Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are capable of converting sunlight into electric energy when adsorbed on TiO 2 in a dye-sensitized solar cell. Of special interest in this type of cell is the energy level alignment as well as how molecules adsorb on the surface as it determines the output of the cell. We investigated the FePc-TiO 2 (110) interface using scanning tunneling microscopy, synchrotron-based photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. We found a strong coupling of the first-layer FePc to the substrate resulting in an alteration of the electronic structure and charge transfer from the molecules. The FePc in the second layer is not severely affected by the bonding to the surface and has bulk-like electronic properties. The growth of FePc thin films proceeds in a layer plus island mode, and the molecular plane is parallel to the surface. The energy level alignment at the interface is determined, and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital is found above the conduction band minimum of the oxide substrate.

We present room temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and photoemission spectroscopy studies of water adsorption on the Zn-terminated ZnO(0001) surface. Data indicates that the initial adsorption is dissociative leaving hydroxyl groups on the surface. At low water coverage, the adsorption occurs next to the oxygen-terminated step edges, where water is believed to bind to zinc cations leaving off hydrogen atoms to under-coordinated oxygen anions. When increasing the water dose, triangular terraces grow in size and pits diminish until the surface is covered with wide irregular terraces and a large number of small pits. Higher water exposure (20 Langmuir) results in a much more irregular surface. Hydrogen, which is produced in the dissociation reaction is believed to have an important role in the changed surface structure at high exposures. The fact that adsorbed water completely changes the structure of ZnO (0001) is an important finding toward the understanding of this surface at atmospheric conditions.