Hans-Peter Steinrück

Covalent bulk functionalization of graphene

Graphene, a truly two-dimensional and fully π-conjugated honeycomb carbon network, is currently evolving into the most promising successor to silicon in micro- and nanoelectronic applications. However, its wider application is impeded by the difficulties in opening a bandgap in its gapless band-structure, as well as the lack of processability in the resultant intrinscially insoluble material. Covalent chemical modification of the π-electron system is capable of addressing both of these issues through the introduction of variable chemical decoration. Although there has been significant research activity in the field of functionalized graphene, most work to date has focused on the use of graphene oxide. In this Article, we report on the first wet chemical bulk functionalization route beginning with pristine graphite that does not require initial oxidative damage of the graphene basal planes. Through effective reductive activation, covalent functionalization of the charged graphene is achieved by organic diazonium salts. Functionalization was observed spectroscopically, and successfully prevents reaggregation while providing solubility in common organic media.

Wet Chemical Synthesis of Graphene

A suitable technology for the preparation of graphene based on versatile wet chemistry is presented for the first time. The protocol allows the wet chemical synthesis of graphene from a new form of graphene oxide that consists of an intact hexagonal σ-framework of C-atoms. Thus, it can be easily reduced to graphene that is no longer dominated by defects.

Influence of Different Anions on the Surface Composition of Ionic Liquids Studied Using ARXPS

Angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study the influence of different types of anions on the surface composition of ionic liquids (ILs). We have investigated nine ILs with the same cation, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium [C(8)C(1)Im](+), but very different anions. In all cases, an enrichment of the cation alkyl chains is found at the expense of the polar cation head groups and the anions in the first molecular layer. This enhancement effect decreases with increasing size of the anion, which means it is most pronounced for the smallest anions and least pronounced for the largest anions. A simple model is proposed to explain the experimental observations.

Thermal stability of Pt films on TiO2(110): evidence for encapsulation

We have studied the thermal stability of ultrathin platinum films on a rutile TiO2(110) surface, using low energy ion scattering (LEIS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). At room temperature, Pt grows in three-dimensional islands on the TiO2 surface, with little indication of an interface reaction. Upon annealing to temperatures above 450 K in UHV, encapsulation of the Pt islands by Ti suboxides is observed; the rate of this process increases with annealing temperature and decreases with island thickness. The Ti layer on top of the Pt islands is identified as a reduced Tin+ species (1 ⩽ n ⩽ 3) with the degree of reduction depending on the thickness of the Pt islands. These results are discussed in the framework of the strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) effect.

Density and Surface Tension of Ionic Liquids

We measured the density and surface tension of 9 bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide ([Tf(2)N](-))-based and 12 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium ([C(8)C(1)Im](+))-based ionic liquids (ILs) with the vibrating tube and the pendant drop method, respectively. This comprehensive set of ILs was chosen to probe the influence of the cations and anions on density and surface tension. When the alkyl chain length in the [C(n)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N] series (n = 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) is increased, a decrease in density is observed. The surface tension initially also decreases but reaches a plateau for alkyl chain lengths greater than n = 8. Functionalizing the alkyl chains with ethylene glycol groups results in a higher density as well as a higher surface tension. For the dependence of density and surface tension on the chemical nature of the anion, relations are only found for subgroups of the studied ILs. Density and surface tension values are discussed with respect to intermolecular interactions and surface composition as determined by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). The absence of nonvolatile surface-active contaminants was proven by ARXPS.

Coordination and Metalation Bifunctionality of Cu with 5,10,15,20-Tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin: Toward a Mixed-Valence Two-Dimensional Coordination Network

We investigated the coordination self-assembly and metalation reaction of Cu with 5,10,15,20-tetra(4-pyridyl)porphyrin (2HTPyP) on a Au(111) surface by means of scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. 2HTPyP was found to interact with Cu through both the peripheral pyridyl groups and the porphyrin core. Pairs of pyridyl groups from neighboring molecules coordinate Cu(0) atoms, which leads to the formation of a supramolecular metal-organic coordination network. The network formation occurs at room temperature; annealing at 450 K enhances the process. The interaction of Cu with the porphyrin core is more complex. At room temperature, formation of an initial complex Cu(0)-2HTPyP is observed. Annealing at 450 K activates an intramolecular redox reaction, by which the coordinated Cu(0) is oxidized to Cu(II) and the complex Cu(II)TPyP is formed. The coordination network consists then of Cu(II) complexes linked by Cu(0) atoms; that is, it represents a mixed-valence two-dimensional coordination network consisting of an ordered array of Cu(II) and Cu(0) centers. Above 520 K, the network degrades and the Cu atoms in the linking positions diffuse into the substrate, while the Cu(II)TPyP complexes form a close-packed structure that is stabilized by weak intermolecular interactions. Density functional theory investigations show that the reaction with Cu(0) proceeds via formation of an initial complex between metal atom and porphyrin followed by formation of Cu(II) porphyrin within the course of the reaction. The activation barrier of the rate limiting step was found to be 24-37 kcal mol(-1) depending on the method used. In addition, linear coordination of a Cu atom by two CuTPyP molecules is favorable according to gas-phase calculations.

Liquid/Solid Interface of Ultrathin Ionic Liquid Films: [C1C1Im][Tf2N] and [C8C1Im][Tf2N] on Au(111)

Ultrathin films of two imidazolium-based ionic liquids (IL), [C(1)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N] (= 1,3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)imide) and [C(8)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N] (= 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethyl)imide) were prepared on a Au(111) single-crystal surface by physical vapor deposition in ultrahigh vacuum. The adsorption behavior, orientation, and growth were monitored via angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (ARXPS). Coverage-dependent chemical shifts of the IL-derived core levels indicate that for both ILs the first layer is formed from anions and cations directly in contact with the Au surface in a checkerboard arrangement and that for [C(8)C(1)Im][Tf(2)N] a reorientation of the alkyl chain with increasing coverage is found. For both ILs, geometry models of the first adsorption layer are proposed. For higher coverages, both ILs grow in a layer-by-layer fashion up to thicknesses of at least 9 nm (>10 ML). Moreover, beam damage effects are discussed, which are mainly related to the decomposition of [Tf(2)N](-) anions directly adsorbed at the gold surface.

The Surface Trans Effect: Influence of Axial Ligands on the Surface Chemical Bonds of Adsorbed Metalloporphyrins

The chemical bond between an adsorbed, laterally coordinated metal ion and a metal surface is affected by an additional axial ligand on the metal ion. This surface analogon of the trans effect was studied in detail using monolayers of various M(II)-tetraphenylporphyrins (MTTPs, M = Fe, Co, Zn) and their nitrosyl complexes on a Ag(111) surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the oxidation state of the Fe and Co (but not Zn) ions in the MTPP monolayers is reduced because of the interaction with the substrate. This partial reduction is accompanied by the appearance of new valence states in the UV photoelectron and scanning tunneling spectra (UPS and STS), revealing the covalent character of the ion-substrate bond. Subsequent coordination of nitric oxide (NO) to the metal ions (Fe, Co) reverses these surface-induced effects, resulting in an increase of the oxidation states and the disappearance of the new valence states. Removal of the NO ligands by thermal desorption restores the original spectroscopic features, indicating that the described processes are fully reversible. The NO coordination also changes the spin state and thus the magnetic properties of the metal ions. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculations on model systems provide structural and energetic data on the adsorbed molecules and the surface chemical bond. The calculations reveal that competition effects, similar to the trans effect, play a central role and lead to a mutual interference of the two axial ligands, NO and Ag, and their bonds to the metal center. These findings have important implications for sensor technology and catalysis using supported planar metal complexes, in which the activity of the metal center is sensitively influenced by the substrate.

Excitation, deexcitation, and fragmentation in the core region of condensed and adsorbed water

Using synchrotron radiation, Auger electron, and H+/D+‐ion yields have been studied at and above the O 1s excitation energies for condensed H2O/D2O layers of varying thickness, and for two reproducible adsorbate layers (so‐called bilayers and monolayers) on Ru(001). Decay electron spectra as well as polarization dependences, angular distributions, and energy distributions of desorbing ions have been investigated. For polarizations with sufficient E component perpendicular to the surface, a sharp peak in the H+ NEXAFS spectrum is seen for all layers which has no direct counterpart in the Auger NEXAFS spectra, and whose intensity maximizes for E oriented in the detection direction. This observation is interpreted as due to the 1a1→4a1 core‐to‐bound transition of the surface molecules whose final state decays electronically and dissociates on comparable time scales. This appears to have the consequence that the symmetry of the coupled excitation is different from that expected for the primary photoabsorption...

Precursors and trapping in the molecular chemisorption of CO on Ni(100)

The dynamics of molecular chemisorption of CO on Ni(100) has been investigated using supersonic molecular beam techniques. In order to probe the role of energy accommodation and of so-called precursor states, we have determined the dependence of the molecular sticking probability and the angular scattering distribution on the translational energy and incident angle of the incoming molecules, on surface temperature, and on surface coverage. At low translational energy CO adsorption proceeds in a fashion indicative of classical precursor kinetics. However, both the temperature independence of the initial sticking probability and the form of the angular scattering distribution of non-chemisorbing molecules (obtained using modulated beam techniques) indicate that molecules that fail to chemisorb on the clean surface are directly scattered and do not become fully accommodated in a precursor state. As the translational energy of the CO molecules at normal incidence is increased from 2 to 30 kcalmol, S0 decreases smoothly from 0.91 to 0.5. Further, for translational energies greater than 10 kcalmolS0 decreases with increasing angle of incidence. This surprising result indicates that the chemisorption probability decreases as the component of incident velocity parallel to the surface increases, just as it does for the normal component, but at a larger rate. The dynamics of the accommodation process are discussed in terms of a “hot”, not thermalized, precursor. Increasing the translational energy of the molecule affects not only the value of the sticking probability but also the form of the variation of sticking probability with coverage and with surface temperature. We report for the first time a transition between precursor adsorption kinetics at low translational energy (2 kcalmol) to direct (Langmuirian) adsorption at high incident energy (21 kcalmol). Scattering experiments performed on a surface with saturation coverage confirm this result.