Atomic-scale studies of catalysis
by spinel oxides
Subproject P04
The spinel class of metal oxides hosts diverse materials, some of which make excellent catalysts. Fe3O4 is already the industrial catalyst for the high-temperature water-gas shift reaction (CO+H2O -> H2+CO2), but research is needed to identify the optimal replacement for the toxic Cr promoter/stabilizer. Ternary MeFe2O4 compounds (Me=Fe, Ni, Co, Mn) are active and stable for the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the structure of the active catalyst and the reaction mechanisms are unknown. While these reactions appear different, both clearly benefit from a combination of multivalent cations in the surface layers.
In this project, we will seek to learn why, using a combination of atomic-scale imaging, a host of spectroscopies, and theory. We will dope the Fe3O4(001) surface with 3d transition metals and investigate how the adsorption energies, XPS binding energies, and IRAS frequencies of H2O, CO, CO2, O2, and H2 change with sample composition all the way from isolated dopants to ternary thin films. We will use the data obtained in tightly-controlled UHV experiments to:
i) Interpret the reactivity of our model catalysts under realistic HTWGS and OER conditions.
ii) Provide the benchmark data for experiments on nominally similar powder catalysts (P10 Föttinger).
iii) Support the development of theoretical modeling (P07 Franchini).
A joint postdoc (P04-P11) will facilitate the new collaboration with P11 Backus.
Expertise
- Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) (in UHV 4K – 300 K, electrochemical STM)
- Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM): UHV-based (q+ sensor) and in the ambient (cantilever-based)
- Low-Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED)
- Reflection High Energy Diffraction (RHEED)
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)
- Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS)
- Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES)
- Low-energy He+ ion scattering (LEIS)
- Thermal Programmed Desorption Spectroscopy (TPD)
Team
Associates
Publications
2019
Reticcioli, Michele; Sokolović, Igor; Schmid, Michael; Diebold, Ulrike; Setvin, Martin; Franchini, Cesare
Interplay between Adsorbates and Polarons: CO on Rutile TiO2(110)
Journal ArticleIn: Physical Review Letters, vol. 122, no. 1, pp. 016805, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: P02, P07, pre-TACO
@article{Reticcioli2019,
title = {Interplay between Adsorbates and Polarons: CO on Rutile TiO_{2}(110)},
author = {Michele Reticcioli and Igor Sokolović and Michael Schmid and Ulrike Diebold and Martin Setvin and Cesare Franchini},
doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.122.016805},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-09},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
volume = {122},
number = {1},
pages = {016805},
publisher = {American Physical Society (APS)},
abstract = {Polaron formation plays a major role in determining the structural, electrical, and chemical properties of ionic crystals. Using a combination of first-principles calculations, scanning tunneling microscopy, and atomic force microscopy, we analyze the interaction of polarons with CO molecules adsorbed on the reduced rutile TiO_{2}(110) surface. Adsorbed CO shows attractive coupling with polarons in the surface layer, and repulsive interaction with polarons in the subsurface layer. As a result, CO adsorption depends on the reduction state of the sample. For slightly reduced surfaces, many adsorption configurations with comparable adsorption energies exist and polarons reside in the subsurface layer. At strongly reduced surfaces, two adsorption configurations dominate: either inside an oxygen vacancy, or at surface Ti_{5c} sites, coupled with a surface polaron. Similar conclusions are predicted for TiO_{2}(110) surfaces containing near-surface Ti interstitials. These results show that polarons are of primary importance for understanding the performance of polar semiconductors and transition metal oxides in catalysis and energy-related applications.},
keywords = {P02, P07, pre-TACO},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2017
Reticcioli, Michele; Setvin, Martin; Hao, Xianfeng; Flauger, Peter; Kresse, Georg; Schmid, Michael; Diebold, Ulrike; Franchini, Cesare
Polaron-Driven Surface Reconstructions
Journal ArticleOpen AccessIn: Physical Review X, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 031053, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: P02, P03, P07, pre-TACO
@article{Reticcioli2017,
title = {Polaron-Driven Surface Reconstructions},
author = {Michele Reticcioli and Martin Setvin and Xianfeng Hao and Peter Flauger and Georg Kresse and Michael Schmid and Ulrike Diebold and Cesare Franchini},
doi = {10.1103/physrevx.7.031053},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-09-25},
urldate = {2017-09-25},
journal = {Physical Review X},
volume = {7},
number = {3},
pages = {031053},
publisher = {American Physical Society (APS)},
abstract = {Geometric and electronic surface reconstructions determine the physical and chemical properties of surfaces and, consequently, their functionality in applications. The reconstruction of a surface minimizes its surface free energy in otherwise thermodynamically unstable situations, typically caused by dangling bonds, lattice stress, or a divergent surface potential, and it is achieved by a cooperative modification of the atomic and electronic structure. Here, we combined first-principles calculations and surface techniques (scanning tunneling microscopy, non-contact atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy) to report that the repulsion between negatively charged polaronic quasiparticles, formed by the interaction between excess electrons and the lattice phonon field, plays a key role in surface reconstructions. As a paradigmatic example, we explain the (1×1) to (1×2) transition in rutile TiO_{2}(110).},
keywords = {P02, P03, P07, pre-TACO},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}