Cu adsorption on pyrite (1 0 0): Ab initio and spectroscopic studies

Surface optimised S 2p photoelectron spectra show that both surface S²⁻ monomers and (S-S)²⁻ dimers are present at pyrite (1 0 0) fracture surfaces. In order to determine which sulfur species are involved in Cu adsorption, fresh pyrite surfaces were exposed to Cu²⁺ in solution. The S 2p spectra suggest that both types of S surface species are involved in the mechanism of Cu adsorption (activation). Ab initio density functional theory was used to model Cu adsorbed onto pyrite (1 0 0) to support the interpretation of the spectroscopy. Mulliken population analysis confirms the charge distribution suggested by the core line shifts as observed in the photoelectron spectra. The ab initio calculations were consistent with a two-coordinate bond between Cu(I), a surface S monomer and a surface S dimer.     

Mixing and magnetic properties of surface alloys: The role of the substrate

In this paper, we have performed ab initio density functional theory calculations to compare the miscibility and magnetic properties of two-dimensional binary surface alloys of the form M_xN_1−x (M = Fe or Co; N = Pt, Au, Ag, Cd or Pb) on two different substrates - Rh(1 1 1) and Ru(0 0 0 1). The trends in miscibility for the two substrates are found to be strikingly similar. The magnetic moments show qualitatively similar behavior, but their magnitudes differ: surface alloys on Rh(1 1 1) have larger magnetic moments than on Ru(0 0 0 1). We infer that strain plays the determining role in stabilizing these two-dimensional alloys, whereas the differences in magnetic moments can be ultimately attributed to the different number of d-electrons in Rh and Ru.     

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy through an adsorbate layer: Sulfur-covered Fe/W(1 1 0)

Spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (SP-STM/STS) has been performed on clean and sulfur-covered three-dimensional Fe islands on W(1 1 0). Upon dosing with H₂S the island surface is covered with 1/3 ML S leading to a c(3 × 1) reconstruction. The characteristic magnetic vortex structure is observable before and after dosing, even though the electronic structure of the surface is modified as is shown by SP-STS.     

An effective Hamiltonian for sulfur adsorption at Au(1 0 0) surface

Adsorption of sulfur at the (1 0 0) surface of gold is analyzed with the help of the density functional theory (DFT). Potential energy surface for a single S atom at the Au(1 0 0) surface is computed and a simple analytical formula was found to reproduce the ab initio results to a good accuracy. Vibration frequencies of the adsorbed S atom are computed using the harmonic approximation and the contribution of zero-point motion to the adsorption energy is evaluated. The effects of surface Au atoms relaxation in the sulfur adsorption is analyzed. The interactions between S atoms adsorbed at the nearest and the next nearest equivalent adsorption sites are computed and used to define the effective Hamiltonian describing the interactions between the adsorbed sulfur atoms.     

Growth mode and novel structure of ultra-thin KCl layers on the Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surface

This study investigates ultra-thin potassium chloride (KCl) films on the Si(1 0 0)-2 × 1 surfaces at near room temperature. The atomic structure and growth mode of this ionic solid film on the covalent bonded semiconductor surface is examined by synchrotron radiation core level photoemission, scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio calculations. The Si 2p, K 3p and Cl 2p core level spectra together indicate that adsorbed KCl molecules at submonolayer coverage partially dissociate and that KCl overlayers above one monolayer (ML) have similar features in the valance band density of states as those of the bulk KCl crystal. STM results reveal a novel c(4 × 4) structure at 1 ML coverage. Ab initio calculations show that a model that comprises a periodic pyramidal geometry is consistent with experimental results.     

Structural and dynamical properties of iridium surfaces: First principles and molecular dynamics investigations

The structural and dynamical properties of Ir(1 0 0) clean surface are investigated in the temperature range 100-1100 K. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the interaction potential energies obtained from the density-functional theory (DFT) and plane-wave pseudopotential (PWPP) method. The obtained contraction of the first interlayer distance, d₁₂ , decreases from −4.94% at 100 K to −4.84% at 1100 K. This decrease deviates by 11.8% at 100 K to 13.6% at 1100 K, from that at 0 K (−5.6%). The expansion of the second interlayer distance, d₂₃, however increases from 0.89% at 100 K to 1% at 1100 K, causing a deviation that ranges from −11% to 0% from that at 0 K (1%). The deviation of the calculated surface vibrational frequencies and surface relaxations over the entire range of temperatures (100-1100 K) is rather modest as a result of small anharmonic effects of the surface.     

Nanostructure formation aided by self-organised Bi nanolines on Si(0 0 1)

We provide a mini review of recent theoretical investigations of nanostructure formation aided by self-organised Bi nanolines on the Si(0 0 1) surface. It is suggested that hydrogen-passivated single-domain Si(0 0 1) produced by the formation of defect-free, hundreds of nm long, and 1.2-1.5 nm wide Bi nanolines provides an appealing template with preferential sites for adsorption of other elements. Based on ab initio pseudopotential calculations it is suggested that using the Bi nanoline template it should be possible to grow the following structures: mixed Ge-Si dimer structures on the Si(0 0 1) terrace between two neighbouring Bi nanolines; small In nanoclusters along the nanoline; and line and cluster structures of Fe atoms with novel electronic and magnetic properties.     

Self-assembled monolayer of o-aminothiophenol on Fe(1 1 0) surface: a combined study by electrochemistry, in situ STM, and molecular simulations

Electrochemical measurements, in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) observation, and molecular mechanics (MM) simulations were performed to study the physiochemical properties such as the corrosion-inhibition effect and the optimal packing structure of o-aminothiophenol (OATP) self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed on Fe(1 1 0) surface in 0.1 M NaClO₄ solution. The formation of OATP SAMs drastically depressed the Faradaic processes at the Fe(1 1 0) surface and reduced the electrical double-layer capacitance at the electrode/electrolyte interface, revealing the anticorrosion property and the blocking behavior of OATP adlayers. Two-dimensional ordered molecular arrays of OATP on Fe(1 1 0) surface with a p(2 × 2) commensurate structure were observed by STM measurements. MM calculations showed that the p(2 × 2) packing pattern is indeed the preferable structure for OATP molecules adsorbed on Fe(1 1 0), in accordance with STM experiments. The OATP SAM on Fe(1 1 0) is ≈0.50 nm in thickness and with a dielectric constant of ∼7.0.     

First principles study of H2S adsorption and dissociation on Fe(1 1 0)

We report first principles density functional theory (DFT) results of H₂S and HS adsorption and dissociation on the Fe(1 1 0) surface. We investigate the site preference of H₂S, HS, and S on Fe(1 1 0). H₂S is found to weakly adsorb on either the short bridge (SB) or long bridge (LB) site of Fe(1 1 0), with a binding energy of no more than 0.50 eV. The diffusion barrier from the LB site to the SB site is found to be small (∼0.10 eV). By contrast to H₂S, HS is predicted to be strongly chemisorbed on Fe(1 1 0), with the S atom in the LB site and the HS bond oriented perpendicular to the surface. Isolated S atoms also are predicted to bind strongly to the LB sites of Fe(1 1 0), where the SB is found to be a transition state for S surface hopping between neighboring LB sites. The minimum energy paths for H₂S and HS dehydrogenation involve rotating an H atom towards a nearby surface Fe atom, with the S-H bonds breaking on the top of one Fe atom. The barrier to break the first S-H bond in H₂S is low at 0.10 eV, and breaking the second S-H bond is barrierless, suggesting deposition of S on Fe(1 1 0) via H₂S is kinetically and thermodynamically facile.     

Effect of hydrogenation on the electronic structure of the P/Si(0 0 1)-(1 × 2) surface

Ab initio calculations, based on pseudopotentials and density functional theory (DFT), have been performed to investigate the effect of hydrogenation on the electronic properties of P/Si(0 0 1)-(1 × 2) surface. In parallel with this, the electronic band structure of the hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated P/Si(0 0 1)-(1 × 2) surface have been calculated for half- and full-monolayer P. For the mixed Si-P dimer structure, we have identified two occupied and one unoccupied surface state, which correspond to 0.5 ML coverage of P. When this surface is terminated with H, we see that two occupied states completely disappeared and that one unoccupied state is shifted towards the conduction band. A similar calculations for the 1 ML coverage of P have been also carried out. It is seen that the unoccupied state C₁ appeared in the P/Si(0 0 1)-(1 × 2) surface is passivated when this surface is terminated with the H atoms. To explain the nature of the surface states, we have also plotted the total and partial charge densities at the point of the Surface Brillouin Zone (SBZ).     

Surface structure of sphalerite studied by medium energy ion scattering and XPS

The reactivity of high-Fe containing sphalerite (Zn_1−xFe_xS), the major source of Zn, is of great interest for industrial applications. Since the initial reactivity depends on the physical and chemical properties of the surface, it is important to understand the structure of cleaved and fractured surfaces. Zn_1−xFe_xS zincblende (1 1 0) oriented samples cleaved in air and in vacuum were studied with medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) in order to study surface relaxation and reconstruction associated with the possible formation of S dimers. The experimental results are presented together with ion scattering Monte Carlo simulations that have been performed using the different models of the surface structure. The MEIS blocking patterns are different for the air- and vacuum-cleaved specimens. Models for the air-cleaved samples found S atoms in the first layer that are relaxed outwards by 0.08 Å and Zn(Fe) atoms relaxed inwards by 0.51 Å, with some lateral translation of both species. Results for the vacuum-cleaved sample indicate S atoms have been displaced laterally by 0.5 Å at the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements provide evidence for a high binding energy species indicative of S-S bonds in the near-surface region that are consistent with the ion scattering structural data for both cleaving protocols.     

Theoretical and experimental studies of the structure and dynamics of the CaF2(1 1 1) surface

The structure and dynamics of the CaF₂(1 1 1) surface were investigated by means of low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at 300 K. LEED beam intensities were recorded as a function of electron energy and were analyzed with the tensor LEED approach. Positions as well as mean square amplitudes of the ions in the first layers were fitted to the experimental I(E) curves. According to both LEED and MD, the CaF₂(1 1 1) surface structure is similar to the bulk-terminated structure with only small relaxation of the outermost ions. Moreover, both methods show an enhancement of vibrational amplitudes in the outermost F-Ca-F triple layer.     

Nitrogen adsorption and thin surface nitrides on Cu(1 1 1) from first-principles

Experimental studies of nitrogen adsorbed on a Cu(1 1 1) surface show that the surface layer undergoes a reconstruction to form a pseudo-(1 0 0) structure. We use ab initio techniques to demonstrate the theoretical stability of this reconstructed surface phase over a range of conditions. We systematically investigate the chemisorption of N on the Cu(1 1 1) surface, from 0.06 to 1 ML coverage. A peculiar atomic relaxation of N atoms for 0.75 ML is identified, which results in the formation of a (metastable) “N-trimer cluster” on the surface. We have also investigated surface nitride formation, as suggested from experiments. A surface nitride-like structure similar to the reported pseudo-(1 0 0) reconstruction is found to be highly energetically favored. Using concepts from “ab initio atomistic thermodynamics”, we predict that this surface nitride exists for a narrow range of nitrogen chemical potential before the formation of bulk Cu₃N.     

Study of Si(0 0 1)4 × 2-Ga structure by scanning tunneling microscopy and ab initio calculation

We have studied Si(0 0 1)-Ga surface structures formed at Ga coverages of slightly above 0.50 monolayer (ML) at 250 °C by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). 4 × 2-, 5 × 2-, and 6 × 2-Ga structures were observed in a local area on the surface. The 4 × 2-Ga structure consists of three protrusions, as observed in filled- and empty-state STM images. The characters of these structures are clearly different from those of other Si(0 0 1)-Ga structures. We also performed an ab initio calculation of the energetics for several possible models for the 4 × 2-Ga structure, and clarified that the three-orthogonal-Ga-dimer model is the most stable. Also, the results of comparing the simulated STM images and observation images at various bias voltages indicate that this structural model is the most favorable.     

O2 dissociation on Pd(2 1 1) and Cu(2 1 1) surfaces

We have performed ab initio Density Functional Theory (DFT) based calculations to observe the reactivity of the Pd(2 1 1) and Cu(2 1 1) surfaces towards O₂. In order to properly address the adsorption dynamics, the static potential energy surface calculations have been complemented with first principles molecular dynamics calculations, which reveal interesting steering effects that complicate the dissociation dynamics. We have found that on both surfaces the step microfacets are very reactive and the dissociation of the O₂ molecule at room temperature occurs mostly on those sites.     

A multi-scale Monte Carlo study of oxide structures on the Cu(1 0 0) surface

We present a multi-scale Monte Carlo study of the oxidation of the Cu(1 0 0) surface based on the Bortz-Kalos-Lebowitz model with the equilibrium energetics obtained from ab initio calculations. The radial and island size distribution functions are examined and Cu-O structures are analyzed at different temperatures and coverages. We concentrate on the coverages of 0.3 monolayer O or less, with variable sub-monolayer coverages of Cu. The results show that even though the ab initio calculations yield a higher barrier for O than for Cu adatom diffusion on Cu(1 0 0), the stability of Cu structures causes the O adatoms to be more mobile on the Cu(1 0 0) surface than the Cu adatoms. We are able to reproduce the c(2 × 2)-O domains seen in the experiments. However, we give an alternative explanation based on the repulsive interactions of O that, on one hand, cause the local ordering and, on the other hand, prohibits large well-ordered domains. We also give interpretation on the formation of the R45°-O reconstruction of Cu(1 0 0) above the O coverages of 0.3 monolayer based on the ab initio energetics.     

Structural and magnetic properties of evaporated Fe thin films on Si(1 1 1), Si(1 0 0) and glass substrates

We present experimental results on the structural and magnetic properties of series of Fe thin films evaporated onto Si(1 1 1), Si(1 0 0) and glass substrates. The Fe thickness, t, ranges from 6 to110 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have been used to study the structure and surface morphology of these films. The magnetic properties were investigated by means of the Brillouin light scattering (BLS) and magnetic force microscopy (MFM) techniques. The Fe films grow with (1 1 0) texture; as t increases, this (1 1 0) texture becomes weaker for Fe/Si, while for Fe/glass, the texture changes from (1 1 0) to (2 1 1). Grains are larger in Fe/Si than in Fe/glass. The effective magnetization, 4πM_eff, inferred from BLS was found to be lower than the 4πM_S bulk value. Stress induced anisotropy might be in part responsible for this difference. MFM images reveal stripe domain structure for the 110 nm thick Fe/Si(1 0 0) only.     

STM study of Si(1 1 3) 3 × 2-Ga surface

The Ga-adsorbed structure on Si(1 1 3) surface at low coverage has been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The bright protrusion corresponding to the position of the dimer without the interstitial Si atom of the clean surface disappeared in the filled-state STM image after Ga adsorption, although the protrusion due to the Si adatom still remained. On the basis of the adatom-dimer-interstitial (ADI) model, this result indicates that the Ga atom is adsorbed interstitially at the center of another pentamer that does not have the interstitial Si atom. An ab initio calculation was performed and STM images were simulated.     

High pressure polymorph of CdS predicted by first principles

Ab initio phonon calculations on CdS are performed to probe the high pressure structural behaviors. We predicted an unstable transverse acoustic (TA) mode for NaCl-CdS (B1) and a phase transition of B1→Pmmn driven by this soft mode is thus identified, excluding probable high pressure Cmcm phase. Furthermore, a softening TA phonon mode at the zone boundary M point of CsCl-CdS (B2) is predicted, which results in the phase transition from Pmmn to tetrahedral P4/nmm (B10). Enthalpy calculation reveals that Pmmn phase becomes energetically more favorable than the B1 phase over 51.2 GPa, and B10 phase is stable in a pressure range of 80.3-85.5 GPa, above which B10 phase will decompose into Cd and S.     

Theoretical studies of electronic states and phonon modes on the TiC(0 0 1)(1 × 1) surface

We present a comprehensive picture of structural and electronic properties of the TiC(0 0 1)(1 × 1) surface. Our investigations are based on first-principles calculations within the local-density approximation of the density-functional theory. Good agreement has been observed between our calculation and experimental data for the atomic geometry of the surface. In particular, the calculated bond lengths between the first-layer C and the second-layer Ti (d_1C-2Ti = 2.188 Å) and between the first-layer Ti and the second-layer C (d_1Ti-2C = 2.031 Å) are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values of 2.25 Å and 2.14 Å, respectively. We have also identified surface electronic states and provided clear support for previously available photoemission measurements. We have further calculated surface phonon modes at the zone centre and at the zone-edge point X using a linear response scheme based on the ab initio pseudopotential method. Our calculated surface phonon results are in excellent agreement with electron energy loss spectroscopy results.