Surface Science最新文献

Nitrogen oxides play a significant role in various biomedical conditions, including respiratory disorders, asthma, and cardiovascular problems, underscoring the urgent need for sensitive and selective devices in biomedical applications. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the sensitivity of β-tellurene doped with 2.22 % tungsten to nitrogen oxides (NO, NO₂, and N₂O). Site-specific doping of tellurene with tungsten reduces the band gap and introduces magnetization in β-tellurene. The strong adsorption energies observed for NO, NO₂, and N₂O at site A (-2.45 eV, -2.39 eV, and -2.80 eV, respectively) suggest that W-doped β-Te monolayers are promising candidates for gas storage for these compounds. Conversely, weaker adsorption energies for the same gases at site B (-0.74 eV, -1.74 eV, and -0.09 eV) highlights the importance of doping location. The adsorption energy values at site B indicate that W-doped β-Te monolayers have potential as sensing materials for NO and as adsorbents for NO₂ gas. Conversely, the weak adsorption energy for N₂O at the B site demonstrates its non-interacting behaviour with the W-doped β-Te monolayer. Additionally, the negligible change in electronic properties and minimal charge transfer suggest that this configuration is unsuitable for N₂O storage and sensing. The spin-resolved current-voltage characteristics of doped tellurene reveal distinct behaviors influenced by gas molecule adsorption. Overall, these findings underscore the potential of W-doped tellurene as a site-specific material for the adsorption and sensing of targeted gases.

Surface science studies of electrochemical interfaces and processes have gained increasing popularity in the last decades, owning to the increasing importance of electrochemistry for key technologies of the 21th century, especially in electric energy storage and conversion. In situ and operando surface-sensitive methods, such as scanning probe microscopy and surface X-ray diffraction, as well as complementary ab initio theory can provide atomic-scale information on solid electrode surface in contact with liquid electrolytes, including structural changes under reaction conditions. The level of detail obtainable by these approaches is illustrated in this short review for selected examples. These include the adsorption of sulfate and other oxyanions, where a crucial role of coadsorbed water is found, the restructuring of Cu electrode surfaces under hydrogen evolution and CO₂ reduction conditions, and the mechanisms of electrochemical Pt oxidation and its correlation with Pt dissolution.

Graphene-supported Co clusters were investigated by high-resolution XPS, TPD and IRRAS using CO as a probe molecule. CO adsorption was observed at edge, on-top and bridge/hollow sites on the as-prepared clusters. Temperature-programmed XPS showed CO dissociation at T > 300 K. The CO desorption temperatures were determined by TPD measurements to be 260, 320 and 400 K for CO^{bridge/hollow}, CO^edge and CO^top, respectively. The CO dissociation products were used to investigate the adsorption of CO on carbon and oxygen precovered Co clusters. Site blocking by these adatoms was found resulting in the absence of CO^edge (XPS and TPD) and a decrease of the CO adsorption capacity (XPS, TPD and IRRAS). Additionally, no CO dissociation was found on the precovered clusters concluding a blocking of the catalytically active sites which are the edge sites of the clusters.

The surface chemistry of Ru atomic layer deposition (ALD) processes based on the use of tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)ruthenium(III) (Ru(tmhd)₃) and either molecular oxygen or atomic hydrogen on aluminum oxide films was characterized by a combination of surface-sensitive techniques. The thermal decomposition of the Ru metalorganic precursor was determined, by using a combination of reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperature programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), to start below 400 K and to take place in a stepwise fashion over a wide range of temperatures. Gas-phase products from this chemistry include 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedione (the protonated ligand, Htmhd; in a TPD peak at 520 K), isobutene (540 K; indicating the fragmentation of the organic ligands), and other products from isomerization and/or aldol condensation (650 and 730 K). This chemistry is accompanied by the reduction of the Ru³⁺ ions in two stages, involving the loss of some of their ligands and their direct bonding to the substrate first (between 500 and 600 K) and a full reduction to a metallic state later on (600–700 K). ALD cycles using either molecular oxygen or atomic hydrogen resulted in the slow build-up of Ru on the surface, but the co-deposition of carbon could not be avoided, at least in the initial cycles, while the alumina surface was still exposed. With O₂, the Ru atoms alternate between partially-oxidized (after the O₂ exposures) and zero-valent (after the Ru(tmhd)₃ doses) states, and some Ru loss in the form of the volatile RuO₄ oxide was seen after the second half of the ALD cycles; neither the Ru oxidation state alternation nor the elimination of some Ru from the surface were observed when using H·. The deposited Ru was determined, by combining results from angle-resolved XPS (ARXPS) and low-energy ion scattering (LEIS) experiments, to grow as 3D nanoparticles rather than as a layer-by-layer 2D film, presumably because the Ru precursor preferentially adsorbs (and decomposes more cleanly) on the metal surface. A discussion is provided of the implications of these results for the design of ALD processes.

Dicarboxylic acids, including tartaric acid, have played a crucial role alongside amino acids in the study of chiral recognition on metal surfaces. Over the past two decades, significant insights into surface stereochemistry have emerged, particularly on Cu(110). This review examines various phenomena observed during the interaction of 1,4-dicarboxylic acids with the Cu(110) surface. We explore diverse aspects such as chiral surface reconstructions, intermolecular chiral recognition, stereoselective autocatalytic decomposition, and chiral symmetry breaking through doping.

The substrate-modulation effect permeates throughout the realm of surface chemistry, particularly in the field of on-surface reactions. A comprehensive understanding of the interactions between molecules and substrates is crucial for the selective synthesis of designed graphene-based materials. In this review, we examine the substrate-modulation effect of surface-assisted reactions, focusing on the reaction mechanisms. We begin by elucidating how the substrates influence various process of the surface-assisted reaction, including adsorption, migration, and reaction of molecules. Additionally, substrates act as charge donors and acceptors to facilitate charge transfer between substrates and molecules, thereby tuning the electronic structure of the molecules.

Relativistic DFT calculations performed for Bi layers adsorbed on the Mo(112) surface have shown that Bi atoms tend to occupy adsorption sites in furrows and, at a half-monolayer coverage, form a rectangular p(2 × 1) structure. For a complete Bi monolayer, the most preferred structure is the centered c(2 × 1) structure, with one half of Bi adatoms in on-row sites. No Bi-induced surface states have been indicated along Γ – X, corresponding to the direction along furrows, which can explain only minor changes in the band structure and density of states in vicinity of E_F with increasing Bi coverage. On the contrary, changes in the band structure along Γ – Y turn out to be very significant. Specifically, the SOC-splitting band, associated with surface states generated by the Bi adlayer, moves upward and twice crosses E_F thus becoming a valence band. This feature may be important in the search for new layered structures for nano and spin-electronics.

The majority of candidates for simple model molecular-electronic components consist of a conductive π-conjugated hydrocarbon linker attached to at least two anchoring groups, such as thiols or isocyanides. It has been found that select molecules self-assemble on gold surfaces, creating one-dimensional conductive structures that act as “molecular wires”. Furthermore, these oligomers can form molecular bridges between gold nanoparticles, leading to the creation of simple molecular-electronic devices. This raises the question whether other π-conjugated molecular linkers could exhibit similar behavior that might offer a broader range of candidates for fabricating electronic devices. Trithiocyanuric acid (1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-trithiol, TTCA) provides a possible candidate. TTCA (C₃N₃(SH)₃) can exist as a trithiol or as a trithione in which hydrogens transfer to the sulfurs so that they are present with three C=N groups within the ring. TTCA exists naturally in the trithione form but converts into a trithiol when adsorbed onto an Ag(111) where it is vertically oriented. The structure of TTCA adsorbed on Au(111) is studied here using reflection-absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS) where it is found to remain as the trithione isomer, but changes orientation as the coverage increases. Scanning-tunneling microscopy (STM) reveals that TTCA oligomerizes on Au(111) to form chains and triangular structures. The influence on molecular conductivity due to the differences in the adsorbate's isomeric structure was investigated using devices comprising either silver or gold nanoparticles deposited in the gap between gold nanoelectrodes. Both devices were found to conduct when dosed with TTCA, but the devices fabricated using silver were about 13 time more conductive than those made from gold nanoparticles, consistent with the π-conjugated structure formed on silver but not on gold. This implies that oligomers form both on silver and on gold and potentially increases the range of molecule-metal combinations that might be used to fabricate molecular-electronic devices.

Accurate discrimination between metallic copper (Cu⁰) and cuprous oxide (Cu₂O, Cu⁺) in electron spectroscopy commonly relies on the Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) Cu L₃M_4,5M_4,5 transitions, as the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) Cu core-levels do not provide large enough binding energy shifts. The kinetic energy of the AES Cu L₃M_4,5M_4,5 electrons is ∼917 eV, which leaves the AES electron susceptible for efficient scattering in the gas phase and attenuation of the signal above near-ambient pressure conditions. To study copper-based materials at higher pressures, e.g., the active state of a catalyst, Auger transitions providing electrons with higher kinetic energies are needed.

This study focuses on AES transitions involving the Cu K-shell (1s electrons) that exhibit discernible kinetic energy shifts between the oxidation states of Cu. It is shown that the AES Cu KL₂M_4,5 transition, with kinetic energy of ∼7936 eV, provides a large enough kinetic energy shift between metallic copper and Cu₂O. AES signal is demonstrated in an ambient of 150 mbar CO₂.

Throughout its relatively short lifetime, ultra-high vacuum (UHV) surface chemistry has progressed quickly. In the 1960′s, pioneers like Ertl and Somorjai started the field using single crystals and gained significant insight into catalytic processes by relating surface structure to reactivity. The more recent proliferation of scanning probes has significantly increased the power of the single crystal approach by enabling the atomic-scale structure of active sites to be correlated with their reactivity. In this perspective we briefly discuss how the field developed, identify some challenges, and highlight Single-Atom Alloys (SAAs), a new class of heterogeneous catalyst that was developed from a fundamental surface science approach. However, despite recent successes, funding for fundamental surface science has declined. Academic hires in the discipline are also declining in part due to the start-up costs. We make the case that fundamental UHV surface chemistry is still too young a field to be in recession.