In Situ Monitoring of Non-Thermal Plasma Cleaning of Surfactant Encapsulated Nanoparticles.

Surfactants are widely used in the synthesis of nanoparticles, as they have a remarkable ability to direct their growth to obtain well-defined shapes and sizes. However, their post-synthesis removal is a challenge, and the methods used often result in morphological changes that defeat the purpose of the initial controlled growth. Moreover, after the removal of surfactants, the highly active surfaces of nanomaterials may undergo structural reconstruction by exposure to a different environment. Thus, ex situ characterization after air exposure may not reflect the effect of the cleaning methods. Here, combining X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in situ infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, and environmental transmission electron microscopy measurements with CO probe experiments, we investigated different surfactant-removal methods to produce clean metallic Pt nanoparticles from surfactant-encapsulated ones. It was demonstrated that both ultraviolet-ozone (UV-ozone) treatment and room temperature O2 plasma treatment led to the formation of Pt oxides on the surface after the removal of the surfactant. On the other hand, when H2 was used for plasma treatment, both the Pt0 oxidation state and nanoparticle size distribution were preserved. In addition, H2 plasma treatment can reduce Pt oxides after O2-based treatments, resulting in metallic nanoparticles with clean surfaces. These findings provide a better understanding of the various options for surfactant removal from metal nanoparticles and point toward non-thermal plasmas as the best route if the integrity of the nanoparticle needs to be preserved.

Atomistic mechanisms of water vapor-induced surface passivation.

The microscopic mechanisms underpinning the spontaneous surface passivation of metals from ubiquitous water have remained largely elusive. Here, using in situ environmental electron microscopy to atomically monitor the reaction dynamics between aluminum surfaces and water vapor, we provide direct experimental evidence that the surface passivation results in a bilayer oxide film consisting of a crystalline-like Al(OH)3 top layer and an inner layer of amorphous Al2O3. The Al(OH)3 layer maintains a constant thickness of ~5.0 Å, while the inner Al2O3 layer grows at the Al2O3/Al interface to a limiting thickness. On the basis of experimental data and atomistic modeling, we show the tunability of the dissociation pathways of H2O molecules with the Al, Al2O3, and Al(OH)3 surface terminations. The fundamental insights may have practical significance for the design of materials and reactions for two seemingly disparate but fundamentally related disciplines of surface passivation and catalytic H2 production from water.

Tuning the surface reactivity of oxides by peroxide species.

The Mars-van Krevelen mechanism is the foundation for oxide-catalyzed oxidation reactions and relies on spatiotemporally separated redox steps. Herein, we demonstrate the tunability of this separation with peroxide species formed by excessively adsorbed oxygen, thereby modifying the catalytic activity and selectivity of the oxide. Using CuO as an example, we show that a surface layer of peroxide species acts as a promotor to significantly enhance CuO reducibility in favor of H2 oxidation but conversely as an inhibitor to suppress CuO reduction against CO oxidation. Together with atomistic modeling, we identify that this opposite effect of the peroxide on the two oxidation reactions stems from its modification on coordinately unsaturated sites of the oxide surface. By differentiating the chemical functionality between lattice oxygen and peroxide, these results are closely relevant to a wide range of catalytic oxidation reactions using excessively adsorbed oxygen to activate lattice oxygen and tune the activity and selectivity of redox sites.

Dynamical Study of Adsorbate-Induced Restructuring Kinetics in Bimetallic Catalysts Using the PdAu(111) Model System.

Dynamic restructuring of bimetallic catalysts plays a crucial role in their catalytic activity and selectivity. In particular, catalyst pretreatment with species such as carbon monoxide and oxygen has been shown to be an effective strategy for tuning the surface composition and morphology. Mechanistic and kinetic understanding of such restructuring is fundamental to the chemistry and engineering of surface active sites but has remained challenging due to the large structural, chemical, and temporal degrees of freedom. Here, we combine time-resolved temperature-programmed infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, ab initio thermodynamics, and machine-learning molecular dynamics to uncover previously unidentified timescale and kinetic parameters of in situ restructuring in Pd/Au(111), a highly relevant model system for dilute Pd-in-Au nanoparticle catalysts. The key innovation lies in utilizing CO not only as a chemically sensitive probe of surface Pd but also as an agent that induces restructuring of the surface. Upon annealing in vacuum, as-deposited Pd islands became encapsulated by Au and partially dissolved into the subsurface, leaving behind isolated Pd monomers on the surface. Subsequent exposure to 0.1 mbar CO enabled Pd monomers to repopulate the surface up to 373 K, above which complete Pd dissolution occurred by 473 K, with apparent activation energies of 0.14 and 0.48 eV, respectively. These restructuring processes occurred over the span of ∼1000 s at a given temperature. Such a minute-timescale dynamics not only elucidates the fluxional nature of alloy catalysts but also presents an opportunity to fine-tune the surface under moderate temperature and pressure conditions.

In Situ Monitoring of H2-Induced Nonstoichiometry in Cu2O.

Using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy to monitor the reduction of Cu2O in H2, we identify the formation of an intermediate, oxygen-deficient Cu2O phase and its progressive inward growth into the deeper region of the oxide. Complemented by atomistic modeling, we show that the oxygen-deficient Cu2O formation occurs via molecular H2 adsorption at the Cu2O surface, which results in the loss of lattice oxygen from the formation of H2O molecules that desorb spontaneously from the oxide surface. The resulting oxygen-deficient Cu2O is a stable intermediate that persists before the Cu2O is fully reduced to metallic Cu. The oxygen vacancy-induced charge of the coordinating Cu atoms results in a satellite feature in Cu LMM, which can be used as a fingerprint to identify nonstoichiometry in oxides and local charge transfer induced by the nonstoichiometry.

Molybdenum Carbide Electrocatalyst In Situ Embedded in Porous Nitrogen-Rich Carbon Nanotubes Promotes Rapid Kinetics in Sodium-Metal-Sulfur Batteries.

This is the first report of molybdenum carbide-based electrocatalyst for sulfur-based sodium-metal batteries. MoC/Mo2 C is in situ grown on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes in parallel with formation of extensive nanoporosity. Sulfur impregnation (50 wt% S) results in unique triphasic architecture termed molybdenum carbide-porous carbon nanotubes host (MoC/Mo2 C@PCNT-S). Quasi-solid-state phase transformation to Na2 S is promoted in carbonate electrolyte, with in situ time-resolved Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and optical analyses demonstrating minimal soluble polysulfides. MoC/Mo2 C@PCNT-S cathodes deliver among the most promising rate performance characteristics in the literature, achieving 987 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1 , 818 mAh g-1 at 3 A g-1 , and 621 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1 . The cells deliver superior cycling stability, retaining 650 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 1.5 A g-1 , corresponding to 0.028% capacity decay per cycle. High mass loading cathodes (64 wt% S, 12.7 mg cm-2 ) also show cycling stability. Density functional theory demonstrates that formation energy of Na2 Sx (1 ≤ x ≤ 4) on surface of MoC/Mo2 C is significantly lowered compared to analogous redox in liquid. Strong binding of Na2 Sx (1 ≤ x ≤ 4) on MoC/Mo2 C surfaces results from charge transfer between the sulfur and Mo sites on carbides' surface.

In Situ Tracking of Nonthermal Plasma Etching of ZIF-8 Films.

Surface characterization is critical for understanding the processes used for preparing catalysts, sorbents, and membranes. Nonthermal plasma (NTP) is a process that achieves high reactivity at low temperatures and is used to tailor the surface properties of materials. In this work, we combine the capabilities of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS) with NTP for the in situ interrogation of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) thin films to probe modifications in the material induced by oxygen and nitrogen plasmas. The IRRAS measurements in oxygen plasma reveal etching of organic ligands with sequential removal of the methyl group and imidazole ring and with the formation of carbonyl moieties (C═O). In contrast, nitrogen plasma induces mild etching and grafting of nitrile groups (-C≡N). Scanning electron microscopy imaging shows that oxygen plasma, at prolonged times, significantly degrades the ZIF-8 film at the grain boundaries. Treatment of ZIF-8 membranes using mild plasma conditions yields a fivefold enhancement for H2/N2 and CO2/CH4 ideal selectivities and an eightfold enhancement for CO2/N2 ideal selectivity. Additionally, the new tools described here can be used for spectroscopic in situ tracking of plasma-induced chemistry on thin films in general.

Water Formation Reaction under Interfacial Confinement: Al0.25Si0.75O2 on O-Ru(0001).

Confined nanosized spaces at the interface between a metal and a seemingly inert material, such as a silicate, have recently been shown to influence the chemistry at the metal surface. In prior work, we observed that a bilayer (BL) silica on Ru(0001) can change the reaction pathway of the water formation reaction (WFR) near room temperature when compared to the bare metal. In this work, we looked at the effect of doping the silicate with Al, resulting in a stoichiometry of Al0.25Si0.75O2. We investigated the kinetics of WFR at elevated H2 pressures and various temperatures under interfacial confinement using ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The apparent activation energy was lower than that on bare Ru(0001) but higher than that on the BL-silica/Ru(0001). The apparent reaction order with respect to H2 was also determined. The increased residence time of water at the surface, resulting from the presence of the BL-aluminosilicate (and its subsequent electrostatic stabilization), favors the so-called disproportionation reaction pathway (*H2O + *O ↔ 2 *OH), but with a higher energy barrier than for pure BL-silica.

Structural evolution of two-dimensional silicates using a "bond-switching" algorithm.

Silicates are the most abundant materials in the earth's crust. In recent years, two-dimensional (2D) versions of them grown on metal supports (known as bilayer silicates) have allowed their study in detail down to the atomic scale. These structures are self-containing. They are not covalently bound to the metal support but interact with it through van der Waals forces. Like their three-dimensional counterparts, the 2D-silicates can form both crystalline and vitreous structures. Furthermore, the interconversion between vitreous to crystalline structures has been experimentally observed at the nanoscale. While theoretical work has been carried out to try to understand these transformations, a limitation for ab initio methods, and even molecular dynamics methods, is the computational cost of studying large systems and long timescales. In this work, we present a simple and computationally inexpensive approach, that can be used to represent the evolution of bilayer silicates using a bond-switching algorithm. This approach allows reaching equilibrium ring size distributions as a function of a parameter that can be related to the ratio between temperature and the energy required for the bond-switching event. The ring size distributions are compared to experimental data available in the literature.

Stable Potassium Metal Anodes with an All-Aluminum Current Collector through Improved Electrolyte Wetting.

This is the first report of successful potassium metal battery anode cycling with an aluminum-based rather than copper-based current collector. Dendrite-free plating/stripping is achieved through improved electrolyte wetting, employing an aluminum-powder-coated aluminum foil "Al@Al," without any modification of the support surface chemistry or electrolyte additives. The reservoir-free Al@Al half-cell is stable at 1000 cycles (1950 h) at 0.5 mA cm-2 , with 98.9% cycling Coulombic efficiency and 0.085 V overpotential. The pre-potassiated cell is stable through a wide current range, including 130 cycles (2600 min) at 3.0 mA cm-2 , with 0.178 V overpotential. Al@Al is fully wetted by a 4 m potassium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide-dimethoxyethane electrolyte (θCA  = 0°), producing a uniform solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during the initial galvanostatic formation cycles. On planar aluminum foil with a nearly identical surface oxide, the electrolyte wets poorly (θCA  = 52°). This correlates with coarse irregular SEI clumps at formation, 3D potassium islands with further SEI coarsening during plating/stripping, possibly dead potassium metal on stripped surfaces, and rapid failure. The electrochemical stability of Al@Al versus planar Al is not related to differences in potassiophilicity (nearly identical) as obtained from thermal wetting experiments. Planar Cu foils are also poorly electrolyte-wetted and become dendritic. The key fundamental takeaway is that the incomplete electrolyte wetting of collectors results in early onset of SEI instability and dendrites.

Measuring Charge Transfer between Adsorbate and Metal Surfaces.

Charge transfer between dissimilar atoms is an essential step for many chemical processes such as corrosion and heterogeneous catalysis, but directly probing the charge transfer has been a challenge. Using the oxygen-copper system as an example, we show that synchrotron-based ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy can be employed to monitor the charge transfer between adsorbates and metal surfaces. It is shown that oxygen chemisorption on Cu surfaces results in an Auger process that differs from the photoexcitation-induced Coster-Kroning transition and can be used to derive the degree of charge transfer in combination with ab initio calculations. The identified chemisorption-induced Auger process may have broader implications for its use as a fingerprint to monitor bond formation and charge transfer between dissimilar atoms.

Tuning the surface composition of Cu3Au binary alloy.

Using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, here we report the real-time monitoring of dynamic surface composition evolution of Cu3Au(100) in response to the imposed environmental stimuli. Segregation of Au to the pristine surface under ultrahigh vacuum annealing leads to the phase separation with pure Au at the surface and alloyed Au in the subsurface. Upon switching to an oxidizing atmosphere, oxygen adsorption drives the surface segregation of Cu along with inward migration of pure Au to the subsurface. Switching to a H2 atmosphere results in oxygen loss from the oxygenated surface, thereby promoting Au surface segregation and reverting the surface to the pristine state with the Au termination. These measurements demonstrated the tunability of the surface composition of the binary alloy by utilizing the interplay between the tendency of segregating a more noble constituent to the surface and the tendency to segregate the more reactive one with the chemical stimuli.

Surface-reaction induced structural oscillations in the subsurface.

Surface and subsurface are commonly considered as separate entities because of the difference in the bonding environment and are often investigated separately due to the experimental challenges in differentiating the surface and subsurface effects. Using in-situ atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy to resolve the surface and subsurface at the same time, we show that the hydrogen-CuO surface reaction results in structural oscillations in deeper atomic layers via the cycles of ordering and disordering of oxygen vacancies in the subsurface. Together with atomistic calculations, we show that the structural oscillations in the subsurface are induced by the hydrogen oxidation-induced cyclic loss of oxygen from the oxide surface. These results demonstrate the propagation of the surface reaction dynamics into the deeper layers in inducing nonstoichiometry in the subsurface and have significant implications in modulating various chemical processes involving surface-subsurface mass transport such as heterogeneous catalysis, oxidation, corrosion and carburization.

Tuning reactivity layer-by-layer: formic acid activation on Ag/Pd(111).

The potential for tuning the electronic structure of materials to control reactivity and selectivity in heterogenous catalysis has driven interest in ultrathin metal films which may differ from their bulk form. Herein, a 1-atomic layer Ag film on Pd(111) (Ag/Pd(111)) is demonstrated to have dramatically different reactivity towards formic acid compared to bulk Ag. Formic acid decomposition is of interest as a source of H2 for fuel cell applications and modification of Pd by Ag reduces poisoning by CO and increases the selectivity for H2 formation. Formic acid reacts below room temperature on the 1-atomic layer Ag film, whereas no reaction occurs on pristine bulk Ag. Notably, 2 monolayer films of Ag again become unreactive towards formic acid, indicating a reversion to bulk behavior. A combination of infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and density functional theory (DFT) was used to establish that the Ag monolayer is continuous and electronically modified compared to bulk Ag. The work establishes a demonstration of the altered electronic structure of Ag monolayers on Pd(111) and an associated change in reactivity. The effect on reactivity only persists for the first layer, demonstrating the need for precise control of materials to exploit the modification in electronic properties.

Isolating the Roles of Hydrogen Exposure and Trace Carbon Contamination on the Formation of Active Catalyst Populations for Carbon Nanotube Growth.

Limited understanding of the factors influencing the yield of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) relative to the number of catalyst particles remains an important barrier to their large-scale production with high quality, and to tailoring CNT properties for applications. This lack of understanding is evident in the frequent use of Edisonian approaches to give high-yield CNT growth, and in the sometimes-confusing influence of trace residues on the reactor walls. In order to create conditions wherein CNT yield is reproducible and to enable large-scale and reliable CNT synthesis, it is imperative to understand-fundamentally-how these common practices impact catalytic activity and thus CNT number density. Herein, we use ambient pressure-X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) to reveal the influence of carbon and hydrogen on the coupling between catalyst reduction and CNT nucleation, from an iron catalyst film. We observe a positive correlation between the degree of catalyst reduction and the density of vertically aligned CNTs (forests), verifying that effective catalyst reduction is critical to CNT nucleation and to the resulting CNT growth yield. We demonstrate that the extent of catalyst reduction is the reason for low CNT number density and for lack of self-organization, lift-off, and growth of CNT forests. We also show that hydrocarbon byproducts from consecutive growths can facilitate catalyst reduction and increase CNT number density significantly. These findings suggest that common practices used in the field-such as reactor preconditioning-aid in the reduction of the catalyst population, thus improving CNT number density and enabling the growth of dense forests. Our results also motivate future work using AP-XPS and complementary metrology tools to optimize CNT growth conditions according to the catalyst chemical state.

Segregation Phenomena in Size-Selected Bimetallic CuNi Nanoparticle Catalysts.

Surface segregation, restructuring, and sintering phenomena in size-selected copper-nickel nanoparticles (NPs) supported on silicon dioxide substrates were systematically investigated as a function of temperature, chemical state, and reactive gas environment. Using near-ambient pressure (NAP-XPS) and ultrahigh vacuum X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we showed that nickel tends to segregate to the surface of the NPs at elevated temperatures in oxygen- or hydrogen-containing atmospheres. It was found that the NP pretreatment, gaseous environment, and oxide formation free energy are the main driving forces of the restructuring and segregation trends observed, overshadowing the role of the surface free energy. The depth profile of the elemental composition of the particles was determined under operando CO2 hydrogenation conditions by varying the energy of the X-ray beam. The temperature dependence of the chemical state of the two metals was systematically studied, revealing the high stability of nickel oxides on the NPs and the important role of high valence oxidation states in the segregation behavior. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies revealed a remarkable stability of the NPs against sintering at temperatures as high as 700 °C. The results provide new insights into the complex interplay of the various factors which affect alloy formation and segregation phenomena in bimetallic NP systems, often in ways different from those previously known for their bulk counterparts. This leads to new routes for tuning the surface composition of nanocatalysts, for example, through plasma and annealing pretreatments.

Comparative Study of the Oxidation of NiAl(100) by Molecular Oxygen and Water Vapor Using Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

The oxidation behavior of NiAl(100) by molecular oxygen and water vapor under a near-ambient pressure of 0.2 Torr is monitored using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. O2 exposure leads to the selective oxidation of Al at temperatures ranging from 40 to 500 °C. By contrast, H2O exposure results in the selective oxidation of Al at 40 and 200 °C, and increasing the oxidation temperature above 300 °C leads to simultaneous formation of both Al and Ni oxides. These results demonstrate that the O2 oxidation forms a nearly stoichiometric Al2O3 structure that provides improved protection to the metallic substrate by barring the outward diffusion of metals. By contrast, the H2O oxidation results in the formation of a defective oxide layer that allows outward diffusion of Ni at elevated temperatures for simultaneous NiO formation.

Atomic structure of an ultrathin Fe-silicate film grown on a metal: a monolayer of clay?

Ultrathin Fe-doped silicate films were prepared on a Ru(0001) surface and, as a function of the Fe/Si ratio, structurally characterized by low-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to identify the atomic structure. The results show that uniform substitution of Si by Fe in the silicate bilayer frame is thermodynamically unfavorable: the film segregates into a pure silicate and an Fe-silicate phase. The DFT calculations reveal that the Fe-silicate film with an Fe/Si = 1:1 ratio consists of a monolayer of [SiO4] tetrahedra on top of an iron oxide monolayer. As such, it closely resembles the structure of the clay mineral nontronite, a representative of the Fe-rich smectites. Furthermore, the DFT calculations predict formation of bridging Fe-O-Ru bonds between the Fe-silicate film and the Ru substrate accompanied by charge transfer from the metal substrate to the film, so that iron is in the oxidation state +III as in nontronite.

Patterned defect structures predicted for graphene are observed on single-layer silica films.

Topological defects in two-dimensional materials such as graphene are considered as a tool for tailoring their physical properties. Here, we studied defect structures on a single-layer silica (silicatene) supported on Ru(0001) using a low energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy, and photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed easy formation of periodic defect structures, which were previously predicted for graphene on a theoretical ground, yet experimentally unrealized. The structural similarities between single-layer materials (graphene, silicene, silicatene) open a new playground for deeper understanding and tailoring structural, electronic, and chemical properties of the truly two-dimensional systems.

Thin silica films on Ru(0001): monolayer, bilayer and three-dimensional networks of [SiO4] tetrahedra.

The atomic structure of thin silica films grown over a Ru(0001) substrate was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction, helium ion scattering spectroscopy, CO temperature programmed desorption, and scanning tunneling microscopy in combination with density functional theory calculations. The films were prepared by Si vapor deposition and subsequent oxidation at high temperatures. The silica film first grows as a monolayer of corner-sharing [SiO(4)] tetrahedra strongly bonded to the Ru(0001) surface through the Si-O-Ru linkages. At increasing amounts of Si, the film forms a bilayer of corner-sharing [SiO(4)] tetrahedra which is weakly bonded to Ru(0001). The bilayer film can be grown in either the crystalline or vitreous state, or both coexisting. Further increasing the film thickness leads to the formation of vitreous silica exhibiting a three-dimensional network of [SiO(4)]. The principal structure of the films can be monitored by infrared spectroscopy, as each structure shows a characteristic vibrational band, i.e., ∼1135 cm(-1) for a monolayer film, ∼1300 cm(-1) for the bilayer structures, and ∼1250 cm(-1) for the bulk-like vitreous silica.