Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional slab calculations were used to study the interaction of gold with titania and the chemistry of SO(2) on Au/TiO(2)(110) surfaces. The deposition of Au nanoparticles on TiO(2)(110) produces a system with an extraordinary ability to adsorb and dissociate SO(2). In this respect, Au/TiO(2) is much more chemically active than metallic gold or stoichiometric titania. On Au(111) and rough polycrystalline surfaces of gold, SO(2) bonds weakly and desorbs intact at temperatures below 200 K. For the adsorption of SO(2) on TiO(2)(110) at 300 K, SO(4) is the only product (SO(2) + O(oxide) --> SO(4,ads)). In contrast, Au/TiO(2)(110) surfaces (theta;(Au) < or = 0.5 ML) fully dissociate the SO(2) molecule under identical reaction conditions. Interactions with titania electronically perturb gold, making it more chemically active. Furthermore, our experimental and theoretical results show quite clearly that not only gold is perturbed when gold and titania interact. The adsorbed gold, on its part, enhances the reactivity of titania by facilitating the migration of O vacancies from the bulk to the surface of the oxide. In general, the complex coupling of these phenomena must be taken into consideration when trying to explain the unusual chemical and catalytic activity of Au/TiO(2). In many situations, the oxide support can be much more than a simple spectator.

Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission, X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, and first-principles density functional (DF) slab calculations were used to study the interaction of NO(2) with a TiO(2)(110) single crystal and powders of titania. The main product of the adsorption of NO(2) on TiO(2)(110) is surface nitrate with a small amount of chemisorbed NO(2). A similar result is obtained after the reaction of NO(2) with polycrystalline powders of TiO(2) or other oxide powders. This trend, however, does not imply that the metal centers of the oxides are unreactive toward NO(2). An unexpected mechanism is seen for the formation of NO(3). Photoemission data and DF calculations indicate that the surface nitrate forms through the disproportionation of NO(2) on Ti sites (2NO(2,ads) --> NO(3,ads) + NO(gas)) rather than direct adsorption of NO(2) on O centers of titania. Complex interactions take place between NO(2) and O vacancies of TiO(2)(110). Electronic states associated with O vacancies play a predominant role in the bonding and surface chemistry of NO(2). The adsorbed NO(2), on its part, affects the thermochemical stability of O vacancies, facilitating their migration from the bulk to the surface of titania. The behavior of the NO(2)/titania system illustrates the importance of surface and subsurface defects when using an oxide for trapping or destroying NO(x)() species in the prevention of environmental pollution (DeNOx operations).

The bonding of sulfur to surfaces of gold is an important subject in several areas of chemistry, physics, and materials science. Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional (DF) slab calculations were used to study the interaction of sulfur with a well-defined Au(111) surface and polycrystalline gold. Our experimental and theoretical results show a complex behavior for the sulfur/Au(111) interface as a function of coverage and temperature. At small sulfur coverages, the adsorption of S on fcc hollow sites of the gold substrate is energetically more favorable than adsorption on bridge or a-top sites. Under these conditions, S behaves as a weak electron acceptor but substantially reduces the density-of-states that gold exhibits near the Fermi edge. As the sulfur coverage increases, there is a weakening of the Au-S bonds (with a simultaneous reduction in the Au --> S charge transfer and a modification in the S sp hybridization) that facilitates changes in adsorption site and eventually leads to S-S bonding. At sulfur coverages above 0.4 ML, S(2) and not atomic S is the more stable species on the gold surface. Formation of S(n)(n > 2) species occurs at sulfur coverages higher than a monolayer. Very similar trends were observed for the adsorption of sulfur on polycrystalline surfaces of gold. The S atoms bonded to Au(111) display a unique mobility/reactivity not seen on surfaces of early or late transition metals.

Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission and X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) have been used to study the interaction of NO2 with polycrystalline surfaces of metallic zinc and zinc oxide. NO2 exhibits a complex chemistry on metallic zinc. After adsorbing nitrogen dioxide, N, O, NO, NO2, and NO3 are present on the surface of the metal. At room temperature the NO2 molecule mainly dissociates into O adatoms and gaseous NO, whereas at low temperatures (<250 K) chemisorbed NO2 and NO3 dominate on the surface. NO2 is a very good oxidizing agent for preparing ZnO from metallic zinc. Zn reacts more vigorously with NO2 than metals, such as Rh, Pd, or Pt which are typical catalysts for the removal of NO x molecules (DeNO x process). At 300 K, the main product of the reaction of NO2 with polycrystalline ZnO is adsorbed NO3 with little NO2 or NO present on the surface of the oxide. No evidence was found for the full decomposition of the NO2 molecule (i.e., no NO2 → N + 2O). The results of density functional (DF-GGA) calculations for the adsorption of NO2 on a six-layer slab of ZnO, or INDO/S calculations for NO2 on a Zn37O37 cluster, show stronger chemisorption bonds on (0001) Zn-terminated terraces than on (0001̄) O-terminated terraces. The Zn ↔ NO2 interactions on ZnO are strong and the Zn sites probably get oxidized and nitrated as a result of them. It appears that NO2 is very efficient for fully oxidizing metal centers that are missing O neighbors in oxide surfaces. On zinc oxide, the nitrate species are stable up to temperatures near 700 K. ZnO can be useful as a sorbent in DeNO x operations.

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High-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional slab calculations were used to study the interaction of oxygen with a TiC(001) surface. Atomic oxygen is present on the TiC(001) substrate after small doses of O(2) at room temperature. A big positive shift (1.5-1.8 eV) was detected for the C 1s core level. These photoemission studies suggest the existence of strong O<-->C interactions. A phenomenon corroborated by the results of first-principles calculations, which show a CTiTi hollow as the most stable site for the adsorption of O. Ti and C atoms are involved in the adsorption and dissociation of the O(2) molecule. In general, the bond between O and the TiC(001) surface contains a large degree of ionic character. The carbide-->O charge transfer is substantial even at high coverages (>0.5 ML) of oxygen. At 500 K and large doses of O(2), oxidation of the carbide surface occurs with the removal of C and formation of titanium oxides. There is an activation barrier for the exchange of Ti-C and Ti-O bonds which is overcome only by the formation of C-C or C-O bonds on the surface. The mechanism for the removal of a C atom as CO gas involves a minimum of two O adatoms, and three O adatoms are required for the formation of CO(2) gas. Due to the high stability of TiC, an O adatom alone cannot induce the generation of a C vacancy in a flat TiC(001) surface.

In environmental catalysis the destruction or removal of nitrogen oxides (DeNOx process) is receiving a lot of attention. Synchrotron-based x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, high-resolution photoemission, and first-principles density-functional calculations (DFT-GGA) were used to study the interaction of nitrogen dioxide with CeO2 and MgO. The only product of the reaction of NO2 with pure CeO2 at 300 K is adsorbed nitrate. The NO3 is a thermally stable species which mostly decomposes at temperatures between 450 and 600 K. For the adsorption of NO2 on partially reduced ceria (CeO2−x), there is full decomposition of the adsorbate and a mixture of N, NO, and NO3 coexists on the surface of the oxide at room temperature. Ce3+ cations can assist in the transformation of NO and NO2 in DeNOx operations. Adsorbed NO3 (main product) and NO2 are detected after exposing MgO to NO2 gas. A partial NO2,ads→NO3,ads transformation is observed on MgO(100) from 150 to 300 K. DFT-GGA calculations show strong bonding interactions for NO2 on Mg sites of this surface, and dicoordination via O, O is more favorable energetically than monocoordination via N. The NO2,ads species disappears from magnesium oxide at temperatures below 600 K, whereas part of the NO3,ads is stable up to temperatures near 800 K. MgO can be very useful as a sorbent for trapping NO2. A general trend is found after comparing the chemical behavior of NO2 on different types of oxides (CeO2, MgO, TiO2, Fe2O3, CuO, ZnO). On all these systems, the main product after adsorbing NO2 at 300 K is nitrate with minor amounts of chemisorbed NO2 and no signs of full decomposition of the adsorbate. This trend and the results of DFT-GGA calculations indicate that NO2 is very efficient for the nitration (i.e., formation of NO3 as a ligand) of metal centers that are missing O neighbors in oxide surfaces.

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