Xueqiang Zhang

Molecular Bridge Enables Anomalous Enhancement in Thermal Transport across Hard‐Soft Material Interfaces

Conventional wisdom tells us that interfacial thermal transport is more efficient when the interface adhesion energy is enhanced. In this study, it is demonstrated that molecular bridges consisting of small molecules chemically absorbed on solid surfaces can enhance the thermal transport across hard-soft material interfaces by as much as 7-fold despite a significant decrease in the interface adhesion energy. This work provides an unconventional strategy to improve thermal transport across material interfaces.

Electronic and chemical structure of the H2O/GaN(0001) interface under ambient conditions

We employed ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the electronic and chemical properties of the H2O/GaN(0001) interface under elevated pressures and/or temperatures. A pristine GaN(0001) surface exhibited upward band bending, which was partially flattened when exposed to H2O at room temperature. However, the GaN surface work function was slightly reduced due to the adsorption of molecular H2O and its dissociation products. At elevated temperatures, a negative charge generated on the surface by a vigorous H2O/GaN interfacial chemistry induced an increase in both the surface work function and upward band bending. We tracked the dissociative adsorption of H2O onto the GaN(0001) surface by recording the core-level photoemission spectra and obtained the electronic and chemical properties at the H2O/GaN interface under operando conditions. Our results suggest a strong correlation between the electronic and chemical properties of the material surface, and we expect that their evolutions lead to significantly different properties at the electrolyte/electrode interface in a photoelectrochemical solar cell.

Morphology dependence of interfacial oxidation states of gallium arsenide under near ambient conditions

The manipulation of semiconductor surfaces by tuning their electronic properties and surface chemistry is an essential ingredient for key applications in areas such as electronics, sensors, and photovoltaic devices. Here, in-situ surface reactions on gallium arsenide (GaAs) are monitored for two morphologies: a simple planar crystalline surface with (100) orientation and an ensemble of GaAs nanowires, both exposed to oxygen environment. A variety of oxide surface species, with a significant enhancement in oxidation states in the case of nanowires, are detected via near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This enhancement in oxidation of GaAs nanowires is due to their higher surface area and the existence of more active sites for O2 dissociation.

Heterogeneous Oxygen-Containing Species Formed via Oxygen or Water Dissociative Adsorption onto a Gallium Phosphide Surface

Interactions of O2 or H2O with a GaP(111) surface were investigated over wide ranges of pressure and temperature using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We demonstrated the formation of several oxygen-containing species from the dissociative adsorption of gas-phase molecules onto GaP(111). Chemical evolutions were determined at the gas/semiconductor interfaces based on changes in the high-resolution photoelectron spectra, which allowed us to identify the final products formed either directly or through intermediate species. We then used the Ga 2p3/2 spectra to create maps of the relative abundances of surface oxides and hydroxyl groups present under various experimental conditions. In the case of the O2/GaP(111) interface, we detected Ga–P bonds, and various oxygen-containing species, i.e., Ga2O, Ga2O3, and GaPOm. In the case of the H2O/GaP(111) interface, in addition to the detection of Ga–P bonds, species were formed with a different extent of oxidation and hydroxylation, On–Ga–(OH)3−n, via a Ga2O-like intermediate species. In both cases, the co-existence of multiple species represented as (GaPO)A or (GaPOH)B, was displayed under specific conditions.

Integrating Ab Initio Simulations and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Toward A Realistic Description of Oxidized Solid/Liquid Interfaces

Many energy storage and conversion devices rely on processes that take place at complex interfaces, where structural and chemical properties are often difficult to probe under operating conditions. A primary example is solar water splitting using high-performance photoelectrochemical cells, where surface chemistry, including native oxide formation, affects hydrogen generation. In this Perspective, we discuss some of the challenges associated with interrogating interface chemistry, and how they may be overcome by integrating high-level first-principles calculations of explicit interfaces with ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and direct spectroscopic simulations. We illustrate the benefit of this combined approach toward insights into native oxide chemistry at prototypical InP/water and GaP/water interfaces. This example suggests a more general roadmap for obtaining a realistic and reliable description of the chemistry of complex interfaces by combining state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques.

Structural evolution of dilute magnetic (Sn,Mn)Se films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We describe the structural evolution of dilute magnetic (Sn,Mn)Se films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (111) substrates, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When the Mn concentration is increased, the lattice of the ternary (Sn,Mn)Se films evolves quasi-coherently from a SnSe2 two-dimensional (2D) crystal structure into a more complex quasi-2D lattice rearrangement, ultimately transforming into the magnetically concentrated antiferromagnetic MnSe 3D rock-salt structure as Mn approaches 50 at. % of this material. These structural transformations are expected to underlie the evolution of magnetic properties of this ternary system reported earlier in the literature.

High‐Pressure‐Induced Pseudo‐oxidation of Copper Surfaces by Carbon Monoxide

Instantaneous electronic and structural modifications of Cu surfaces by high‐pressure CO were explored. At pressures over a millibar range the coverage of CO on the Cu(1 1 1) surface reached approximately one monolayer, and we observed several shake‐up peaks in the Cu 2p photoemission spectra for the first time by using ambient pressure X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These shake‐up peaks resembled those obtained for oxidized surface Cu atoms. We propose that these changes are related to the generation of a copper–carbonyl complex and subsequent Cu surface restructuring owing to lateral CO–CO repulsions. The generality of this finding was investigated in two model reactions, the water‐gas shift and CO oxidation, on a Cu(1 1 1) surface, and we clearly identified the pseudo‐oxidation of Cu. These reversible changes were found to be independent of the orientation of the Cu surface and are of general importance for Cu‐based heterogeneous catalysis.