Search results for "Surfaces"

BacSr1−cTiO3 perovskite solid solutions: Thermodynamics from ab initio electronic structure calculations

2005

We suggest theoretical prediction for Ba"cSr"1"-"cTiO"3 perovskite solid solutions (BST) combining ab initio DFT/B3PW calculations and alloy thermodynamics. This approach is based on calculations of a series of ordered super-structures in Ba-Sr simple cubic sublattice immersed in the rest TiO"3 matrix. Although these structures are unstable with respect to the decomposition, the results of total energy calculations allow us to extract the necessary energy parameters and to calculate the phase diagram for the solid solutions (alloys). A novel approach applied to the BST system enables to predict that at T>400 K Ba and Sr atom distribution is random. But below this temperature at small c Ba a…

Quantitative phase analysis and thickness measurement of surface-oxide layers in metal and alloy powders by the chemical-granular method

1998

The principles of the chemical-granular analysis of metal and alloy powders are reviewed and the results are compared with those provided by the spectroscopic analytical techniques XPS, AES and SIMS, including ion etching in their depth-profiling mode, when they are applied to the same materials. Several examples are analysed and it is shown that the chemical-granular method alone can provide the very same information as depth profiling. However, it is averaged over a macroscopic powder sample in contrast to one or a few single particles. Nevertheless, it is the combination of the chemical-granular and depth-profiling analyses that really provides an unparalleled description in quantitative…

The structure of pumice: An XPS and27Al MAS NMR study

1992

In order to investigate the surface structure of pumice, an amorphous aluminosilicate, samples of pumice and of standards of silica and alumina have been studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of a mild acid leaching was also considered. The analysis of the Si 2p, Al 2p and O 1s photoelectron peaks and the Si KLL and O KLL Auger peaks indicated that pumice is formed by tetrahedral silica with some units being replaced by aluminate, AlO2−. The acid treatment decreases the alkali and the aluminate ions. X-ray photoelectron spectra of the valence band of pumices and of standards of Al2O3 and SiO2 agree with the core-level results. To support the conclusions from the XPS …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of SFG Librational Modes Spectra of Water at the Water–Air Interface

2016

At the water–air interface, the hydrogen-bond network of water molecules is interrupted, and accordingly, the structure and dynamics of the interfacial water molecules are altered considerably compared with the bulk. Such interfacial water molecules have been studied by surface-specific vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy probing high-frequency O–H stretch and H–O–H bending modes. In contrast, the low-frequency librational mode has been much less studied with SFG. Because this mode is sensitive to the hydrogen-bond connectivity, understanding the librational mode of the interfacial water is crucial for unveiling a microscopic view of the interfacial water. Here, we compu…

2017

The adsorption of molecular acceptors is a viable method for tuning the work function of metal electrodes. This, in turn, enables adjusting charge injection barriers between the electrode and organic semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate the potential of pyrene-tetraone (PyT) and its derivatives dibromopyrene-tetraone (Br-PyT) and dinitropyrene-tetraone (NO2-PyT) for modifying the electronic properties of Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces. The systems are investigated by complementary theoretical and experimental approaches, including photoelectron spectroscopy, the X-ray standing wave technique, and density functional theory simulations. For some of the investigated interfaces the trends expecte…

Self-assembly in surfactant-based liquid mixtures: Bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid/bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine systems

2010

Surfactant-based liquid mixtures constitute an interesting class of nanostructured materials with promising potential in specialized applications. Here, structural and conductometric properties of liquid mixtures composed of bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine (BEEA) and bis(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) have been thoroughly investigated with the aim to correlate structural features with system charge transport capability. The evolution of self-assembled local nanostructures with system composition has been investigated by FT-IR and XRD while the conductometric properties were probed by conventional AC complex impedance. Both pure components exhibit nano-segregation due to their amphiphilic natur…

Study of Mechanisms of Light-Induced Dissociation of Ru(dcbpy)(CO)2I2 in Solution down to 20 fs Time Resolution

2006

Mechanisms of the light-induced ligand exchange reaction of (trans-I) Ru(dcbpy)(CO)2I2 (dcbpy = 4,4'-dicarboxylic acid-2,2'-bipyridine) in ethanol have been studied by transient absorption spectroscopy. Ultraviolet 20 fs excitation pulses centered at 325 nm were used to populate a vibrationally hot excited pi bipyridyl state of the reactant that quickly relaxes to a dissociative Ru-I state resulting in the release of one of the carbonyl groups. Quantum yield measurements have indicated that about 40% of the initially exited reactant molecules form the final photoproduct. A 62 fs rise component in the transient absorption (TA) signal was observed at all probe wavelengths in the visible regio…

Motional Resistance Evaluation of the Quartz Crystal Microbalance to Study the Formation of a Passive Layer in the Interfacial Region of a Copper|Dil…

2015

A hyphenated technique based on vis–NIR spectroscopy and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with motional resistance monitoring was employed to investigate the dissolution of copper in acid media. Changes in motional resistance, current, mass, and absorbance during copper dissolution allow the evolution of the interfacial region of copper|diluted sulfuric solution to be understood. In particular, motional resistance is presented in this work as a useful tool to observe the evolution of the passive layer at the interface. During the forced copper electrodissolution in sulfuric solution, SO4(2–) favors the formation of soluble [Cu(H2O)6]2+. On the contrary, OH– involves the formation…

MoO (x≤2) ultrathin film growth from reactions between metallic molybdenum and TiO2 surfaces

2001

Abstract Exposures to oxygen at room temperature and annealings under vacuum were carried out on deposits obtained from molybdenum interacting with (1 1 0) TiO 2 surfaces in order to obtain molybdenum oxide ultra thin films. Exposures to oxygen at room temperature show that the interfacial molybdenum oxide layers resulting from the TiO 2 /Mo interactions are inactive towards oxygen whereas the metallic molybdenum clusters, which grew on top of the interfacial layers, oxidise into MoO 3 . Besides, during annealings under vacuum, substrate oxygen anions can diffuse into the deposit. Thus, between 400 and 500°C, molybdenum oxide layers are progressively oxidised into MoO 2 . Moreover, from the…

Reactivity between molybdenum and TiO2(110) surfaces: evidence of a sub-monolayer mode and a multilayer mode

2005

Small amounts of molybdenum (from 0.03 to 1.3 eqML) were deposited on non-stoichiometric TiO 2 (1 1 0) surface. The deposits were investigated by means of LEED and X-ray/UV photoemission using synchrotron radiation. For the smallest coverage (<0.2 eqML), deposition leads to oxidation of molybdenum into species close to Mo 4+ .In such a case, states appearing in TiO 2 band gap are mainly due to reduced titanium. For higher coverages, metallic behaviour of molybdenum is observed. This phenomenon was explained, thanks to first principle calculations, as a decrease of the Mo-O interactions for the benefit of the Mo-Mo interactions as the surface molybdenum atom density increases.