Interfacial oxidation of ultrathin nickel and chromium films on yttria-stabilized zirconia

The substrate-induced oxidation upon prolonged annealing in UHV of ultrathin films of Ni and Cr vapor deposited on yttria-stabilized zirconia YSZ(100) was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to obtain information about the oxidation mechanism, determine the available quantity of reactive oxygen in YSZ, and investigate the thermal stability of the thin oxide films. Up to about 0.8 ML of Ni deposited at room temperature was oxidized to NiO at a constant rate at 650 K via the substrate, whereas at slightly higher coverage, the oxidation rate under identical conditions was drastically reduced. In contrast to Ni, up to 4.8 ML of Cr deposited at 275 K could be oxidized via the substrate to Cr2O3 upon extensive UHV annealing at increasing temperature up to 820 K, indicating a reactive oxygen content of at least 4 x 10(-6) with respect to the lattice oxygen in the YSZ specimen. The Cr2O3 decomposed to metallic Cr above about 800 K, whereas NiO was stable up to the maximum temperature of 875 K. These results indicate that the oxidation via the substrate is kinetically analogous to the gas-phase oxidation of bulk Ni and Cr. The reactive oxygen content of the single-crystal YSZ is larger than expected, and part of it is accommodated at the surface of the substrate. The thermal stability of the thin oxide films is determined by the oxygen exchange with YSZ and not by the respective bulk oxide thermodynamic decomposition temperature.     

Optical,electrical, and electrochemical behavior of p-type nanostructured SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript>:Ni (NTO) thin films

The physical and electrochemical properties of sol-gel synthesized nickel-doped tin oxide (NTO) thin films were investigated. The X-ray diffraction results showed that NTO samples exhibited a tetragonal structure. The average crystallite size and the unit cell volume of the films were reduced by Ni increment, while the stacking fault probability was increased. Furthermore, the field-emission scanning electron microscopy images clearly displayed that the worm-like surface morphology of the SnO₂ thin films was altered to the spherical feature in 3 and 10 mol% NTO samples. Moreover, by virtue of Ni incorporation, the average transparency of the SnO₂ thin films rose up from 67 to 85% in the visible region; also, the optical band gap of the SnO₂ sample (3.97 eV) increased and the thin film with 3 mol% dopant concentration showed a maximum value of 4.22 eV. The blue/green emission intensities of photoluminescence spectra of SnO₂ thin film changed via Ni doping. The Hall effect measurements revealed that by Ni addition, the electrical conductivity of tin oxide thin films altered from n- to p-type and the carrier concentration of the films decreased due to the role of Ni²⁺ ions which act as electron acceptors in NTO films. In contrast, 20 mol% Ni-doped sample had the highest mobility about 9.65 cm² (V s)^?1. In addition, the cyclic voltammogram of NTO thin films in KOH electrolyte indicated the charge storage capacity and the surface total charge density of SnO₂ thin films enhanced via Ni doping. Moreover, the diffusion constant of the samples increased from 2?×?10^?15 to 6.5?×?10^?15 cm² s^?1 for undoped and 5 mol% dopant concentration. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the NTO thin films in two different potentials showed the different electrochemical behaviors of n- and p-type thin films. It revealed that the 20 mol% NTO thin film had maximum charge transfer at lower applied potential.     

Vanadium oxides on aluminum oxide supports. 1. Surface termination and reducibility of vanadia films on alpha-Al2O3(0001)

Using density functional theory and statistical thermodynamics, we obtained the phase diagram of thin VnOm films of varying thickness (approximately 2-6 A, 1-6 vanadium layers) supported on alpha-Al2O3(0001). Depending on the temperature, oxygen pressure, and vanadium concentration, films with different thickness and termination may form. In ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), at room temperature and for low vanadium concentrations, an ultrathin (1 x 1) O=V-terminated film is most stable. As more vanadium is supplied, the thickest possible films form. Their structures and terminations correspond to previous findings for the (0001) surface of bulk V2O3 [Kresse et al., Surf. Sci. 2004, 555, 118]. The presence of surface vanadyl (O=V) groups is a prevalent feature. They are stable up to at least 800 K in UHV. Vanadyl oxygen atoms induce a V(2p) core-level shift of about 2 eV on the surface V atoms. The reducibility of the supported films is characterized by the energy of oxygen defect formation. For the stable structures, the results vary between 4.11 and 3.59 eV per 1/2O2. In contrast, oxygen removal from the V2O5(001) surface is much easier (1.93 eV). This provides a possible explanation for the lower catalytic activity of vanadium oxides supported on alumina compared to that of crystalline vanadia particles.     

银表面上吸附氧的XPS研究

本文用XPS研究了银表面上氧的吸附。结果表明, 在室温低压下, 氧在银表面上存在各种吸附态, 它们随氧吸附量增长过程而变化。     

Interactions of O(2) with Pd nanoparticles on alpha-Al(2)O(3)(0001) at low and high O(2) pressures

The interaction of O(2) with small Pd particles (2-10 nm) supported on an alpha-Al(2)O(3)(0001) single crystal under both ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and high-pressure conditions has been studied by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), temperature-programmed low-energy ion scattering (TP-LEIS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A low O(2) exposure (30 L) at 500 K leads to surface oxygen adatoms on the Pd nanoparticles, which desorb in TPD as O(2) in a peak at approximately 880 K. Surface O adatoms on the smallest Pd particles move to subsurface sites starting at 400 K, and they almost all move subsurface by approximately 750 K, desorbing mainly at considerably higher temperature. The dominant oxygen species above 700 K is subsurface, implying that it is more stable than oxygen adatoms on Pd. Exposures of the Pd nanoparticles to 25 Torr O(2) at 373-473 K readily convert the Pd to a species whose Pd XPS peak shifts by the same amount as the binding energy difference between bulk Pd and bulk PdO. We attribute this to PdO nanoparticles (or a thin film of PdO on or under the Pd for the larger particles). The decomposition of the PdO on these nanoparticles to Pd in an equilibrium O(2) pressure of 10-7 Torr does not occur until approximately 750 K, or approximately 200 K higher than the equilibrium decomposition of bulk PdO. This is attributed to the higher energy of Pd nanoparticles compared to bulk Pd and, for the larger particles, to the adhesion energy of the PdO film to the Pd, both of which stabilize the PdO on these Pd nanoparticles relative to bulk PdO. This PdO-like film on the larger particles may be similar to the ordered oxide thin film previously reported to form on Pd(111) but may also reside at the alpha-Al(2)O(3) interface and be partially stabilized by adhesion to this interface.     

Effect of oxygen adsorption on the chiral Pt{531} surface

The adsorption of oxygen on the chiral Pt{531} surface was studied by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). After the surface is annealed in oxygen (3 x 10(-7) mbar), three O 1s peaks are observed in XPS. One peak, at 529.5 eV, is assigned to chemisorbed oxygen; it disappears after annealing in vacuo to temperatures above 900 K. The other two peaks at 530.8 and 532.3 eV are stable up to at least 1250 K. They are associated with oxide clusters on the surface. These clusters readily react with coadsorbed carbon monoxide at temperatures between 315 and 620 K.     

A study of the adsorption of oxygen on silver at high pressure by electron spectroscopy

In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic observation of a silver foil at 473 K exposed to oxygen at pressures up to 0.5 torr has identified three species, characterised by oxygen 1s binding energies of 528.3, 530.3 and 532.5 eV. The first two are identified as due to atomic oxygen, respectively chemisorbed at the surface and incorporated into the bulk. The third species is tentatively assigned to molecular oxygen, probably as a surface peroxidic group; both the UV photoelectron spectra and the O(1s) intensities determined at two different electron take-off angles are consistent with this interpretation.     

Interface proximity effects on ionic conductivity in nanoscale oxide-ion conducting yttria stabilized zirconia: an atomistic simulation study

We present an atomistic simulation study on the size dependence of dopant distribution and the influence of nanoscale film thickness on carrier transport properties of the model oxide-ion conductor yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ). Simulated amorphization and recrystallization approach was utilized to generate YSZ films with varying thicknesses (3-9 nm) on insulating MgO substrates. The atomic trajectories generated in the molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the structural evolution of the YSZ thin films and correlate the resulting microstructure with ionic transport properties at the nanoscale. The interfacial conductivity increases by 2 orders of magnitude as the YSZ film size decreases from 9 to 3 nm owing to a decrease in activation energy barrier from 0.54 to 0.35 eV in the 1200-2000 K temperature range. Analysis of dopant distribution indicates surface enrichment, the extent of which depends on the film thickness. The mechanisms of oxygen conductivity for the various film thicknesses at the nanoscale are discussed in detail and comparisons with experimental and other modeling studies are presented where possible. The study offers insights into mesoscopic ion conduction mechanisms in low-dimensional solid oxide electrolytes.     

氮气和氧气在膜表面和狭缝孔内平衡吸附的分子模拟

采用巨正则系综的MonteCarlo方法(GCMC)模拟常温(T=303K)下,氮气和氧气在具有狭缝状膜孔的碳膜内的吸附.气体分子之间、气体分子与膜原子之间的相互作用均采用Shifted-Lennard-Jones势能模型.研究了303K和10MPa下,不同膜厚度和膜孔宽度时氧气在膜面和膜孔内的密度分布以及303K和压力从1MPa到10MPa变化时,氮气和氧气在狭缝膜孔内超额吸附等温线.实验结果表明,膜孔端口效应显著,膜厚和膜孔宽度对孔内吸附影响较大,而膜构型对膜面吸附影响显著.     

Interaction of hydrogen with ZnO: surface adsorption versus bulk diffusion

The interaction of hydrogen (H) and a ZnO(0001)-O surface has been investigated using a temperature programmed desorption (TPD) technique. When the surface is exposed to atomic hydrogen below 400 K, hydrogen is adsorbed on the surface. As the hydrogen exposure increases, bulk diffusion of hydrogen takes place. The existence of surface and bulk hydrogen has been confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). When the ZnO surface dosed with hydrogen is heated, surface hydrogen is desorbed at 432 K and bulk hydrogen is evolved at ～539 K. Diffusion of hydrogen into the ZnO bulk is an activated process, and the activation energy is estimated to be 0.19 eV.     

Excess Heat Capacity in Yttria Stabilized Zirconia

The heat capacity of 9.70 and 11.35 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia ((ZrO₂)_1–x(Y₂O₃)_x; x=0.0970, 0.1135) was measured by adiabatic calorimetry between 13 and 300 K, and some thermodynamic functions were calculated and given in a table. A large excess heat capacity extending from the lowest temperature to room temperature with a broad maximum at about 75 K was found in comparison with the heat capacity calculated from those of pure zirconia and yttria on the basis of simple additivity rule. The shape of the excess heat capacity is very similar to the Schottky anomaly, which may be attributed to a softening of lattice vibration. The amount of the excess heat capacity decreased with increasing yttria doping, while the maximum temperature did not vary. The relationships among the excess heat capacity, defect structure and interatomic force constants, and also the role of oxygen vacancy were discussed.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Adsorbate coverages and surface reactivity in methanol oxidation over Cu(110): An in situ photoelectron spectroscopy study

The adsorbate species present during partial oxidation of methanol on a Cu(110) surface have been investigated in the 10(-5) mbar range with in situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and rate measurements. Two reaction intermediates were identified, methoxy with a C 1s binding energy (BE) of 285.4 eV and formate with a C 1s BE of 287.7 eV. The c(2x2) overlayer formed under reaction conditions is assigned to formate. Two states of adsorbed oxygen were found characterized by O 1s BE's of 529.6 and 528.9 eV, respectively. On the inactive surface present at low T around 300-350 K formate dominates while methoxy is almost absent. Ignition of the reaction correlates with a decreasing formate coverage. A large hysteresis of approximately 200 K occurs in T-cycling experiments whose correlation with adsorbate species was studied with varying oxygen and methanol partial pressures. The two branches of the hysteresis differ mainly in the amount of adsorbed oxygen, the methoxy species, and a carbonaceous species. Methoxy covers only a minor part of the catalytic surface reaching at most 20%. Above 650 K the surface is largely adsorbate-free.     

Density-functional calculation of CeO2 surfaces and prediction of effects of oxygen partial pressure and temperature on stabilities

We have used density-functional theory to investigate (111), (110), (210), (211), (100), and (310) surfaces of ceria (CeO2). Compared with previous interatomic-potential-based studies, our calculations reported a slightly different relative stability ordering and significantly lower surface energies for the stoichiometric surfaces. Using a defect model, the surface stabilities were evaluated as functions of oxygen partial pressure and temperature. Our investigations were restricted to ideal surface terminations, without considering defect formation on those surfaces. We found that at 300 K, the stoichiometric (111) has the lowest free energy for a wide range of oxygen partial pressures up to 1 atm, and only at ultrahigh vacuum does the Ce-terminated (111) becomes the most stable one. The transition point for the Ce-terminated (111) surfaces moves to higher oxygen partial pressures when temperature increases. To improve the prediction of electron density of states, we used the local-density approximation plus U(J) correction method to correct the on-site Coulomb correlation and exchange interaction due to the strongly localized Ce-4f electrons. The optimal parameter combination of U = 7 eV and J = 0.7 eV was found to improve the O 2p-Ce 4f gap without much degradation of ground-state bulk properties or the O 2p-Ce 5d gap. The bulk and surface electronic structures were then analyzed based on the improved density of states.     

Na^+/CaO催化剂上的甲烷氧化偶联

研究了不同碱金属离子对CaO的促进作用,发现以Na~+的添加效果最好。在此基础上,研究了不同含钠化合物对CaO的促进作用,并用脉冲反应技术研究Na~+/CaO催化剂表面氧物种的特性及其作用。CaO表面上存在非选择性氧化的氧物种。Na~+对CaO的修饰作用是抑制非选择性氧化。当表面上的非选择性氧化的氧物种消耗后,体相的晶格氧会向表面迁移,以补充消耗掉的表面氧物种。消耗掉的表面氧物种也可由气相氧补充。CH_4脉冲和混合气脉冲说明仅靠[Na~+O~-]中心不足以使甲烷转化成C_2产物,必须有气相氧的参与才能使甲烷转化成C_2产物。     

MIES and UPS(HeI) studies on reduced TiO2(110)

We have studied reduced TiO₂(110) surfaces by combining metastable impact electron spectroscopy (MIES) and UPS(HeI). The reduced Ti species were preparation‐induced: their number density was modified either by adsorption of K atoms or by a combined annealing/oxygen exposure procedure. The emission from the bandgap state (binding energy 0.9 eV), caused by reduced Ti³⁺ 3d species, was monitored. Bandgap emission is seen clearly with UPS(HeI) and thus can be used to monitor the number density of the near‐surface reduced species. A corresponding spectral structure cannot be seen with MIES. We propose that the excess charge density introduced either by preparation‐induced oxygen vacancies or by K adsorption is delocalized over several surface and subsurface Ti sites; this, together with the partial shielding of the reduced Ti species, prevents detection of the reduced Ti species with MIES. The re‐oxidation and restructuring of the reduced TiO₂(110) surface, caused by simultaneous oxygen exposure and annealing, was studied at temperatures between 400 and 770 K, again by recording the Ti³⁺ 3d emission (0.9 eV bandgap state) with UPS(HeI). The surface can be completely re‐oxidized by oxygen exposure at any selected annealing temperature in the range given above. Morphology changes, leading to a partially reduced surface, take place when the re‐oxidized surface is further annealed at T > 600 K under reducing conditions. The results give support to the assumption that the re‐oxidation is caused by the growth of additional titania whereby the Ti stems from the bulk and the oxygen originates from the gas. The restructuring of the re‐oxidized surface upon annealing under reducing conditions appears to be due to diffusion of Ti interstitials to the surface. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

TDS and XPS study of oxygen diffusion into subsurface layers of Pd(110)

Summary The interaction of O₂with Pd(110) has been studied by TDS and XPS at T = 400 K and at pressures P_{O2 from 2.6x10}^-6to 10 Pa. At low exposures in O₂(e￡1-5 L), an adsorption layer withqof ca.0.5 and with the O1s peak at BE = 529.3 eV has been found to form on the surface. Whenegrows from 5 to 10⁸L, the position and intensity of the oxygen O1s peak remain practically constant. At the same time, as much as 5 mL of oxygen is absorbed according to the TDS data. The results obtained by TDS and XPS indicate that oxygen penetrates deep into the subsurface layers of palladium (315-20 ?) and is distributed in its bulk in a low concentration.     

Preparation of New Solid Bases Derived from Supported Metal Nitrates and Carbonates

A highly basic solid catalyst was obtained by dispersing nitrates or carbonates of alkali metals such as KNO₃, CsCO₃ over alumina and zirconia at the surface density of 10-15 × 10¹⁸ cations m^-2 and heating them at 773-873 K in an inert atmosphere. The temperature is far below the decomposition temperatures of the nitrates and the carbonates. Based on the temperature-programmed decomposition (TPD) experiments, two types of decomposition process are suggested; a bulk decomposition and an anion decomposition. Generation of a strong basicity relates to the anion decomposition. The basic center may be composed of the oxygen anions liberated from the decomposition of the nitrate or carbonate anions that are dissociatively adsorbed on the support surface during the preparation. These catalysts effectively catalyzed the double bond isomerization of aliphatic hydrocarbons and bicyclic hydrocarbons at moderate temperature.     

Comparative Study of the Acidity of Sulphated Zirconia Supported on Alumina Prepared by Sol-Gel and Impregnation Methods

Sulphated and unsulphated alumina-zirconia with atomic ratio Zr/Al = 0.5 were prepared by sol-gel and impregnation methods. The solid prepared by the sol-gel method exhibits the higher specific surface area. The Kelvin probe shows that the value of unsulphated sample is around 400 mV. This value grows up to 1100 mV for sample prepared by impregnation of aerogel alumina by sulphated propoxide zirconium and up to 1450 mV for sulphated alumina-zirconia aerogel catalyst. The modification of the work function is probably due to the charge transfer from the zirconium and aluminium to an oxygen species, responsible for the increase of Lewis acidity. XPS results show that the aluminium and zirconium exist in oxide form as Al₂O₃ and ZrO₂. The sulphur is present as sulphate species in the solids bonded to the Al—Zr—O framework. Furthermore, the oxygen species exist in different types created by the introduction of sulphur in the bulk of solids.Compared to the impregnated catalyst the sol-gel sulphated alumina zirconia exhibits higher activity in the isopropanol dehydration reaction in the temperature range 423 K–523 K.     

Oxygen detection using yttria-stabilized zirconia thin films doped with platinum

Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films are obtained using both spray-pyrolysis and dip-coating. The ability of YSZ films incorporated with platinum nanospecies (Pt-YSZ) to detect oxygen is compared with that of pure YSZ thin films using a new experimental setup. With this system, the surface electrical resistance of the films as a function the oxygen content is measured at a fixed temperature. In addition, the effects of thermal annealing on the oxygen sensitivity of the films are observed. Platinum doped samples, Pt-YSZ, show different kinetics of carrier diffusion as compared to pure YSZ samples.