J. Zegenhagen

Graphene on Ir(111): physisorption with chemical modulation.

The nonlocal van der Waals density functional approach is applied to calculate the binding of graphene to Ir(111). The precise agreement of the calculated mean height h = 3.41  Å of the C atoms with their mean height h = (3.38±0.04)  Å as measured by the x-ray standing wave technique provides a benchmark for the applicability of the nonlocal functional. We find bonding of graphene to Ir(111) to be due to the van der Waals interaction with an antibonding average contribution from chemical interaction. Despite its globally repulsive character, in certain areas of the large graphene moiré unit cell charge accumulation between Ir substrate and graphene C atoms is observed, signaling a weak covalent bond formation.

Initial corrosion observed on the atomic scale

Corrosion destroys more than three per cent of the worlds GDP. Recently, the electrochemical decomposition of metal alloys has been more productively harnessed to produce porous materials with diverse technological potential. High-resolution insight into structure formation during electrocorrosion is a prerequisite for an atomistic understanding and control of such electrochemical surface processes. Here we report atomic-scale observations of the initial stages of corrosion of a Cu3Au(111) single crystal alloy within a sulphuric acid solution. We monitor, by in situ X-ray diffraction with picometre-scale resolution, the structure and chemical composition of the electrolyte/alloy interface as the material decomposes. We reveal the microscopic structural changes associated with a general passivation phenomenon of which the origin has been hitherto unclear. We observe the formation of a gold-enriched single-crystal layer that is two to three monolayers thick, and has an unexpected inverted (CBA-) stacking sequence. At higher potentials, we find that this protective passivation layer dewets and pure gold islands are formed; such structures form the templates for the growth of nanoporous metals. Our experiments are carried out on a model single-crystal system. However, the insights should equally apply within a crystalline grain of an associated polycrystalline electrode fabricated from many other alloys exhibiting a large difference in the standard potential of their constituents, such as stainless steel (see ref. 5 for example) or alloys used for marine applications, such as CuZn or CuAl.

Adsorption-induced intramolecular dipole: correlating molecular conformation and interface electronic structure.

The interfaces formed between pentacene (PEN) and perfluoropentacene (PFP) molecules and Cu(111) were studied using photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray standing wave (XSW), and scanning tunneling microscopy measurements, in conjunction with theoretical modeling. The average carbon bonding distances for PEN and PFP differ strongly, that is, 2.34 A for PEN versus 2.98 A for PFP. An adsorption-induced nonplanar conformation of PFP is suggested by XSW (F atoms 0.1 A above the carbon plane), which causes an intramolecular dipole of approximately 0.5 D. These observations explain why the hole injection barriers at both molecule/metal interfaces are comparable (1.10 eV for PEN and 1.35 eV for PFP) whereas the molecular ionization energies differ significantly (5.00 eV for PEN and 5.85 eV for PFP). Our results show that the hypothesis of charge injection barrier tuning at organic/metal interfaces by adjusting the ionization energy of molecules is not always readily applicable.

Submonolayer growth of copper-phthalocyanine on Ag(111)

The growth of high-quality thin films is a key issue in the ability to design electronic devices based on organic materials and to tune their properties. In this context, the interfaces between metals and organic films play a decisive role. Here, we report on the interface formation between copper-phthalocyanine (CuPc) and an Ag(111) surface using various complementary methods. High-resolution low-energy electron diffraction revealed a rich phase diagram for this system with disordered (two-dimensional (2D)-gas-like) and ordered structures (commensurate and point-on-line). In particular, a continuous change in lattice parameters with increasing coverage was found for long-range ordered structures, indicating a substrate-mediated repulsive intermolecular interaction similar to the case of tin-phthalocyanine/Ag(111). Chemisorptive bonding to the substrate was found by x-ray standing waves and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and this weakened with increasing coverage at low temperature. This remarkable effect is correlated to a shift in the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and a HOMO-1 split off band to higher binding energies. Based on our experimental results, we present a comprehensive study of the adsorption behavior of CuPc/Ag(111), including the mechanisms for phase formation and molecular interaction.

Aggregation and Contingent Metal/Surface Reactivity of 1,3,8,10-Tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) on Cu(111)

The structural chemistry and reactivity of 1,3,8,10-tetraazaperopyrene (TAPP) on Cu(111) under ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) conditions has been studied by a combination of experimental techniques (scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS) and DFT calculations. Depending on the deposition conditions, TAPP forms three main assemblies, which result from initial submonolayer coverages based on different intermolecular interactions: a close-packed assembly similar to a projection of the bulk structure of TAPP, in which the molecules interact mainly through van der Waals (vDW) forces and weak hydrogen bonds; a porous copper surface coordination network; and covalently linked molecular chains. The Cu substrate is of crucial importance in determining the structures of the aggregates and available reaction channels on the surface, both in the formation of the porous network for which it provides the Cu atoms for surface metal coordination and in the covalent coupling of the TAPP molecules at elevated temperature. Apart from their role in the kinetics of surface transformations, the available metal adatoms may also profoundly influence the thermodynamics of transformations by coordination to the reaction product, as shown in this work for the case of the Cu-decorated covalent poly(TAPP-Cu) chains.

Structure of a model TiO2 photocatalytic interface

The interaction of water with TiO2 is crucial to many of its practical applications, including photocatalytic water splitting. Following the first demonstration of this phenomenon 40 years ago there have been numerous studies of the rutile single-crystal TiO2(110) interface with water. This has provided an atomic-level understanding of the water-TiO2 interaction. However, nearly all of the previous studies of water/TiO2 interfaces involve water in the vapour phase. Here, we explore the interfacial structure between liquid water and a rutile TiO2(110) surface pre-characterized at the atomic level. Scanning tunnelling microscopy and surface X-ray diffraction are used to determine the structure, which is comprised of an ordered array of hydroxyl molecules with molecular water in the second layer. Static and dynamic density functional theory calculations suggest that a possible mechanism for formation of the hydroxyl overlayer involves the mixed adsorption of O2 and H2O on a partially defected surface. The quantitative structural properties derived here provide a basis with which to explore the atomistic properties and hence mechanisms involved in TiO2 photocatalysis.

Substrate-dependent bonding distances of PTCDA: A comparative x-ray standing-wave study on Cu(111) and Ag(111)

We study the adsorption geometry of 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) on Ag(111) and Cu(111) using X-ray standing waves. The element-specific analysis shows that the carbon core of the molecule adsorbs in a planar configuration, whereas the oxygen atoms experience a non-trivial and substrate dependent distortion. On copper (silver) the carbon rings resides 2.66 A (2.86 A) above the substrate. In contrast to the conformation on Ag(111), where the carboxylic oxygen atoms are bent towards the surface, we find that on Cu(111) all oxygen atoms are above the carbon plane at 2.73 A and 2.89 A, respectively.

Looking 100 Å deep into spatially inhomogeneous dilute systems with hard x-ray photoemission

We present hard x-ray photoemission measurements from GaAs samples with a 10-A-thick layer of AlAs buried at different depths. The intensity trend versus kinetic energy of the Al 1s signal allows extraction of the x-ray attenuation length, which we find to reach ∼100A at a kinetic energy of 6 keV. On one sample exposed to air for several days we obtain qualitative information on the oxidation at different depth scales by exploiting the energy dependence of the attenuation length. This suggests the strong potential of hard x-ray photoemission in the nondestructive characterization of diluted materials on a depth scale interesting to modern nanotechnologies.

Metal deposition on n-Si(111):H electrodes

Abstract Well-defined monohydride-terminated n-Si(111) electrodes were used to study electrodeposition of Pb and Cu as well as electroless Au deposition on these surfaces. With classical electrochemical methods, in-situ STM, ex-situ AFM, SEM and in-situ SXRD, the initial stages of metal deposition and the epitaxial properties of the metal deposit were investigated.

Determining the aluminium occupancy on the active T-sites in zeolites using X-ray standing waves

Zeolites are microporous crystalline materials that find wide application in industry, for example, as catalysts and gas separators, and in our daily life, for example, as adsorbents or as ion exchangers in laundry detergents. The tetrahedrally coordinated silicon and aluminium atoms in the zeolite unit cell occupy the so-called crystallographic T-sites. Besides their pore size, the occupation of specific T-sites by the aluminium atoms determines the performance of the zeolites. Despite its importance, the distribution of aluminium over the crystallographic T-sites remains one of the most challenging, unresolved issues in zeolite science. Here, we report how to determine unambiguously and directly the distribution of aluminium in zeolites by means of the X-ray standing wave technique using brilliant, focused X-rays from a third-generation synchrotron source. We report in detail the analysis of the aluminium distribution in scolecite, which demonstrates how the aluminium occupancy in zeolites can systematically be determined.