Vibrational state-resolved reactivity measurements reveal details of fundamental processes that impact reactivity in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. Insights into energy flow during reaction obtained from observations of non-statistical mode-specific and bond-selective enhancements observed for methane and it’s isotopologues on transition metal surfaces are one example. By providing reactive gas-molecules with precisely defined energy in well-defined energetic coordinates, state-selective experiments have also proven to be valuable probes of how surface atom motion affects overall reactivity. In this work, we will present vibrational state-resolved data collected via IR laser excitation of the antisymmetric stretch of supersonically expanded CH₄ gas molecules incident on a Ni(997) surface. We will focus on measurements investigating both the low and high incident energy regimes on this lightly stepped single crystal at a wide range of surface temperatures (T_S = 120 K to 1000 K). We will explore the possibility of benchmarking site-specific reaction barriers for dissociative chemisorption with molecules near the energy threshold for reaction. For higher energy molecular beams incident on higher surface temperatures, we will report on how the presence of steps on the Ni(997) surface modifies the kinetics of surface-bound C diffusion into the Ni subsurface and bulk and how this process impacts subsequent methane reactivity on this surface.

Fundamental understanding of catalytic processes for NO_x removal (Selective Catalytic reaction, SCR) is vital for improving existing catalysts and developing new. In the SCR cycle, NO_x is known to react from gas-phase on adsorbed ammonia on VO_x/TiO₂ based catalysts , and adsorption of ammonia on such oxides is therefore of great importance for fundamental understanding of NO_x-removal and SCR catalysis. Here we present a fundamental study of the static and dynamic behaviour of ammonia on anatase-TiO₂ (101), the predominant facet on anatase-TiO₂ nanoparticles. High resolution Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy (STM) of static adsorbed ammonia molecules at room temperature, indicates a strong binding to the surface. Through synchrotron radiation XPS ammonia was found to adsorb molecularly. The strong binding of ammonia was further quantified by Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) which also shows a highly coverage dependent binding energy, indicating molecular repulsion. All experimental obtained results are in accordance with a proposed theoretically calculated DFT-model of ammonia absorption.

Next, single ammonia molecule diffusion measured utilizing the high-speed Aarhus STM, show diffusibility to all neighbouring sites. Molecular repulsion also show a clear effect on static structures, where nearest neighbouring site occupation is rarely observed. Statistical analysis of intermolecular coordination supplied repulsion energies, which agree with observed values in TPD spectra and theory. For diffusion, we conclude that molecular repulsion increases the diffusibility for higher coordinated ammonia molecules. However when two ammonia occupy two nearest neighbour sites, they have the possibility of diffusing through a rolling effect, where ammonia can move more easily in one direction, this phenomena has also been seen for water on other oxide surfaces. Our analysis thus shows a surprisingly complex diffusion behaviour of NH3 on anatase TiO₂(101), which however resembles water dimer diffusion of water dimers on Rutile-TiO₂ (110).

Important chemical processes often occur on the femtosecond timescale, requiring the use of femtosecond excitation and probing techniques to study them. Optical femtosecond laser pulses are a convenient method of initiating catalytically important reactions on metal surfaces, such as CO hydrogenation and CO oxidation, on the femtosecond timescale. Using femtosecond x-ray pulses from free electron lasers (FEL), we have selectively probed the bond making and breaking processes of these reactions using O and C k-edge x-ray absorption and emission spectroscopies to obtain time-resolved electronic structure maps. These electronic structure maps reveal the time evolution of different surface species along the reaction pathway, providing new insights into the reaction dynamics on metal catalysis. This talk will highlight past and recent results in reaction dynamics on metal surfaces as investigated using femtosecond x-ray pulses and supported through density functional theory (DFT) calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations. Specific systems include CO desorption CO oxidation, and CO hydrogenation on ruthenium.

Realizing molecular “Designer Solids” by programmed assembly of building units taken form libraries is a very appealing objective. Recently metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted a huge interest in this context. Here, we will focus on MOF-based electrochemical [1,2], photoelectro­chemical [3] and photovoltaic devices [4,5]. Internal interfaces in MOF heterostructures are also of interest with regard to photon-upconversion [6] and can be used for the crosslinking of sandwiched, reactive monomers [7]. Since the fabrication of reliable and reproducible contacts to MOF-materials represent a major challenge, we have developed a layer-by-layer (lbl) deposition method to produce well-defined, highly oriented and monolithic MOF thin films on a number of different substrates. The resulting films are referred to as SURMOFs [8]. The fabrication of hetero-multilayers (see Fig. 1) is rather straightforward with this lbl method. In this talk, we will describe the principles of SURMOF fabrication as well as the results of systematic investigations of electrical [9] and photophysical properties exhibited by empty MOFs and after loading their pores with functional guests. Furthermore, we will discuss further applications realized by loading MOFs with nanoparticles or quantum dots.

References:

[1] A. Dragässer, O. Shekhah, O. Zybaylo, C. Shen, M. Buck, Ch. Wöll, D. Schlettwein

Chem. Comm., 48, 663 (2012)

[2] J. Liu, M. Paradinas, L. Heinke, M. Buck, C. Ocal, V. Mugnaini, Ch. Wöll

Chem.Electro.Chem., 3, 713 (2016)

[3] Lu Ye, J. Liu, Y. Gao, Ch. Gong, M. Addicoat, Th. Heine, Ch. Wöll, L. Sun

J. Mater. Chem. A, 4, 15320, (2016)

[4] J. Liu, W. Zhou, J. Liu, I. Howard, G. Kilibarda, S. Schlabach, D. Coupry, M. Addicoat, S. Yoneda, Y. Tsutsui, T. Sakurai, S. Seki, Zh. Wang, P. Lindemann, E. Redel, Th. Heine, Ch. Wöll, Angew. Chemie Intl. Ed., 54, 7441 (2015)

[5] J. Liu, W. Zhou, J. Liu, Y. Fujimori, T. Higashino, H. Imahori, X. Jiang, J. Zhao, T. Sakurai, Y. Hattori, W. Matsuda, Shu Seki, S. K. Garlapati, S. Dasgupta, E. Redel, L. Sun, Ch. Wöll, Journal of Mat. Chem. A, 4, 12739 (2016)

[6] M. Oldenburg, A. Turshatov, D. Busko, S. Wollgarten, M. Adams, N. Baroni, A. Welle, E. Redel, Ch. Wöll, B. S. Richards, I. A. Howard, Adv. Mater., 28, 8477 (2016)

[7] Z. Wang, A. Blaszczyk, O.Fuhr, S.Heissler, C.Wöll, M.Mayor, Nat. Comm., 8, 14442 (2017)

[8] j. Liu, C. Wöll, Chem. Soc. Rev. 46, 5730-5770 (2017)

[9] J. Liu, T. Wächter, A. Irmler, P.G. Weidler, H. Gliemann, F. Pauly, V. Mugnaini, M. Zharnikov, Ch. Wöll, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7, 9824, (2015)

Sequentially adsorbed anthracene dicarboxylic acid and octanethiol on Au(111) form ordered regions of octanethiol, gold vacancy islands, and areas of disorder near domain boundaries and vacancy islands. Vapor deposition of octanethiol after drop-cast deposition of anthracene dicarboxylic acid on Au(111) results in small (√3 x √3)R30° and c(4x2) octanethiol domains. Initial exposure to soft ultraviolet irradiation increases disorder with only a few small close-packed octanethiol domains remaining. Repeated exposure to soft ultraviolet irradiation shows some removal of octanethiol molecules and sequential imaging by scanning tunneling microscopy gives snapshots of the stepwise reordering of the domains that ultimately leads to a structurally reordered monolayer consisting of larger domains of low-coverage octanethiol in a p x √3 structure.