Thomas Risse

Gold supported on thin oxide films: From single atoms to nanoparticles

[Figure: see text]. Historically, people have prized gold for its beauty and the durability that resulted from its chemical inertness. However, even the ancient Romans had noted that finely dispersed gold can give rise to particular optical phenomena. A decade ago, researchers found that highly dispersed gold supported on oxides exhibits high chemical activity in a number of reactions. These chemical and optical properties have recently prompted considerable interest in applications of nanodispersed gold. Despite their broad use, a microscopic understanding of these gold-metal oxide systems lags behind their application. Numerous studies are currently underway to understand why supported nanometer-sized gold particles show catalytic activity and to explore possible applications of their optical properties in photonics and biology. This Account focuses on a microscopic understanding of the gold-substrate interaction and its impact on the properties of the adsorbed gold. Our strategy uses model systems in which gold atoms and clusters are supported on well-ordered thin oxide films grown on metal single crystals. As a result, we can investigate the systems with the rigor of modern surface science techniques while incorporating some of the complexity found in technological applications. We use a variety of different experimental methods, namely, scanning probe techniques (scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, STM and STS), as well as infrared (IR), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, to evaluate these interactions and combine these results with theoretical calculations. We examined the properties of supported gold with increasing complexity starting from single gold atoms to one- and two-dimensional clusters and three-dimensional particles. These investigations show that the binding of gold on oxide surfaces depends on the properties of the oxide, which leads to different electronic properties of the Au deposits. Changes in the electronic structure, namely, the charge state of Au atoms and clusters, can be induced by surface defects such as color centers. Interestingly, the film thickness can also serve as a parameter to alter the properties of Au. Thin MgO films (two to three monolayer thickness) stabilize negatively charged Au atoms and two-dimensional Au particles. In three dimensions, the properties of Au particles bigger than 2-3 nm in diameter are largely independent of the support. Smaller three-dimensional particles, however, showed differences based on the supporting oxide. Presumably, the oxide support stabilizes particular atomic configurations, charge states, or electronic properties of the ultrasmall Au aggregates, which are in turn responsible for this distinct chemical behavior.

Preparation and characterization of model catalysts: from ultrahigh vacuum to in situ conditions at the atomic dimension

Abstract In situ characterization and reaction studies of working catalytic systems are an issue of current interest. We present studies on well characterized model systems, i.e., deposited metal nanoparticles, applying a variety of experimental techniques in an attempt to bridge gaps between surface science and catalysis. In particular, we investigate methanol dehydrogenation and ethene hydrogenation under UHV as well as ambient conditions and apply nonlinear optical techniques. We use electron spin resonance to study intermediately formed radicals in Ziegler–Natta polymerization of ethene. It is concluded that there is a chance to transfer results from studies on model systems toward an understanding of catalysis.

Temperature‐Dependent Morphology, Magnetic and Optical Properties of Li‐Doped MgO

Li‐doped MgO is a potential catalyst for the oxidative coupling of methane, whereby surface Li+ O− centers are suggested to be the chemically active species. To elucidate the role of Li in the MgO matrix, two model systems are prepared and their morphological, optical and magnetic properties as a function of Li doping are investigated. The first is an MgO film deposited on Mo(001) and doped with various amounts of Li, whereas the second is a powder sample fabricated by calcination of Li and Mg precursors in an oxygen atmosphere. Scanning tunneling and transmission electron microscopy are performed to characterize the morphology of both samples. At temperatures above 700 K, Li starts segregating towards the surface and forms irregular Li‐rich oxide patches. Above 1050 K, Li desorbs from the MgO surface, leaving behind a characteristic defect pattern. Traces of Li also dissolve into the MgO, as concluded from a distinct optical signature that is absent in the pristine oxide. No electron paramagnetic resonance signal that would be compatible with Li+O− centers is detected in the two Li/MgO samples. Density‐functional theory calculations are used to determine the thermodynamic stability of various Li‐induced defects in the MgO. The calculations clarify the driving forces for Li segregation towards the MgO surface, but also rationalize the absence of Li+O− centers. From the combination of experimental and theoretical results, a detailed picture arises on the role of Li for the MgO properties, which can be used as a starting point to analyze the chemical behavior of the doped oxide in future.

Charge-mediated adsorption behavior of CO on MgO-supported Au clusters.

The CO binding behavior to gold particles supported on MgO thin films has been analyzed with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and infrared spectroscopy (IRAS). The ad-particles accommodate excess electrons that originate either from a charge transfer through the thin oxide film or from a local interaction with electron-rich oxide defects that act as Au nucleation centers. The enhanced electron density in the Au aggregates affects both the spatial distribution and the vibrational properties of adsorbed CO species. Whereas preferential CO attachment to the chemically unsaturated and electron-rich boundary sites of the Au islands is deduced from the STM data, a continuous downshift of the CO stretching frequency with decreasing particle size is observed in IRAS. Both results are interpreted in the light of CO adsorption to negatively charged metal aggregates and used to draw general conclusions on the interplay between charge and adsorption properties of confined metal systems.

Au dimers on thin MgO(001) films: flat and charged or upright and neutral?

A combination of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and theoretical calculations is used to investigate Au dimers, supported on thin MgO(001) films, whose thickness was chosen such that charge transfer from the Ag substrate to the deposited Au is possible. Au dimers exist not only in an upright geometry--as theoretically predicted to be the most stable configuration--but also as flat lying dimers which populate a manifold of different azimuthal orientations. Apart from the difference in adsorption configurations, these two isomers exhibit rather different electronic structures: while upright dimers are neutral, flat ones are charged.

Characterization of a model Ziegler-Natta catalyst for ethylene polymerization

Based on the work of the Somorjai group [Magni and Somorjai, Catal. Lett. 35, 205 (1995)] we have prepared a thin well ordered MgCl2(001) film by MgCl2 evaporation from a Knudsen cell. This film does not absorb TiCl4 at room temperature if it is not activated by increasing the defect density via electron or ion bombardment. The nature of some of the defects created is characterized by in situ ESR measurements and Auger spectroscopy. Paramagnetic surface defects are altered by the bonding of TiCl4 to the surface as observed by ESR spectroscopy. Ti3+ centers are detected if particularly severely defected MgCl2 layers are prepared. Reactivity studies show however, that these species are not correlated with polymerization activity. Interaction with aluminum alkyl leads to the formation of the active catalyst and we observe for the first time directly ethyl radicals formed from trimethyl-aluminum in an abstraction process which may be formulated as TiCl4/surface+AlMe3→Me−TiCl3/surface+AlMe2Cl, Me−TiCl3/surface...

Surface structure of Co–Pd bimetallic particles supported on Al2O3 thin films studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy of CO

Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy of CO has been used as a surface-sensitive probe for the available binding sites of Co–Pd bimetallic particles supported on a thin alumina film. A high-coverage state is obtained on the Co particles in addition to atop sites, attributable to a M(CO)n species. Bridge and threefold sites are not detected from CO stretching on the Co particles. When both metals are deposited sequentially at 300 K, Pd easily forms a shell on existing Co particles. In the reverse order, much more Co is required to coat Pd particles, because it nucleates between Pd particles as well as on top of them. For both metals, atop sites are better preserved at various bimetallic compositions because they are statistically less vulnerable than threefold hollow sites. The stretching frequency of CO to a given site is nearly independent of the bimetallic composition.

Model in Heterogeneous Catalysis: Surface Science Quo Vadis?

Model catalyst systems have been prepared by growth of small metal aggregates on thin well ordered oxide films of alumina and silica. These systems lend themselves to structural and morphological characterization via scanning probe microscopies and transmission electron microscopy and bridge to a certain extent the materials gap between metal single crystal studies and the investigation of real catalyst samples. Recently, the classical surface science techniques applied under ultrahigh vacuum conditions have been augmented by non-linear optical techniques, such as sum frequency generation, which can also be applied under ambient gas pressures. Thus, the pressure gap between studies in surface science under realistic conditions can he bridged.

Properties of alkali metal atoms deposited on a MgO surface: A systematic experimental and theoretical study

The adsorption of small amounts of alkali metal atoms (Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) on the surface of MgO powders and thin films has been studied by means of EPR spectroscopy and DFT calculations. From a comparison of the measured and computed g values and hyperfine coupling constants (hfccs), a tentative assignment of the preferred adsorption sites is proposed. All atoms bind preferentially to surface oxide anions, but the location of these anions differs as a function of the deposition temperature and alkali metal. Lithium forms relatively strong bonds with MgO and can be stabilized at low temperatures on terrace sites. Potassium interacts very weakly with MgO and is stabilized only at specific sites, such as at reverse corners where it can interact simultaneously with three surface oxygen atoms (rubidium and cesium presumably behave in the same way). Sodium forms bonds of intermediate strength and could, in principle, populate more than a single site when deposited at room temperature. In all cases, large deviations of the hfccs from the gas-phase values are observed. These reductions in the hfccs are due to polarization effects and are not connected to ionization of the alkali metal, which would lead to the formation of an adsorbed cation and a trapped electron. In this respect, hydrogen atoms behave completely differently. Under similar conditions, they form (H(+))(e(-)) pairs. The reasons for this different behavior are discussed.

Density-functional model cluster studies of EPR g tensors of F-s(+) centers on the surface of MgO

We report g tensors of surface color centers, so-called F(s) (+) centers, of MgO calculated with two density-functional approaches using accurately embedded cluster models. In line with recent UHV measurements on single-crystalline MgO film, we determined only small g-tensor anisotropies and negative shifts Deltag identical with g-g(e) for all F(s) (+) sites considered, namely, (001)-terrace, step, edge, and corner sites. The g values are very sensitive to the local structure of the defect: relaxation reverses the sign of Deltag. However, accounting for the spin-orbit interaction either self-consistently or perturbatively yields very similar results. In addition to the values of the tensor components, their direction with respect to the surface was determined. In contrast to edges, significant deviations from ideal C(2v) symmetry were found for F(s) (+) centers at steps. Recent data on single-crystalline thin films are reevaluated in the light of these results.