Cyano‐Functionalized Triarylamines on Coinage Metal Surfaces: Interplay of Intermolecular and Molecule–Substrate Interactions

The self‐assembly of cyano‐functionalized triarylamine derivatives on Cu(111), Ag(111) and Au(111) was studied by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy, low‐energy electron diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. Different bonding motifs, such as antiparallel dipolar coupling, hydrogen bonding and metal coordination, were observed. Whereas on Ag(111) only one hexagonally close‐packed pattern stabilized by hydrogen bonding is observed, on Au(111) two different partially porous phases are present at submonolayer coverage, stabilized by dipolar coupling, hydrogen bonding and metal coordination. In contrast to the self‐assembly on Ag(111) and Au(111), for which large islands are formed, on Cu(111), only small patches of hexagonally close‐packed networks stabilized by metal coordination and areas of disordered molecules are found. The significant variety in the molecular self‐assembly of the cyano‐functionalized triarylamine derivatives on these coinage metal surfaces is explained by differences in molecular mobility and the subtle interplay between intermolecular and molecule–substrate interactions.     

Theoretical study of NO adsorption on gold surfaces

The activities of neutral,anionic,and cationic Au(111),Au(100),and Au(310) surfaces,as well as an Au adatom on Au(111) surface towards NO adsorption have been studied by performing density functional theory calculations.It was found that the activity of gold increases as the coordination number of the gold atoms decreases,and that the cationic surfaces are generally more active than the neutral and anionic surfaces.The activity of Au surfaces towards NO adsorption is attributable to the presence of low coor...     

Self-organized monolayer of meso-tetradodecylporphyrin coordinated to Au(111)

The structure of molecular monolayers formed at the interface between atomically flat surfaces and a solution of free-base meso-tetradodecylporphyrins (H2Ps) was examined by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) at the liquid/solid interface. On the surface of graphite (HOPG), H2Ps form a well-ordered monolayer characterized by an oblique unit cell. On Au(111), H2Ps form a self-organized monolayer comprised of two distinct domain types. In both types of domains, the density of the porphyrin cores is increased in comparison to the arrangement observed on HOPG. Also, high-resolution STM images reveal that, in contrast to what is observed on HOPG, physisorption on Au(111) induces a distortion of the porphyrin macrocycle out of planarity. By using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, we demonstrate that this is likely to be due to the coordination of the lone pairs of the iminic (-C=N-) nitrogen atoms of the porphyrin macrocycle to Au(111).     

On-Surface Assembly of Au-Dicyanoanthracene Coordination Structures on Au(111)

On-surface metal-organic coordination provides a promising way for synthesizing different two-dimensional lattice structures that have been predicted to possess exotic electronic properties. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), we studied the supramolecular self-assembly of 9,10-dicyanoanthracene (DCA) molecules on the Au(111) surface. Close-packed islands of DCA molecules and Au-DCA metal-organic coordination structures coexist on the Au(111) surface. Ordered DCA₃Au₂ metal-organic networks have a structure combining a honeycomb lattice of Au atoms with a kagome lattice of DCA molecules. Low-temperature STS experiments demonstrate the presence of a delocalized electronic state containing contributions from both the gold atom states and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the DCA molecules. These findings are important for the future search of topological phases in metal-organic networks combining honeycomb and kagome lattices with strong spin-orbit coupling in heavy metal atoms.     

Formation of supramolecular nanobelt arrays consisting of cobalt(II) "picket-fence" porphyrin on Au surfaces

Adlayers of cobalt(II) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(alpha,alpha,alpha,alpha-2-pivalamidophenyl)porphyrin (CoTpivPP) were prepared by immersing either Au(111) or Au(100) substrate in a benzene solution containing CoTpivPP molecules, and they were investigated in 0.1 M HClO4 and 0.1 M H2SO4 by cyclic voltammetry and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The adlayer structure and electrochemical properties of CoTpivPP are compared to those of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine cobalt(II) (CoTPP). Characteristic nanobelt arrays consisting of CoTpivPP molecules were produced on both Au(111) and Au(100) surfaces. The stability of the nanobelt arrays was controlled by manipulating the electrode potential. On the other hand, the formation of nanobelt arrays consisting of O2-adducted CoTpivPP molecules depended upon the crystallographic orientation of Au. The state of O2 trapped in the cavity of CoTpivPP was distinctly observed in STM images as a bright spot in the nanobelt array formed on reconstructed Au(100)-(hex) surface, but not on Au(111) surface. This result suggests that the arrangement of underlying Au atoms plays an important role in the formation of nanobelt arrays with the sixth ligand coordination.     

Static investigation of adsorption and hetero‐diffusion of copper,silver, and gold adatoms on the (111) surface

In this work, we have used the static molecular simulations combined with an interatomic potential derived from the embedded‐atom method to study the adsorption and hetero‐diffusion on the (111) surface of Cu, Ag, and Au adatoms by using LAMMPS code. The investigation is performed for six heterogeneous systems such as Ag/Au(111), Ag/Cu(111), Au/Ag(111), Au/Cu(111), Cu/Ag(111), and Cu/Au(111). First, we have investigated the relaxation trends and the bond lengths of the atoms in the systems. The calculation results show that, the top layer spacing between the first and second layers of the Au(111), Ag(111), and Cu(111) substrates is contracted. This contraction is found to be more important in the Au(111) substrate. On the other hand, the strong reduction of the binding length is found in Au/Cu(111) for the different adsorption sites. In addition, the binding, adsorption, and static activation energies for all studied systems were examined. The results indicated that the binding and adsorption energies reached their maximum values in the Au/Cu(111) and Au/Ag(111) systems, respectively. Moreover, the static activation barriers for hopping diffusion on the (111) surfaces are found to be low compared with those found in the (100) and (110) surfaces. Therefore, our calculations showed that the difference in energy between the hcp and fcc sites on the (111) surfaces is very small. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A density functional theory study of the dissociation of H2 on gold clusters: importance of fluxionality and ensemble effects

Density functional theory was employed to calculate the adsorption/dissociation of H2 on gold surfaces, Au(111) and Au(100), and on gold particles from 0.7 (Au14) to 1.2 nm (Au29). Flat surfaces of the bulk metal were not active towards H2, but a different effect was observed in gold nanoclusters, where the hydrogen was adsorbed through a dissociative pathway. Several parameters such as the coordination of the Au atoms, ensemble effects and fluxionality of the particle were analyzed to explain the observed activity. The effect of the employed functional was also studied. The flexibility of the structure, i.e., its adaptability towards the adsorbate, plays a key role in the bonding and dissociation of H2. The interaction with hydrogen leads to drastic changes in the structure of the Au nanoparticles. Furthermore, it appears that not only low coordinated Au atoms are needed because H2 adsorption/dissociation was only observed when a cooperation between several (4) active Au atoms was allowed.     

Electrochemical metal deposition on top of an organic monolayer

Electrochemical deposition of metals (platinum or gold) only on top of an organothiolate, 1,4-benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT) or hexanedithiol (HDT), self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on a Au(111) substrate was achieved by electrochemical reduction of PtCl(4)(2-) or AuCl(4)(-) ion, which was preadsorbed on one free thiol end group of the dithiol SAM formed on a Au surface, in a metal-ion-free sulfuric acid solution at potentials more negative than the reduction potential of the metal ion. Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) measurement after the reduction of preadsorbed PtCl(4)(2-) ion on BDMT/Au(111) electrode showed the presence of Pt not underneath but on top of the BDMT SAM. After a negative potential scan of the Pt/BDMT/Au(111) electrode to -1.30 V in 0.1 M KOH solution, a typical cyclic voltammogram of a clean Au(111) electrode was obtained, showing that the BDMT SAM with a Pt layer was reductively desorbed. These results proved that a Pt-BDMT SAM-Au substrate sandwich structure without a short circuit between the two metals was successfully constructed by this technique. Furthermore, a decanethiol (DT) monolayer was constructed on a Au layer, which was formed by the reduction of preadsorbed AuCl(4)(-) ion on HDT/Au(111) electrode. The formation of DT/Au/HDT/Au(111) structure was confirmed as two cathodic peaks corresponding to reductive desorption of DT from Au on top of the HDT/Au(111) at -0.97 V and that of Au/ HDT from Au(111) at -1.12 V were observed when potential was scanned negatively to -1.35 V.     

Comportement électrochimique des faces vicinales de Au(111) ; surfaces à marches {111}

Electrochemical behaviour of the Au(111) vicinal faces; {111} stepped surfaces. The Au(332) and Au(776) facets forming on Au(554) and Au(775) faceted vicinal faces have different electrochemical behaviours. The electrochemical study in NaF solutions of the Au(776) face reveals that the whole of the {111} steps of an Au(776) surface have the same electrochemical behaviour as the Au(332) face. On the other hand, the (111) terraces of Au(776) behave differently from the large (111) terraces of an Au(111) single-crystal electrode. The atomic reconstruction of the (111) terraces of the Au(776) facets, observed by vacuum STM, completely disappears in contact with the solution, whereas the reconstruction of the wide (111) terraces of a Au(111) single-crystal does not disappear completely. Measurements of the differential capacity C(E) also showed that faceted or non-faceted surfaces of Au(554) and Au(775) faces had the same electrochemical behaviour. This implies that non-faceted surfaces consist of Au(332) and Au(111)(1 × 1) domains that have independent electrochemical behaviours.     

Au(111)电极上CTAB吸脱附过程的循环伏安研究

本文运用循环伏安方法研究十六烷基三甲基溴化铵(CTAB)在Au(111)电极上的吸附行为. 首次给出CTAB在Au(111)电极上的循环伏安曲线,其0.18 V、0.27 V有两对可逆的特征电流尖峰,均受扩散控制,且与卤素离子种类有关. 研究表明,烷基铵阳离子的吸脱附及吸附层相转变与Au(111)电极表面结构密切相关.     

First principles investigations of Pd-on-Au nanostructures for trichloroethene catalytic removal from groundwater

Catalytic groundwater remediation from chlorinated organic solvents like trichloroethene (TCE) has been found to be more effective and sustainable than traditional non-destructive methods. Among the experimentally studied catalyst materials, Pd-decorated Au nanoparticles show the highest activity and selectivity combined with the best resistance towards poisoning by chemicals present in groundwater. In this study the thermochemistry and adsorption geometries of TCE and its hydrodechlorination products are investigated via density functional theory calculations. Various model systems for Pd-supported Au nanoparticles are addressed. The adsorption of TCE is endothermic on bare Au(111), almost thermoneutral or slightly exothermic on Pd-Au surface alloys and clearly exothermic on Pd overlayer structures on Au(111). The strongest chemisorption is on the di-σ configuration between Pd atoms over the smallest 2D Pd clusters containing only a few Pd atoms. These are not, however, the best catalysts as they are too small to co-adsorb hydrogen needed for hydrodechlorination reaction. We demonstrate good correlation between adsorption energies and the d-band center of the system. The variation of adsorption energy from the one Pd-Au composition to the other can be tentatively assigned to be due to the ligand and coordination effects. Also, the ensemble effects are important; without the right ensemble the adsorption is weak or endothermic.     

In situ STM evidence for the adsorption geometry of three N-heteroaromatic thiols on Au(111)

The electrochemical behavior of three heteroaromatic thiols (MBs) (2-mercaptobenzimidazole (MBI), 2-mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT), and 2-mercaptobenzoxazole (MBO)) on a Au(111) surface has been investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (ECSTM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) in 0.1 M HClO(4) solution. All three thiols form oriented molecular cluster lines along the reconstruction line direction at 0.55 V. With the electrode potential shifting negatively, the molecules undergo a disordered-ordered structural transition. Molecularly resolved STM images show that all three molecules form striped adlayers in the desorption region on the Au(111) surface. The different heteroatoms in the heteroaromatic rings result in different electrochemical behavior of the MB self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). MBI, MBT, and MBO are proposed to interact with the substrate via the S-Au bonds from thiol group and the coordination interaction of N, S, and O with the substrate from the heteroaromatic ring, respectively. These results provide direct evidence of the electrochemical behavior and the adlayer structures of MB SAMs on the Au electrode.     

Real‐Space Observation of Atomic Site‐Specific Electronic Properties of a Pt Nanoisland/Au(111) Bimetallic Surface by Tip‐Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

Resolving atomic site‐specific electronic properties and correlated substrate–molecule interactions is challenging in real space. Now, mapping of sub‐10 nm sized Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface was achieved by tip‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy, using the distinct Raman fingerprints of adsorbed 4‐chlorophenyl isocyanide molecules. A spatial resolution better than 2.5 nm allows the electronic properties of the terrace, step edge, kink, and corner sites with varying coordination environments to be resolved in real space in one Pt nanoisland. Calculations suggest that low‐coordinate atomic sites have a higher d‐band electronic profile and thus stronger metal–molecule interactions, leading to the observed blue‐shift of Raman frequency of the N≡C bond of adsorbed molecules. An experimental and theoretical study on Pt(111) and mono‐ and bi‐atomic layer Pt nanoislands on a Au(111) surface reveals the bimetallic effect that weakens with the increasing number of deposited Pt adlayer.     

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.     

Self-Assembled Monolayers of N-Heterocyclic Olefins on Au(111)

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of N-heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) have been prepared on Au(111) and their thermal stability, adsorption geometry, and molecular order were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, polarized X-ray absorption spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The strong σ-bond character of NHO anchoring to Au induced high geometrical flexibility that enabled a flat-lying adsorption geometry via coordination to a gold adatom. The flat-lying adsorption geometry was utilized to further increase the surface interaction of the NHO monolayer by backbone functionalization with methyl groups that induced high thermal stability and a large impact on work-function values, which outperformed that of N-heterocyclic carbenes. STM measurements, supported by DFT modeling, identified that the NHOs were self-assembled in dimers, trimers, and tetramers constructed of two, three, and four complexes of NHO−Au-adatom. This self-assembly pattern was correlated to strong NHO−Au interactions and steric hindrance between adsorbates, demonstrating the crucial influence of the carbon-metal σ-bond on monolayer properties.     

甲酸在Au（997）台阶表面的氧化反应

金催化是纳米催化的代表性体系之一,但对金催化作用的理解还存在争议,特别是金颗粒尺寸对其催化作用的影响.金颗粒尺寸减小导致的表面结构主要变化之一是表面配位不饱和金原子密度的增加,因此研究金原子配位结构对其催化作用的影响对于理解金催化作用尺寸依赖性具有重要意义.具有不同配位结构的金颗粒表面可以利用金台阶单晶表面来模拟.我们研究组以同时具有Au(111)平台和Au(111)台阶的Au(997)台阶表面为模型表面,发现Au(111)台阶原子在CO氧化、NO氧化和NO分解反应中表现出与Au(111)平台原子不同的催化性能.负载型Au颗粒催化甲酸氧化反应是重要的Au催化反应之一.本文利用程序升温脱附/反应谱(TDS/TPRS)和X射线光电子能谱(XPS)研究了甲酸在清洁的和原子氧覆盖的Au(997)表面的吸附和氧化反应,观察到Au(111)台阶原子和Au(111)平台原子不同的催化甲酸根氧化反应行为.与甲酸根强相互作用的Au(111)台阶原子表现出比与甲酸根弱相互作用的Au(111)平台原子更高的催化甲酸根与原子氧发生氧化反应的反应活化能.在清洁Au(997)表面,甲酸分子发生可逆的分子吸附和脱附.甲酸分子在Au(111)台阶原子的吸附强于在Au(111)平台原子的吸附. TDS结果表明,吸附在Au(111)台阶原子的甲酸分子的脱附温度在190 K,吸附在Au(111)平台原子的甲酸分子的
　　脱附温度在170 K. XPS结果表明,分子吸附甲酸的C 1s和O 1s结合能分别位于289.1和532.8 eV.利用多层NO2的分解反应在Au(997)表面控制制备具有不同原子氧吸附位和覆盖度的原子氧覆盖Au(997)表面,包括氧原子吸附在(111)台阶位的0.02 ML-O(a)/Au(997)、氧原子同时吸附在(111)台阶位和(111)平台位的0.12 ML-O(a)/Au(997)、氧原子和氧岛吸附在(111)平台位和氧原子吸附在(111)台阶位的0.26 ML-O(a)/Au(997). TPRS和XPS结果表明,甲酸分子在105 K与Au(997)表面原子氧物种反应生成甲酸根和羟基物种,但甲酸根物种的进一步氧化反应依赖于Au原子配位结构和各种表面物种的相对覆盖度.在0.02 ML-O(a)/Au(997)表面暴露0.5 L甲酸时, Au(111)台阶位氧原子完全反应,甲酸过量.表面物种是Au(111)台阶位吸附的甲酸根、羟基和甲酸分子.在加热过程中,甲酸分子与羟基在181 K反应生成甲酸根和气相水分子(HCOOH(a)+ OH(a)= H2O + HCOO(a)),甲酸根在340 K发生歧化反应生成气相HCOOH和CO2分子(2HCOO(a)= CO2+ HCOOH).在0.12 ML-O(a)/Au(997)和0.26 ML-O(a)/Au(997)表面暴露0.5 L甲酸时,甲酸分子完全反应,原子氧过量.表面物种是Au(111)平台位和Au(111)台阶位吸附的甲酸根、羟基和原子氧.在加热过程中, Au(111)平台位和Au(111)台阶位的甲酸根分别在309和340 K同时发生氧化反应(HCOO(a)+ O(a)= H2O + CO2)和歧化反应(2HCOO(a)= CO2+ HCOOH)生成气相CO2, H2O和HCOOH分子.在0.26 ML-O(a)/Au(997)表面暴露10 L甲酸时,甲酸分子和原子氧均未完全消耗.表面物种是Au(111)平台位和Au(111)台阶位吸附的甲酸根、羟基、甲酸分子和原子氧.在加热过程中,除了上述甲酸根的氧化反应和歧化反应,还发生171 K的甲酸分子与羟基的反应(HCOOH(a)+ OH(a)= H2O + HCOO(a))和216 K的羟基并和反应(OH(a)+ OH(a)= H2O + O(a)).     

单原子分散的Au/Cu(111)表面合金的表面结构与吸附性质

Au-Cu双金属合金纳米颗粒对包括CO氧化和CO2还原等在内的多个反应有较好的催化活性,然而关于其表面性质的研究却相当匮乏。在此工作中,我们通过对低覆盖度的Au/Cu(111)和Cu/Au(111)双金属薄膜退火,制备出了单原子级分散的Au/Cu(111)和Cu/Au(111)合金化表面,并利用高分辨扫描隧道显微镜(STM)和扫描隧道谱(STS)进一步研究了掺杂原子的电子性质及其对CO吸附行为的影响。研究发现,分散在Cu(111)表面的表层和次表层Au单原子在STM上表现出不同衬度。在-0.5 e V附近,前者表现出相较于Cu(111)明显增强的电子态密度,而后者则明显减弱。吸附实验表明表层Au单原子对CO的吸附能力并没有得到增强,甚至会减弱其周围Cu原子的吸附能力。与Au在Cu(111)表面较好的分散相反,Cu原子倾向于钻入Au(111)的次表层,并且形成多原子聚集体。且Cu原子受Au(111)衬底吸电子作用的影响,其对CO的吸附能力明显减弱。这个研究结果揭示了合金表面的微观结构与性质的关联,为进一步阐明Au-Cu双金属催化剂的表面反应机理提供参考。     

Investigation of the scanning tunneling microscopy image, the stacking pattern, and the bias-voltage-dependent structural instability of 1,10'-phenanthroline molecules adsorbed on Au(111) in terms of electronic structure calculations

A self-assembled monolayer of 1,10'-phenanthroline (phen) molecules on Au(111) was found to undergo a structural phase transition when the bias voltage is switched in scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments (Phys. Rev. Lett. 1995, 75, 2376; Surf. Sci. 1997, 389, 19). The nature of two bright spots representing each phen molecule in the high-resolution STM images of phen molecules on Au(111) was identified by calculating the partial density plots for a monolayer of phen molecules adsorbed on Au(111) with tight-binding electronic structure calculations. The stacking pattern of chains of phen molecules on Au(111) was explained by studying the intermolecular interactions between phen molecules on the basis of first-principles electronic structure calculations for a phen dimer, (phen)(2). The structural instability of phen molecule arrangement caused by the bias-voltage switch was probed by estimating the adsorbate-surface interaction energy with the point-charge approximation for Au(111).     

Al2O3/Au(111)反相催化剂在CO氧化反应中界面作用的理论研究

氧化物负载的金催化剂具有温和条件下优异的CO催化氧化活性。实验与理论计算表明,金与氧化物两相界面在催化反应过程中具有重要地位。反相催化剂提供了全新的角度以探究界面的重要地位。本文以Au（111）表面负载Al₂O₃团簇为反相催化剂模型,基于密度泛函理论,对催化剂模型的构型、界面性质以及O₂、CO的吸附与氧化进行了理论计算与研究。理论计算表明：电荷的迁移增强了Al₂O₃小团簇在Au（111）表面的附着,在催化剂金表面与氧化铝的两相界面位置,Au原子与Al原子的协同作用使得氧分子易于在界面位置吸附,并因此高度活化。对催化CO氧化反应路径,分别计算了缔合机理和解离机理不同路径,从活化能分析表明缔合机理比解离机理更可能发生。本文的工作揭示了反相催化剂催化CO氧化的活性本质,表明两相界面在金催化CO氧化中具有重要作用。     

Interaction between NO and Na, O, S, Cl on Au and Pd(111) surfaces

NO co-adsorption with X (X = Na, O, S, and Cl) on Au and Pd(111) surfaces is studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations to get a deeper insight into the extraordinary sulfur enhanced adsorption on the Au surface. It is found that both electronegative and electropositive adatoms can enhance NO adsorption on Au(111). In Na + NO/Au(111), the strong electrostatic attraction between Na and NO dominates and stabilizes NO adsorption, though Na-induced surface negative charging weakens NO adsorption. In (O, S, Cl) + NO/Au, the electronegative atoms would induce a slight surface distortion and enhance NO adsorption accordingly. NO adsorption on Pd(111) is enhanced by Na, but weakened by electronegative species. We suggest that the unique features of noble metals, i.e., the narrow DOS at the Fermi level (E(F)) and the deep buried d-band center, should play an important role in the promotion of NO adsorption on their surface as the CO case.