Adsorbate structures and catalytic reactions studied in the torrpressure range by scanning tunneling microscopy
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
High-pressure, high-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (HPHTSTM) was used to study adsorbate structures and reactions on single crystal model catalytic systems. Studies of the automobile catalytic converter reaction [CO + NO → 1/2 N2 + CO2] on Rh(111) and ethylene hydrogenation [C2H4 + H2 → C2H6] on Rh(111) and Pt(111) elucidated information on adsorbate structures in equilibrium with high-pressure gas and the relationship of atomic and molecular mobility to chemistry. STM studies of NO on Rh(111) showed that adsorbed NO forms two high-pressure structures, with the phase transformation from the (2 x 2) structure to the (3 x 3) structure occurring at 0.03 Torr. The (3 x 3) structure only exists when the surface is in equilibrium with the gas phase. The heat of adsorption of this new structure was determined by measuring the pressures and temperatures at which both (2 x 2) and (3 x 3) structures coexisted. The energy barrier between the two structures was calculated by observing the time necessary for the phase transformation to take place. High-pressure STM studies of the coadsorption of CO and NO on Rh(111) showed that CO and NO form a mixed (2 x 2) structure at low NO partial pressures. By comparing surface and gas compositions, the adsorption energy difference between topsite CO and NO was calculated. Occasionally there is exchange between top-site CO and NO, for which we have described a mechanism for. At high NO partial pressures, NO segregates into islands, where the phase transformation to the (3 x 3) structure occurs. The reaction of CO and NO on Rh(111) was monitored by mass spectrometry (MS) and HPHTSTM. From MS studies the apparent activation energy of the catalytic converter reaction was calculated and compared to theory. STM showed that under high-temperature reaction conditions, surface metal atoms become mobile. Ethylene hydrogenation and its poisoning by CO was also studied by STM on Rh(111) and Pt(111). Poisoning was found to coincide with decreased adsorbate mobility. Under ethylene hydrogenation conditions, no order is detected by STM at 300 K, as hydrogen and ethylidyne, the surface species formed by gas-phase ethylene, are too mobile. When CO is introduced, the reaction stops, and ordered structures appear on the surface. For Rh(111), the structure is predominantly a mixed c(4 x 2), though there are some areas of (2 x 2). For Pt(111), the structure is hexagonal and resembles the Moire pattern seen when Pt(111) is exposed to pure CO. From these studies it is concluded that CO poisons by stopping adsorbate mobility. This lack of adsorbate mobility prevents the adsorption of ethylene from the gas phase by hindering the creation of adsorption sites.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 900777
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-52734; R&D Project: 517101; BnR: KC0203010; TRN: US200711%%551
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Structural sensitivity studies of ethylene hydrogenation on platinum and rhodium surfaces
Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy studies of adsorbates on Pt(111): Studies of CO at high pressures and temperatures, coadsorbed with olefins and its role as a poison in ethylene hydrogenation
Related Subjects
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
ACTIVATION ENERGY
ADSORPTION
ADSORPTION HEAT
ATOMS
AUTOMOBILES
CATALYTIC CONVERTERS
CHEMISTRY
ETHYLENE
HYDROGEN
HYDROGENATION
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MONOCRYSTALS
PARTIAL PRESSURE
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POISONING
PRESSURE RANGE
SCANNING TUNNELING MICROSCOPY