The use of the coupling agent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), in the silanization reaction with silanol-terminated silicon is an important surface modification reaction. Of particular importance is that the terminal amine functionalities of APTES are sufficiently exposed to the gas or liquid phase for further modifications, such as amide coupling reactions. Here, metastable induced electron spectroscopy (MIES) and UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) were used to study the composition of the outermost layer of a silanol-terminated Si surface after silanization with APTES. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to validate the attachment of APTES to the surface. Density of States (DOS) calculations were employed for interpreting the MIE spectra. Findings showed that amine functionalities covered only a small fraction of the APTES-modified Si surface.

Synchrotron XPS was used to investigate a series of chemically-synthesised, atomically-precise gold clusters Au(n)(PPh(3))(y) (n = 8, 9, 11 and 101, with y depending on cluster size) immobilized on titania nanoparticles. The gold clusters were washed with toluene at 100 °C or calcined at 200 °C to remove the organic ligand. From the position of the Au 4f(7/2) peak it is concluded that cluster size is not altered through the deposition. From the analysis of the phosphorous spectra, it can be concluded that the applied heat treatment removes the organic ligands. Washing and calcination leads to partial oxidation and partial agglomeration of the clusters. Oxidation of the clusters is most likely due to the interaction of the cluster core with the oxygen of the titania surface after removal of ligands. The position of the Au 4f(7/2) peak indicates that the size of the agglomerated clusters is still smaller than that of Au(101).

Synchrotron XPS was used to investigate a series of chemically synthesised, atomically precise gold clusters Au(n)(PPh3)y (n = 8, 9 and 101, y depending on the cluster size) immobilized on anatase (titania) nanoparticles. Effects of post-deposition treatments were investigated by comparison of untreated samples with analogues that have been heat treated at 200 °C in O2, or in O2 followed by H2 atmosphere. XPS data shows that the phosphine ligands are oxidised upon heat treatment in O2. From the position of the Au 4f(7/2) peak it can be concluded that the clusters partially agglomerate immediately upon deposition. Heating in oxygen, and subsequently in hydrogen, leads to further agglomeration of the gold clusters. It is found that the pre-treatment plays a crucial role in the removal of ligands and agglomeration of the clusters.

Single-crystal X-ray crystallography is employed to characterize the reaction species of af ull catalytic carbonylation cycle within aM n II -based metal-organic framework (MOF) material. The structural insights explain why the Rh metalated MOF is catalytically competent towardt he carbonylation of MeBr but only affords stoichiometric turn-over in the case of MeI. This work highlights the capability of MOFs to act as platform materials for studying single-site catalysis in heterogeneous systems.

Chemically made, atomically precise phosphine-stabilized clusters Au9(PPh3)8(NO3)3 were deposited on titania and silica from solutions at various concentrations and the samples heated under vacuum to remove the ligands. Metastable induced electron spectroscopy was used to determine the density of states at the surface, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for analysing the composition of the surface. It was found for the Au9 cluster deposited on titania that the ligands react with the titania substrate. Based on analysis using the singular value decomposition algorithm, the series of MIE spectra can be described as a linear combination of 3 base spectra that are assigned to the spectra of the substrate, the phosphine ligands on the substrate, and the Au clusters anchored to titania after removal of the ligands. On silica, the Au clusters show significant agglomeration after heat treatment and no interaction of the ligands with the substrate can be identified.