| 1. |
- 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
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 114:15
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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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| 2. |
- 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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| 3. |
- 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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| 4. |
- LaRue, Jerry L., et al.
(author)
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THz-Pulse-Induced Selective Catalytic CO Oxidation on Ru
- 2015
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In: Physical Review Letters. - 0031-9007 .- 1079-7114. ; 115:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We demonstrate the use of intense, quasi-half-cycle THz pulses, with an associated electric field component comparable to intramolecular electric fields, to direct the reaction coordinate of a chemical reaction by stimulating the nuclear motions of the reactants. Using a strong electric field from a THz pulse generated via coherent transition radiation from an ultrashort electron bunch, we present evidence that CO oxidation on Ru(0001) is selectively induced, while not promoting the thermally induced CO desorption process. The reaction is initiated by the motion of the O atoms on the surface driven by the electric field component of the THz pulse, rather than thermal heating of the surface.
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