Ni (111) surfaces doped, or not, with Cr, and studied the effect of Cr doping on the dissolution corrosion resistance of Ni(111) surfaces. The aim of this work was to study, at the atomic scale, the effects of Cr on the segregation behaviors of impurities and the synergetic effects between co-doped atoms on the resistance to dissolution corrosion of Ni (111) surfaces. The results indicate that impurities S, P, O, and H prefer to be trapped at near-surface sites, that Cr was uniformly distributed in the Ni crystal and can affect the segregation behavior of impurities S and P to move toward the surface, and it affects impurities N and O such that they shift from the surface to the subsurface. The formation of near-surface Cr nitrides (speculated to be Cr₂N based on the results obtained for particular co-doped surfaces) was also noted. Introducing Cr enhances the structural stability of the Ni (111) surface and protects it from being corroded when impurities are present. The elementary processes studied afforded microscopic insights into the formation of a Cr-depleted zone, a phenomenon that leads to local corrosion of the Ni alloy surface. The results of our theoretical calculations explain some of the experimental results previously observed at the atomic scale.     

Graphene morphology on Ni single-crystal surfaces: Experimental and theoretical investigation

Experimental investigation and computer simulation of a graphite monolayer (graphene) on different Ni single-crystal surfaces have been performed. In contrast to graphene on Ni(111), which forms a solid coating with a (1 × 1) structure, graphene on Ni(110) forms a complex crystal structure which is substantially distorted by interaction with the substrate. The calculations showed that the strong chemical interaction of carbon with nickel leads to a significant bending of the graphene layer (up to few angstroms). The calculated model made it possible to predict the main result of studying graphene on faceted surfaces, which revealed the graphene ability to coat geometrically nonuniform surfaces with a curved continuous film.     

金刚石延(111)面生长的第一性原理研究

利用密度泛函理论(DFT)对碳原子在镍(111)表面吸附结构进行了计算，得到了吸附能以及态密度 (density of state, DOS)分布，分析了吸附在镍(111)面的碳原子和金刚石(111)面的碳原子的分波态密度(PDOS)，结果表明吸附在镍表面的碳原子具有与金刚石表面碳原子相类似的电子结构特点，即两者都存在孤对的和成键的sp³杂化电子,进而发现吸附在镍表面的碳原子极易与金刚石表面相互作用形成稳定的类金刚石几何结构. 关键词： 密度泛函理论 化学吸附 电子结构 金刚石生长