1. |
- Amann, Peter, et al.
(author)
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A dedicated photoelectron spectroscopy instrument for studies of catalytic reactions at pressures exceeding 1 bar
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Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Here, we present a new high-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system dedicated to probing catalytic reactions under realistic conditions at pressures exceeding 1 bar. The instrument builds around the concept of a “virtual cell” in which a gasflow is directed onto the sample surface creating a local high pressure on top of the sample. This allows the instrument to maintain a low pressure of a few mbars in the main chamber, while simultaneously keeping a local pressure of around 1 bar. Synchrotron radiation based grazing incidence photoemission within ± 5° is used to enhance the surface sensitivity in the experiment. The aperture, separating the high-pressure region from the differential pumping of the electron spectrometer, consists of multiple, evenly spaced, mm sized holes matching the footprint of the x-ray beam on the sample surface. As the photo-emitted electrons are subject to strong scattering in the gas phase and the resulting signal is therefore highly dependent on the sample to aperture distance, the latter is controlled with high precision using a fully integrated manipulator that allows for sample movement with step sizes of 10 nm between 0 and –5 mm with very low vibrational amplitude. The instrumental features allows acquisition of metallic bulk spectra at He pressures up to 2.5 bar and also allows for following C1s spectra under realistic gas mixtures of CO + H2with various temperatures up to 500°C. This capability opens for studies of catalytic reactions in operandi.
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2. |
- Amann, Peter, et al.
(author)
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A high-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy instrument for studies of industrially relevant catalytic reactions at pressures of several bars
- 2019
-
In: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0034-6748 .- 1089-7623. ; 90:10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present a new high-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system dedicated to probing catalytic reactions under realistic conditions at pressures of multiple bars. The instrument builds around the novel concept of a "virtual cell" in which a gas flow onto the sample surface creates a localized high-pressure pillow. This allows the instrument to be operated with a low pressure of a few millibar in the main chamber, while simultaneously a local pressure exceeding 1 bar can be supplied at the sample surface. Synchrotron based hard x-ray excitation is used to increase the electron mean free path in the gas region between sample and analyzer while grazing incidence <5 degrees close to total external refection conditions enhances surface sensitivity. The aperture separating the high-pressure region from the differential pumping of the electron spectrometer consists of multiple, evenly spaced, micrometer sized holes matching the footprint of the x-ray beam on the sample. The resulting signal is highly dependent on the sample-to-aperture distance because photoemitted electrons are subject to strong scattering in the gas phase. Therefore, high precision control of the sample-to-aperture distance is crucial. A fully integrated manipulator allows for sample movement with step sizes of 10 nm between 0 and -5 mm with very low vibrational amplitude and also for sample heating up to 500 degrees C under reaction conditions. We demonstrate the performance of this novel instrument with bulk 2p spectra of a copper single crystal at He pressures of up to 2.5 bars and C1s spectra measured in gas mixtures of CO + H-2 at pressures of up to 790 mbar. The capability to detect emitted photoelectrons at several bars opens the prospect for studies of catalytic reactions under industrially relevant operando conditions.
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3. |
- Amann, Peter, et al.
(author)
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The state of zinc in methanol synthesis over a Zn/ZnO/Cu(211) model catalyst
- 2022
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 376:6593, s. 603-608
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The active chemical state of zinc (Zn) in a zinc-copper (Zn-Cu) catalyst during carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide (CO2/CO) hydrogenation has been debated to be Zn oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, metallic Zn, or a Zn-Cu surface alloy. We used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at 180 to 500 millibar to probe the nature of Zn and reaction intermediates during CO2/CO hydrogenation over Zn/ZnO/Cu(211), where the temperature is sufficiently high for the reaction to rapidly turn over, thus creating an almost adsorbate-free surface. Tuning of the grazing incidence angle makes it possible to achieve either surface or bulk sensitivity. Hydrogenation of CO2 gives preference to ZnO in the form of clusters or nanoparticles, whereas in pure CO a surface Zn-Cu alloy becomes more prominent. The results reveal a specific role of CO in the formation of the Zn-Cu surface alloy as an active phase that facilitates efficient CO2 methanol synthesis.
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4. |
- Beye, Martin, et al.
(author)
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Chemical Bond Activation Observed with an X-ray Laser
- 2016
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1948-7185. ; 7:18, s. 3647-3651
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The concept of bonding and antibonding orbitals is fundamental in chemistry. The population of those orbitals and the energetic difference between the two reflect the strength of the bonding interaction. Weakening the bond is expected to reduce this energetic splitting, but the transient character of bond-activation has so far prohibited direct experimental access. Here we apply time-resolved soft X-ray spectroscopy at a free electron laser to directly observe the decreased bonding antibonding splitting following bond-activation using an ultrashort optical laser pulse.
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5. |
- Beye, M., et al.
(author)
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Selective Ultrafast Probing of Transient Hot Chemisorbed and Precursor States of CO on Ru(0001)
- 2013
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 110:18
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have studied the femtosecond dynamics following optical laser excitation of CO adsorbed on a Ru surface by monitoring changes in the occupied and unoccupied electronic structure using ultrafast soft x-ray absorption and emission. We recently reported [M. Dell'Angela et al. Science 339, 1302 (2013)] a phonon-mediated transition into a weakly adsorbed precursor state occurring on a time scale of >2 ps prior to desorption. Here we focus on processes within the first picosecond after laser excitation and show that the metal-adsorbate coordination is initially increased due to hot-electron-driven vibrational excitations. This process is faster than, but occurs in parallel with, the transition into the precursor state. With resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy, we probe each of these states selectively and determine the respective transient populations depending on optical laser fluence. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of CO adsorbed on Ru(0001) were performed at 1500 and 3000 K providing insight into the desorption process.
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6. |
- Degerman, David, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Operando Observation of Oxygenated Intermediates during CO Hydrogenation on Rh Single Crystals
- 2022
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In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 144:16, s. 7038-7042
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The CO hydrogenation reaction over the Rh(111) and (211) surfaces has been investigated operando by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at a pressure of 150 mbar. Observations of the resting state of the catalyst give mechanistic insight into the selectivity of Rh for generating ethanol from CO hydrogenation. This study shows that the Rh(111) surface does not dissociate all CO molecules before hydrogenation of the O and C atoms, which allows methoxy and other both oxygenated and hydrogenated species to be visible in the photoelectron spectra.
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7. |
- Degerman, David, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Surface adsorbates during CO2 Hydrogenation on Rh(111) probed in-situ by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at 150 mbar
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The catalytic CO2 hydrogenation reaction was examined in situ by High Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (HP-XPS) at 150 mbar and between 150 and 350°C. The results indicate two temperature regimes; the first one with temperature dependent desorption of carbon species between 150°C and 200°C. The second temperature regime is between 250 and 350 °C. In this interval, the carbon species are formed and immediately reacted away, resulting in a lower temperature dependence on surface coverage. The XPS coverage calculations and the component analysis indicate that water is the most abundant surface adsorbate, and that CHx fragments and CO are the most abundant carbon species. The hydrogenation state of the CHx species varies with temperature, where higher temperatures result in a larger population of more hydrogenated species.
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8. |
- Dell'Angela, M., et al.
(author)
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Real-Time Observation of Surface Bond Breaking with an X-ray Laser
- 2013
-
In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 339:6125, s. 1302-1305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We used the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron x-ray laser to probe the electronic structure of CO molecules as their chemisorption state on Ru(0001) changes upon exciting the substrate by using a femtosecond optical laser pulse. We observed electronic structure changes that are consistent with a weakening of the CO interaction with the substrate but without notable desorption. A large fraction of the molecules (30%) was trapped in a transient precursor state that would precede desorption. We calculated the free energy of the molecule as a function of the desorption reaction coordinate using density functional theory, including van der Waals interactions. Two distinct adsorption wells-chemisorbed and precursor state separated by an entropy barrier-explain the anomalously high prefactors often observed in desorption of molecules from metals.
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9. |
- Dell'Angela, M., et al.
(author)
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Vacuum space charge effects in sub-picosecond soft X-ray photoemission on a molecular adsorbate layer
- 2015
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In: Structural Dynamics. - : AIP Publishing. - 2329-7778. ; 2:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Vacuum space charge induced kinetic energy shifts of O 1s and Ru 3d core levels in femtosecond soft X-ray photoemission spectra (PES) have been studied at a free electron laser (FEL) for an oxygen layer on Ru(0001). We fully reproduced the measurements by simulating the in-vacuum expansion of the photoelectrons and demonstrate the space charge contribution of the high-order harmonics in the FEL beam. Employing the same analysis for 400 nm pump-X-ray probe PES, we can disentangle the delay dependent Ru 3d energy shifts into effects induced by space charge and by lattice heating from the femtosecond pump pulse.
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10. |
- Diesen, Elias, et al.
(author)
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Ultrafast Adsorbate Excitation Probed with Subpicosecond-Resolution X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy
- 2021
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 127:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We use a pump-probe scheme to measure the time evolution of the C K-edge x-ray absorption spectrum from CO/Ru(0001) after excitation by an ultrashort high-intensity optical laser pulse. Because of the short duration of the x-ray probe pulse and precise control of the pulse delay, the excitation-induced dynamics during the first picosecond after the pump can be resolved with unprecedented time resolution. By comparing with density functional theory spectrum calculations, we find high excitation of the internal stretch and frustrated rotation modes occurring within 200 fs of laser excitation, as well as thermalization of the system in the picosecond regime. The ∼100 fs initial excitation of these CO vibrational modes is not readily rationalized by traditional theories of nonadiabatic coupling of adsorbates to metal surfaces, e.g., electronic frictions based on first order electron-phonon coupling or transient population of adsorbate resonances. We suggest that coupling of the adsorbate to nonthermalized electron-hole pairs is responsible for the ultrafast initial excitation of the modes.
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11. |
- Gladh, Jörgen, 1964-
(author)
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Bonding and Desorption Mechanismsof CO on Metal Surfaces
- 2012
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- I have investigated two different systems CO/Fe(100) and CO/Ru(0001), toobtain new information on the binding and desorption processes. The twodifferent systems have served as a model system, one for a static examination,CO on iron, and for the dynamic case, CO on ruthenium. To perform theseinvestigations, several types of techniques have been used such as, X-rayabsorption spectroscopy, X-ray emission spectroscopy, and femtosecond laserinduced desorption techniques such as two-pulse correlation.For the CO/Fe(100) system, we found that the on-top CO “1 phase” canbe described by the Blyholder-Nilsson-Pettersson model. The pre-dissociativephase of CO bound at hollow sites, “3 phase”, can be described in a Dewar-Chatt-Duncanson like picture.For the CO/Ru(0001) system, it was found that all our data could be fitted from an empirical friction heat bath model. Moreover, it turned out, thatthere is a strong frictional coupling to the substrate electrons and phonons.
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12. |
- Gladh, Jörgen, et al.
(author)
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Detection of adsorbate overlayer structural transitions using sum-frequency generation spectroscopy
- 2015
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In: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028 .- 1879-2758. ; 633, s. 77-81
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate that temperature-programmed vibrational sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy has a unique sensitivity to certain adsorbate overlayer structural transitions. In the CO stretching vibration of co-adsorbed CO/O(2x1)/Ru(0001) we observe pronounced dips in the spectral intensity as the adsorbate overlayer undergoes structural transitions with temperature. Combining with temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) a more complete picture of temperature-dependent structural transitions is obtained. We extract kinetic parameters from the SFG data and obtain good agreement with TPD when both techniques see the same transition. Infrared-infrared visible SFG is used to determine changes in inter-adsorbate coupling that allow us to experimentally assign the structural transitions. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations of the proposed structures and energetics are performed to verify the experimental assignments.
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13. |
- Gladh, Jörgen, et al.
(author)
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Electron- and phonon-coupling in femtosecond laser-induced desorption of CO from Ru(0001)
- 2013
-
In: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028 .- 1879-2758. ; 615, s. 65-71
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We studied femtosecond laser-induced desorption of CO from Ru(0001) using intense near-infrared and visible femtosecond laser pulses. We find a pronounced wavelength dependence with a factor 3-4 higher desorption yield at comparable fluence when desorption is induced via 400 nm light, compared to 800 nm and attribute this difference to the difference in penetration depth of the incident light. All our data can be described using empirical friction-modeling to determine the desorption mechanism with the same mechanism for both wavelengths. We find that both hot electrons and phonons contribute to the desorption process.
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14. |
- Gladh, Jörgen, 1964-
(author)
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Ultrafast Probing of CO Reactions on Metal Surfaces : Changes in the molecular orbitals during the catalysis process
- 2017
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This thesis presents experimental studies of three different chemical reaction steps relevant for heterogeneous catalysis: dissociation, desorption, and oxidation. CO on single-crystal metal surfaces was chosen as the model systems.X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) provide information about the electronic structure, and were performed on CO/Fe to measure both a non-dissociative, and a pre-dissociative state. The measurement on the pre-dissociative state showed a π → π* excitation, which implies a partly broken internal π bond in the molecule.Ultrafast laser-induced reactions were used to examine the dynamic properties of desorption and oxidation. Here CO/Ru and CO/O/Ru were used as model systems. Desorption of CO from a Ru surface involve both hot electrons and phonons. In the case of CO oxidation from CO/O/Ru a pronounced wavelength dependence of the branching ratio between desorption and oxidation was observed. Excitation with 400 nm showed a factor of 3-4 higher selectivity towards oxidation than 800 nm. This was attributed to coupling to transiently excited, non-thermalized electrons.Finally, by performing optical pump/x-ray probe XAS and XES changes in the electronic structure during the reaction could be followed, both for desorption and oxidation. In the CO/Ru experiment, two different transient excitation paths were observed, one leading to a precursor state, and one where CO moves into a more highly coordinated site. Using selective excitation in XES, these were shown to coexist on the surface. In the oxidation experiment, probing the reacting species located near the transition state region in an associative catalytic surface reaction was demonstrated for the very first time.
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15. |
- Gladh, Jörgen, et al.
(author)
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X-ray emission spectroscopy and density functional study of CO/Fe(100)
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 136:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report x-ray emission and absorption spectroscopy studies of the electronic structure of the pre-dissociative alpha(3) phase of CO bound at hollow sites of Fe(100) as well as of the on-top bound species in the high-coverage alpha(1) phase. The analysis is supported by density functional calculations of structures and spectra. The bonding of lying down CO in the hollow site is well described in terms of pi to pi* charge transfer made possible through bonding interaction also at the oxygen in the minority spin-channel. The on-top CO in the mixed, high-coverage alpha(1) phase is found to be tilted due to adsorbate-adsorbate interaction, but still with bonding mainly characteristic of vertical on-top adsorbed CO similar to other transition-metal surfaces.
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16. |
- Katayama, T., et al.
(author)
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Ultrafast soft X-ray emission spectroscopy of surface adsorbates using an X-ray free electron laser
- 2013
-
In: Journal of Electron Spectroscopy and Related Phenomena. - : Elsevier BV. - 0368-2048 .- 1873-2526. ; 187, s. 9-14
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on an experimental system designed to probe chemical reactions on solid surfaces on a sub-picosecond timescale using soft X-ray emission spectroscopy at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free electron laser (FEL) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. We analyzed the O 1s X-ray emission spectra recorded from atomic oxygen adsorbed on a Ru(0001) surface at a synchrotron beamline (SSRL, BL13-2) and an FEL beamline (LCLS, SXR). We have demonstrated conditions that provide negligible amount of FEL induced damage of the sample. In addition we show that the setup is capable of tracking the temporal evolution of electronic structure during a surface reaction of submonolayer quantities of CO molecules desorbing from the surface.
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17. |
- LaRue, Jerry, et al.
(author)
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Symmetry-resolved CO desorption and oxidation dynamics on O/Ru(0001) probed at the C K-edge by ultrafast x-ray spectroscopy
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 157:16
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on carbon monoxide desorption and oxidation induced by 400 nm femtosecond laser excitation on the O/Ru(0001) surface probed by time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy (TR-XAS) at the carbon K-edge. The experiments were performed under constant background pressures of CO (6 × 10−8 Torr) and O2 (3 × 10−8 Torr). Under these conditions, we detect two transient CO species with narrow 2π* peaks, suggesting little 2π* interaction with the surface. Based on polarization measurements, we find that these two species have opposing orientations: (1) CO favoring a more perpendicular orientation and (2) CO favoring a more parallel orientation with respect to the surface. We also directly detect gas-phase CO2 using a mass spectrometer and observe weak signatures of bent adsorbed CO2 at slightly higher x-ray energies than the 2π* region. These results are compared to previously reported TR-XAS results at the O K-edge, where the CO background pressure was three times lower (2 × 10−8 Torr) while maintaining the same O2 pressure. At the lower CO pressure, in the CO 2π* region, we observed adsorbed CO and a distribution of OC–O bond lengths close to the CO oxidation transition state, with little indication of gas-like CO. The shift toward “gas-like” CO species may be explained by the higher CO exposure, which blocks O adsorption, decreasing O coverage and increasing CO coverage. These effects decrease the CO desorption barrier through dipole–dipole interaction while simultaneously increasing the CO oxidation barrier.
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18. |
- Lömker, Patrick, et al.
(author)
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Operando XPS and SXRD study of the Fischer-Tropsch reaction on flat and stepped Co at up to around 1 bar
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The Fischer-Tropsch catalytic reaction on Co has still several unknows regarding the surface chemical state of the catalyst and presence of various adsorbed intermediates appearing under operando conditions. Here, we report an operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the flat Co(0001) and stepped Co(10-14) model catalyst surfaces during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis conditions at 150 mbar – 975 mbar pressure and 406 K – 548 K temperature in a H2/CO gas mixture using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well surface X-ray diffraction. We observe that the Co surface remains metallic at all conditions with only adsorbed species. There are a number of different intermediates on the surface such as adsorbed CO in only on-top position, C/-CH intermediates, -CH2- species and various longer hydrocarbon molecules. The coverage of the hydrocarbon species decreases with increasing temperature but increase strongly with pressure. The stepped surface shows a significant increase in adsorbed hydrocarbon species which is a clear indication of higher reactivity. There is no observation of any CHO or CH2O species indicating a direct CO dissociation pathway and that to our observation only hydrocarbon species participate in the chain growth. The relative high coverage of CO that is almost constant for the various conditions points to that CO dissociation is one of the rate-limiting steps. The rapid increase in the coverage of hydrocarbon species at high pressure conditions and on the stepped surface further indicates that the final hydrogen induced termination step is also rate-limiting. By following the time dependence of the C 1s region with rapid change in the flow of reactants, we demonstrate that the surface species are highly dynamic resulting in delays in reaching steady-state conditions.
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19. |
- Nilsson, Anders, et al.
(author)
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Catalysis in real time using X-ray lasers
- 2017
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In: Chemical Physics Letters. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2614 .- 1873-4448. ; 675, s. 145-173
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We describe how the unique temporal and spectral characteristics of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL) can be utilized to follow chemical transformations in heterogeneous catalysis in real time. We highlight the systematic study of CO oxidation on Ru(0001), which we initiate either using a femtosecond pulse from an optical laser or by activating only the oxygen atoms using a THz pulse. We find that CO is promoted into an entropy-controlled precursor state prior to desorbing when the surface is heated in the absence of oxygen, whereas in the presence of oxygen, CO desorbs directly into the gas phase. We monitor the activation of atomic oxygen explicitly by the reduced split between bonding and antibonding orbitals as the oxygen comes out of the strongly bound hollow position. Applying these novel XFEL techniques to the full oxidation reaction resulted in the surprising observation of a significant fraction of the reactants at the transition state through the electronic signature of the new bond formation.
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20. |
- Ogasawara, Hirohito, et al.
(author)
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X-ray free electron laser studies of electron and phonon dynamics of graphene adsorbed on copper
- 2023
-
In: Physical Review Materials. - 2475-9953. ; 7:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report optical pumping and x-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory free electron laser that probes the electron dynamics of a graphene monolayer adsorbed on copper in the femtosecond regime. By analyzing the results with ab initio theory we infer that the excitation of graphene is dominated by indirect excitation from hot electron-hole pairs created in the copper by the optical laser pulse. However, once the excitation is created in graphene, its decay follows a similar path as in many previous studies of graphene adsorbed on semiconductors, i.e., rapid excitation of strongly coupled optical phonons and eventual thermalization. It is likely that the lifetime of the hot electron-hole pairs in copper governs the lifetime of the electronic excitation of the graphene.
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21. |
- Schiros, Theanne, et al.
(author)
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Unique water-water coordination tailored by a metal surface
- 2013
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In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 138:23, s. 234708-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- At low coverage of water on Cu(110), substrate-mediated electrostatics lead to zigzagging chains along [001] as observed with STM [T. Yamada, S. Tamamori, H. Okuyama, and T. Aruga, Anisotropic water chain growth on Cu(110) observed with scanning tunneling microscopy Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 036105 (2006)]. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy we find an anomalous low-energy resonance at similar to 533.1 eV which, based on density functional theory spectrum simulations, we assign to an unexpected configuration of water units whose uncoordinated O-H bonds directly face those of their neighbors; this interaction repeats over trough sites with enhanced electron density and is analogous to the case of a hydrated electron.
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22. |
- Schreck, Simon, et al.
(author)
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Atom-Specific Probing of Electron Dynamics in an Atomic Adsorbate by Time-Resolved X-Ray Spectroscopy
- 2022
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 129:27
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The electronic excitation occurring on adsorbates at ultrafast timescales from optical lasers that initiate surface chemical reactions is still an open question. Here, we report the ultrafast temporal evolution of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) of a simple well-known adsorbate prototype system, namely carbon (C) atoms adsorbed on a nickel [Ni(100)] surface, following intense laser optical pumping at 400 nm. We observe ultrafast (∼100 fs) changes in both XAS and XES showing clear signatures of the formation of a hot electron-hole pair distribution on the adsorbate. This is followed by slower changes on a few picoseconds timescale, shown to be consistent with thermalization of the complete C/Ni system. Density functional theory spectrum simulations support this interpretation.
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23. |
- Shipilin, Mikhail, et al.
(author)
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In Situ Surface-Sensitive Investigation of Multiple Carbon Phases on Fe(110) in the Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis
- 2022
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In: ACS Catalysis. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2155-5435. ; 12:13, s. 7609-7621
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Carbide formation on iron-based catalysts is an integral and, arguably, the most important part of the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis process, converting CO and H2 into synthetic fuels and numerous valuable chemicals. Here, we report an in situ surface-sensitive study of the effect of pressure, temperature, time, and gas feed composition on the growth dynamics of two distinct iron–carbon phases with the octahedral and trigonal prismatic coordination of carbon sites on an Fe(110) single crystal acting as a model catalyst. Using a combination of state-of-the-art X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at an unprecedentedly high pressure, high-energy surface X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, and theoretical calculations, we reveal the details of iron surface carburization and product formation under semirealistic conditions. We provide a detailed insight into the state of the catalyst’s surface in relation to the reaction.
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24. |
- Wang, Hsin-Yi, et al.
(author)
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Time-resolved observation of transient precursor state of CO on Ru(0001) using carbon K-edge spectroscopy
- 2020
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In: Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP. - 1463-9076 .- 1463-9084. ; 22:5, s. 2677-2684
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transient dynamics of carbon monoxide (CO) molecules on a Ru(0001) surface following femtosecond optical laser pump excitation has been studied by monitoring changes in the unoccupied electronic structure using an ultrafast X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) probe. The particular symmetry of perpendicularly chemisorbed CO on the surface is exploited to investigate how the molecular orientation changes with time by varying the polarization of the FEL pulses. The time evolution of spectral features corresponding to the desorption precursor state was well distinguished due to the narrow line-width of the C K-edge in the X-ray absorption (XA) spectrum, illustrating that CO molecules in the precursor state rotated freely and resided on the surface for several picoseconds. Most of the CO molecules trapped in the precursor state ultimately cooled back down to the chemisorbed state, while we estimate that ∼14.5 ± 4.9% of the molecules in the precursor state desorbed into the gas phase. It was also observed that chemisorbed CO molecules diffused over the metal surface from on-top sites toward highly coordinated sites. In addition, a new “vibrationally hot precursor” state was identified in the polarization-dependent XA spectra.
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25. |
- Xin, H., et al.
(author)
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Strong Influence of Coadsorbate Interaction on CO Desorption Dynamics on Ru(0001) Probed by Ultrafast X-Ray Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Simulations
- 2015
-
In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 114:15
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We show that coadsorbed oxygen atoms have a dramatic influence on the CO desorption dynamics from Ru(0001). In contrast to the precursor-mediated desorption mechanism on Ru(0001), the presence of surface oxygen modifies the electronic structure of Ru atoms such that CO desorption occurs predominantly via the direct pathway. This phenomenon is directly observed in an ultrafast pump-probe experiment using a soft x-ray free-electron laser to monitor the dynamic evolution of the valence electronic structure of the surface species. This is supported with the potential of mean force along the CO desorption path obtained from density-functional theory calculations. Charge density distribution and frozen-orbital analysis suggest that the oxygen-induced reduction of the Pauli repulsion, and consequent increase of the dative interaction between the CO 5 sigma and the charged Ru atom, is the electronic origin of the distinct desorption dynamics. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of CO desorption from Ru(0001) and oxygen-coadsorbed Ru(0001) provide further insights into the surface bond-breaking process.
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26. |
- Öberg, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Adsorption and Cyclotrimerization Kinetics of C2H2 at a Cu(110) Surface
- 2012
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 116:17, s. 9550-9560
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The kinetics of acetylene adsorption and cyclotrimerization was studied by vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. At low temperature, SFG shows two resonances corresponding to acetylene adsorbed in two different sites. Upon heating, two new vibrational resonances appear. We interpret these resonances as being due to C2H2 island formation and adsorbed C4H4, which is the intermediate in the subsequent cyclotrimerization reaction to form benzene. A kinetic model is applied, which allows determination of the relevant activation barriers. The barrier for C2H2 diffusion is determined to be 43 +/- 1 kJ/mol. The activation barrier for formation of the C4H4 intermediate is found to be 84 +/- 6 kJ/mol and the barrier for benzene formation 5 +/- 3 kJ/mol lower. Barriers to diffusion and formation of C4H4 and C6H6 obtained from DFT calculations are in quantitative agreement with the experiments once the locally high coverage in C2H2 islands is included.
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27. |
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28. |
- Öberg, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Indication of non-thermal contribution to visible femtosecond laser-induced CO oxidation on Ru(0001)
- 2015
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In: Journal of Chemical Physics. - : AIP Publishing. - 0021-9606 .- 1089-7690. ; 143:7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We studied CO oxidation on Ru(0001) induced by 400 nm and 800 nm femtosecond laser pulses where we find a branching ratio between CO oxidation and desorption of 1: 9 and 1: 31, respectively, showing higher selectivity towards CO oxidation for the shorter wavelength excitation. Activation energies computed with density functional theory show discrepancies with values extracted from the experiments, indicating both a mixture between different adsorbed phases and importance of non-adiabatic effects on the effective barrier for oxidation. We simulated the reactions using kinetic modeling based on the two-temperature model of laser-induced energy transfer in the substrate combined with a friction model for the coupling to adsorbate vibrations. This model gives an overall good agreement with experiment except for the substantial difference in yield ratio between CO oxidation and desorption at 400 nm and 800 nm. However, including also the initial, non-thermal effect of electrons transiently excited into antibonding states of the O-Ru bond yielded good agreement with all experimental results.
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29. |
- Öberg, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Optical laser-induced CO desorption from Ru(0001) monitored with a free-electron X-ray laser : DFT prediction and X-ray confirmation of a precursor state
- 2015
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In: Surface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0039-6028 .- 1879-2758. ; 640, s. 80-88
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present density functional theory modeling of time-resolved optical pump/X-ray spectroscopic probe data of CO desorption from Ru(0001). The BEEF van der Waals functional predicts a weakly bound state as a precursor to desorption. The optical pump leads to a near-instantaneous (<100 fs) increase of the electronic temperature to nearly 7000 K. The temperature evolution and energy transfer between electrons, substrate phonons and adsorbate is described by the two-temperature model and found to equilibrate on a timescale of a few picoseconds to an elevated local temperature of similar to 2000K. Estimating the free energy based on the computed potential of mean force along the desorption path, we find an entropic barrier to desorption (and by time-reversal also to adsorption). This entropic barrier separates the chemisorbed and precursor states, and becomes significant at the elevated temperature of the experiment (similar to 1.4 eV at 2000 K). Experimental pump-probe X-ray absorption/X-ray emission spectroscopy indicates population of a precursor state to desorption upon laser-excitation of the system (Dell'Angela et al., 2013). Computing spectra along the desorption path confirms the picture of a weakly bound transient state arising from ultrafast heating of the metal substrate.
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30. |
- Östrom, Henrik, et al.
(author)
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Probing the transition state region in catalytic CO oxidation on Ru
- 2015
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In: Science. - : American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 347:6225, s. 978-982
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Femtosecond x-ray laser pulses are used to probe the carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation reaction on ruthenium (Ru) initiated by an optical laser pulse. On a time scale of a few hundred femtoseconds, the optical laser pulse excites motions of CO and oxygen (O) on the surface, allowing the reactants to collide, and, with a transient close to a picosecond (ps), new electronic states appear in the OK-edge x-ray absorption spectrum. Density functional theory calculations indicate that these result from changes in the adsorption site and bond formation between CO and O with a distribution of OC-O bond lengths close to the transition state (TS). After 1 ps, 10% of the CO populate the TS region, which is consistent with predictions based on a quantum oscillator model.
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