Selective hydrogenation of graphene on Ir(111): an X-ray standing wave study.

A combined high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray standing wave study into the adsorption structure of hydrogenated graphene on Ir(111) is presented. By exploiting the unique absorption profiles and significant modulations in signal intensity found within the X-ray standing wave results, we refine the fitting of the C 1s X-ray photoelectron spectra, allowing us to disentangle the contributions from hydrogenation of graphene in different high-symmetry regions of the moiré supercell. We clearly demonstrate that hydrogenation in the FCC regions results in the formation of a graphane-like structure, giving a standalone component that is separated from the component assigned to the similar structure in the HCP regions. The contribution from dimer structures in the ATOP regions is found to be minor or negligible. This is in contrast to the previous findings where a dimer structure was assumed to contribute significantly to the sp3 part of the C 1s spectra. The corrugation of the remaining pristine parts of the H-graphene is shown to increase with the H coverage, reflecting an increasing number and size of pinning centers of the graphene to the Ir(111) substrate with increasing H exposure.

Growth and electronic properties of bi- and trilayer graphene on Ir(111).

Interesting electronic properties arise in vertically stacked graphene sheets, some of which can be controlled by mutual orientation of the adjacent layers. In this study, we investigate the MBE grown multilayer graphene on Ir(111) by means of STM, LEED and XPS and we examine the influence of the substrate on the geometric and electronic properties of bilayer graphene by employing XSW and ARPES measurements. We find that the MBE method does not limit the growth to two graphene layers and that the wrinkles, which arise through extended carbon deposition, play a crucial role in the multilayer growth. We also find that the bilayer and trilayer graphene sheets have graphitic-like properties in terms of the separation between the two layers and their stacking. The presence of the iridium substrate imposes a periodic potential induced by the moiré pattern that was found to lead to the formation of replica bands and minigaps in bilayer graphene. From tight-binding fits to our ARPES data we find that band renormalization takes place in multilayer graphene due to a weaker coupling of the upper-most graphene layer to the iridium substrate.

Superhydrogenation of pentacene: the reactivity of zigzag-edges.

Investigating the hydrogenation of carbonaceous materials is of interest in a wide range of research areas including electronic device development, hydrogen storage, and, in particular, astrocatalytic formation of molecular hydrogen in the universe. Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in space, locking up close to 15% of the elementary carbon. We have used thermal desorption measurements to study the hydrogenation sequence of pentacene from adding one additional H to the fully hydrogenated pentacene species. The experiments reveal that hydrogenated species with an even number of excess H atoms are highly preferred over hydrogenated species with an odd number of H atoms. In addition, the experiments show that specific hydrogenation states of pentacene with 2, 4, 6, 10, 16 and 22 extra H atoms are preferred over other even numbers. We have investigated the structural stability and activation energy barriers for the superhydrogenation of pentacene using Density Functional Theory. The results reveal a preferential hydrogenation pattern set by the activation energy barriers of the hydrogenation steps. Based on these studies, we formulate simple concepts governing the hydrogenation that apply equally well for different PAHs.

H2 catalysis through superhydrogenation of interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Experimental data showing superhydrogation of neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) coronene, pentacene and pentacenequinone is presented. PAH monolayers were prepared on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface and subsequently exposed to a beam of atomic hydrogen. The superhydrogenated PAH species were examined via temperature programmed desorption measurements. Stable intermediate superhydrogenation degrees as well as fully superhydrogenated species are observed and the initial reaction cross section for coronene has been determined.

The influence of coronene super-hydrogenation on the coronene-graphite interaction.

The changes in the strength of the interaction between the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, coronene, and graphite as a function of the degree of super-hydrogenation of the coronene molecule are investigated using temperature programmed desorption. A decrease in binding energy is observed for increasing degrees of super-hydrogenation, from 1.78 eV with no additional hydrogenation to 1.43 eV for the fully super-hydrogenated molecule. Density functional theory calculations using the optB88-vdW functional suggest that the decrease in binding energy is mostly due to an increased buckling of the molecule rather than the associated decrease in the number of π-electrons.

Efficient electron-promoted desorption of benzene from water ice surfaces.

Desorption of benzene (C6H6) from solid water surfaces [compact amorphous solid water (c-ASW) and crystalline ice (CI)] during irradiation of ultrathin solid films with low energy (250-300 eV) electrons has been investigated. The observed desorption behaviour is complex but typically two desorption components, with particularly large cross-sections, were present in the observed signal. A fast component, with a cross-section up to 10(-15) cm(2), is attributed to desorption of isolated C6H6 molecules that are hydrogen-bonded to small clusters of water (H2O) molecules on the solid water surface. A slower component, with a cross-section of ca. 10(-17) cm(2), is attributed mainly to desorption from larger C6H6 islands on the solid water surface. Possible desorption mechanisms are proposed and astrophysical implications are discussed.

Hydrogenation of PAH molecules through interaction with hydrogenated carbonaceous grains.

Carbonaceous materials contribute to a significant proportion of the interstellar dust inventory. Reactions on such grain surfaces are thought to play important roles in interstellar chemical networks. Of particular importance are reactions involving hydrogen atoms, and pathways to the formation of the most abundant molecular species, H2. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are an additional carbon reservoir, accounting for around 10% of the galactic carbon budget. Using thermal desorption and mass spectrometric techniques, we have investigated the interaction between PAH molecules and carbonaceous grain surfaces. We demonstrate that deuterium atoms adsorbed on graphite can react with adsorbed PAH molecules, forming superhydrogenated PAH species. Furthermore, by considering the number of D-atoms remaining bound to the graphite surface and the additional D-atoms in the observed superhydrogenated species, we see evidence for a significant release of deuterium from the graphite surface. We suggest that further reactive processes may be responsible for part of this deuterium loss, indicating that PAHs adsorbed on hydrogenated carbonaceous grains in warm interstellar environments may serve as a route to release H2 as well as forming superhydrogenated PAH species.