Bonding of gold nanoclusters to oxygen vacancies on rutile TiO2(110)

Through an interplay between scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we show that bridging oxygen vacancies are the active nucleation sites for Au clusters on the rutile TiO2(110) surface. We find that a direct correlation exists between a decrease in density of vacancies and the amount of Au deposited. From the DFT calculations we find that the oxygen vacancy is indeed the strongest Au binding site. We show both experimentally and theoretically that a single oxygen vacancy can bind 3 Au atoms on average. In view of the presented results, a new growth model for the TiO2(110) system involving vacancy-cluster complex diffusion is presented.     

Imaging intrinsic diffusion of bridge-bonded oxygen vacancies on TiO2(110)

We report the first measurements and calculations of the intrinsic mobility of bridge-bonded oxygen (BBO) vacancies on a rutile TiO2(110). The sequences of isothermal (340-420 K) scanning tunneling microscope images show that BBO vacancies migrate along BBO rows. The hopping rate increases exponentially with increasing temperature with an experimental activation energy of 1.15 eV. Density functional theory calculations are in very good agreement giving an energy barrier for hopping of 1.03 eV. Both theory and experiment indicate repulsive interactions between vacancies on a given BBO row.     

Tetraoxygen on reduced TiO2(110): oxygen adsorption and reactions with bridging oxygen vacancies

Oxygen adsorption on reduced TiO2(110) is investigated using temperature programmed desorption and electron-stimulated desorption. At low temperatures, 2 O(2) molecules can be chemisorbed in each oxygen vacancy. These molecules do not desorb upon annealing to 700 K. Instead, for 200 K相似文献   

Adsorption of L-cysteine on rutile TiO2(110)

We have used X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to study the adsorption of L-cysteine on a rutile TiO₂(110) surface at room temperature and ? 65 °C. For the molecules in direct contact with the surface our results suggest that the molecules bind dissociatively to the fivefold-coordinated Ti atoms of the surface through their deprotonated carboxylic groups. A second, dissociative interaction occurs between the molecular thiol groups and the surface. It is attributed to a dissociative bond to the bridging oxygen vacancies. Most likely, the thiol groups are deprotonated and a bond is formed between the thiolates and defects. In an alternative scenario, the C–S bond is cleaved and atomic sulfur binds to the defects. With regard to the molecular amino groups, they remain neutral at the lowest investigated coverages (0.3–0.5 ML), but already starting from around 0.7 ML nominal coverage protons are being transferred to them. The fraction of protonated amino groups increases with coverage and becomes dominating in multilayers prepared at room temperature and ? 65 °C. In these multilayers the carboxylic groups are deprotonated.     

Pyrocatechol as a surface capping molecule on rutile TiO2 (110)

A ‘cap and dip’ method of adsorbing ruthenium di-2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid diisocyanate (N3 dye) on a rutile TiO₂ (110) surface was investigated using pyrocatechol as a capping molecule. This method involves cleaning the rutile surface in ultra-high vacuum (UHV), depositing pyrocatechol onto the surface to ‘cap’ the adsorption sites, removing from vacuum, ‘dipping’ in an N3 dye solution and returning to vacuum. Photoemission measurements following the return of the crystal to vacuum suggest that the pyrocatechol keeps the surface free from contamination on exposure to atmosphere. Photoemission spectra also indicate that the pyrocatechol capping molecules are replaced by the N3 dye in solution and that the N3 dye is adsorbed intact on the rutile TiO₂ (110) surface. This technique may allow other large molecules, which are thermally unstable to evaporation in UHV, to be easily deposited onto TiO₂ surfaces.     

Methylene bromide chemistry and photochemistry on rutile TiO2(110)

The chemistry and photochemistry of methylene bromide (CD₂Br₂) on the rutile TiO₂(110) surface was probed using temperature programmed desorption (TPD). CD₂Br₂ desorbed in three desorption states at 145, 160 and 250 K tentatively assigned to desorption from the multilayer, from an η¹-CD₂Br₂ species and a bridging η²-CD₂Br₂ species, respectively. The latter two TPD states presumably involve binding of CD₂Br₂ molecules to the surface through Br coordination at five-coordinate Ti⁴⁺ surface sites. The 160 and 250 K TPD states saturated at coverages of 1.0 and 0.33 ML, respectively, where 1 ML is equivalent to the surface Ti⁴⁺ site density (5.2 × 10¹⁴ cm^? 2). No thermal decomposition of CD₂Br₂ was observed on either the clean surface or with preadsorbed O₂. UV irradiation of CD₂Br₂ on TiO₂(110) resulted in predominately photodesorption, with trace amounts of photodecomposition evidenced in TPD. The rate of CD₂Br₂ photodesorption from TiO₂(110) occurred with a low cross section (~ 2 × 10^? 21 cm²) similar to that expected from direct optical excitation of CD₂Br₂. This observation suggests that charge carriers generated in TiO₂(110) were no more effective in activating adsorbed CD₂Br₂ molecules than would be expected through direct molecular excitation. These findings suggest that photocatalytic destruction of halocarbons such as CD₂Br₂ on TiO₂ may preferentially occur though indirect processes (such as OH radical attack) as opposed to direct electron transfer processes involving charge carriers generated in TiO₂ by bandgap excitation.     

Direct evidence for ethanol dissociation on rutile TiO2(110)

We have studied the interaction of ethanol with reduced TiO(2)(110)-(1 × 1) by high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements and density functional theory calculations. The STM data revealed direct evidence for the coexistence of molecularly and dissociatively adsorbed ethanol species on surface Ti sites. In addition, we found evidence for dissociation of ethanol at bridge-bonded O vacancies. The density functional theory calculations support these findings and rationalize the distinct diffusion behaviors of molecularly and dissociatively adsorbed ethanol species, as revealed in time-lapsed STM images.     

Stability of gold nanostructures on rutile TiO2(110) surface

The adsorption of gold atoms and formation of nanostructures on the rutile TiO₂(110) surface with different degree of oxygen reduction was studied from first principles. The Au atoms adsorb strongest at oxygen vacancy sites. Starting from a very low coverage limit the potential energy profiles or diffusion paths of the adsorbed Au monomers and dimers were calculated. Stable structures of two to nine Au atoms arranged in finite and infinite rows and in the shape of finite-size clusters were determined. All these structures are found to bind to the reduced surface stronger than 2 eV/atom. The elongated Au row-like structures bind by about 0.1 eV stronger than 3D clusters, suggesting a preference for the 1D-like Au growth mode on the missing-row reconstructed TiO₂(110).     

Vacancy-assisted diffusion of alkoxy species on rutile TiO2(110)

Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory simulations, we have studied the diffusion of alkoxy species formed by the dissociation of alcohols on bridge-bonded oxygen (BBO) vacancies (BBO(V)'s) on TiO2(110). At elevated temperatures (>or=400 K) the sequential isothermal STM images show that mobile BBO(V)'s mediate the diffusion of alkoxy species by providing space for alkyl-group-bearing BBO atom to diffuse into. The experimental findings are further supported by simulations that find that BBO(V) diffusion is the rate limiting step in the overall diffusion mechanism.     

Dissociative and molecular oxygen chemisorption channels on reduced rutile TiO2(110): An STM and TPD study

High-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) were used to study the interaction of O₂ with reduced TiO₂(110)–(1 × 1) crystals. STM is the technique of choice to unravel the relation between vacancy and non-vacancy assisted O₂ dissociation channels as a function of temperature. It is revealed that the vacancy-assisted, first O₂ dissociation channel is preferred at low temperature (~ 120 K), whereas the non-vacancy assisted, second O₂ dissociation channel operates at temperatures higher than 150 K–180 K. Based on the STM results on the two dissociative O₂ interaction channels and the TPD data, a new comprehensive model of the O₂ chemisorption on reduced TiO₂(110) is proposed. The model explains the relations between the two dissociative and the molecular O₂ interaction channels. The experimental data are interpreted by considering the available charge in the near-surface region of reduced TiO₂(110) crystals, the kinetics of the two O₂ dissociation channels as well as the kinetics of the diffusion and reaction of Ti interstitials.     

Surface reconstructions of TiO2(110) driven by suboxides

Scanning tunneling microscopy and density functional theory are used to develop a new structural model for surface reconstructions driven by Ti interstitials on TiO2(110). Ti interstitials form the edge- or face-sharing octahedra that serve as building blocks for (1 x 1) reconstruction. Thus, contrary to conventional wisdom, the 1 x 1 periodicity is insufficient to establish the correct surface stoichiometry. Furthermore, in our structural and compositional model the reversible oxidation or reduction between (1 x 1) and (1 x 2) is entirely achieved by transfer of the added rows.     

TiO2纳米层(110)表面对DNA强吸附的第一性原理研究

纳米二氧化钛(TiO₂)由于具有卓越的生物相容性和优异的物理性能,因此有望在生物医学领域中发挥重要的作用,且应用前景广阔.利用第一性原理计算,深入地研究了金红石型TiO₂纳米层(110)表面与脱氧核糖核酸(DNA)不同碱基在界面之间的吸附性能及相互作用的原子机制.通过分析结合能和功函数的计算结果发现,TiO₂纳米层(110)表面对DNA碱基的吸附强度显著增强,比典型二维纳米材料的吸附强度大两倍以上.进而,通过研究电子能带结构和态密度计算结果,阐明了二者在界面之间的吸附机制,其起源于吸附体系显著降低的能级和C、N和/或O的2p轨道与费米能级附近Ti原子的3d轨道的强烈杂化.纳米TiO₂为DNA传感器和测序仪的设计提供了一种极具潜力的候选材料.     

Electronic structure of a single oxygen vacancy in rutile TiO2

Summary I report calculations of the electronic structure of an ideal (undistorted) oxygen vacancy in rutile TiO₂ using the equation-of-motion method. I use a full phenomenological tight-binding Hamiltonian due to Vos to describe the electronic structure. The bulk band structure is also discussed in detail using the traditional Green’s-function method. I illustrate an efficient way to calculate the perfect-crystal Green’s-function matrix elements for any structure, including those that belong to non-symmorphic space groups. The results show that the oxygen vacancy in rutile TiO₂ results in deeply localized states in its vicinty.     

Molecular chemisorption as the theoretically preferred pathway for water adsorption on ideal rutile TiO2(110)

By taking careful account of slab thickness and adsorbate orientation effects we present, for the first time, periodic density functional calculations predicting the preference of water to adsorb in a molecular state on the ideal rutile TiO2(110) surface at all coverages < or =1 monolayer (ML). Moreover, while this has been predicted previously for 1/4 ML coverage [Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 266104 (2001)]], we show that the assertion made in that work, that dissociation is energetically unfeasible on the ideal surface, is incorrect. Our results thus resolve a long-standing discrepancy between theory and experiment and significantly improve the understanding of water chemistry on TiO2 surfaces.