Effect of Twinning on Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy Analysis of Ni49.7Mn29.1Ga21.2(100) Heusler Alloy.

To explain the observed features of k-space photoelectron images taken on off-stoichiometric Heusler Ni49.7Mn29.1Ga21.2 single-crystals in the cubic austenitic and pseudotetragonal martensitic phases, the images were simulated theoretically. Despite the moderate structural difference of both phases, there is large difference in photoemission spectra. Analysis of the final states' structure, matrix elements, and interface barrier scattering was performed to interpret discrepancies between the external photoemission of the austenite and martensite. The missing signal at the surface-normal emission of the martensitic phase is, ultimately, explained by repeated scatterings of escaping electrons on the interfaces between nanotwins.

Adsorption of histidine and histidine-containing peptides on Au(111).

The adsorption of histidine (His) and three His-derived peptides on Au(111) has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) at the nitrogen and oxygen K edges. The peptides were glycyl-histidine (Gly-His), glycyl-histidine-glycine (Gly-His-Gly), and glycyl-glycyl-histidine (Gly-Gly-His) and were adsorbed at saturated coverage on the Au(111) surface from aqueous solution. Coverages of 1 and 0.5 monolayers (ML) of His were adsorbed by evaporation in vacuum and compared with 1 ML deposited from solution. There were no significant chemical differences between the monolayers deposited in vacuum or from solution. The Au 4f core level shift indicates that a chemisorption rather than a physisorption bond is formed. In both deposited phases, His bonds to the gold surface in anionic form via the imino nitrogen atom of the imidazole ring and the oxygen atoms of the carboxylate group. N and O K-edge NEXAFS indicate that the ring and carboxylate triangle of adsorbed His are tilted at approximately 35 degrees and approximately 27 degrees, respectively, with respect to the Au(111) surface. The peptides bond to the gold surface in a mode similar to the single His molecule, via the imino and carboxylate groups, while the peptide group is at a steep angle to the surface. However, the peptides adsorb with a higher atomic density, consistent with the peptide groups being above the surface. There are also differences between Gly-His-Gly and Gly-Gly-His, implying that the sequence within the peptide has a significant influence on the bonding geometry.

Local geometry around B atoms in B/Si(1 1 1) from polarized x-ray absorption spectroscopy.

The arrangement of B atoms in a doped Si(1 1 1)-[Formula: see text]:B system was studied using a near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). Boron atoms were deposited via segregation from the bulk by flashing the sample repeatedly. The positions of B atoms are determined by comparing measured polarized (angle-dependent) NEXAFS spectra with spectra calculated for various structural models based on ab initio total energy calculations. It is found that most of boron atoms are located in sub-surface L[Formula: see text] positions, beneath a Si atom. However, depending on the preparation method a significant portion of B atoms may be located elsewhere. A possible location of these non-L[Formula: see text]-atoms is at the surface, next to those Si atoms which form the [Formula: see text] reconstruction.

The electronic structure and adsorption geometry of L-histidine on Cu(110).

The adsorption of L-histidine on clean and oxygen-covered Cu(110) surfaces has been studied by soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. The valence band spectra, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen 1 s XPS and N K edge absorption spectra were measured for submonolayer, monolayer, and multilayer films. The spectra provide a detailed picture of the electronic structure and adsorption geometry at each coverage. In the monolayer, the histidine molecules are randomly oriented, in contrast to the submonolayer regime, where the molecules are coordinated to the copper surface with the imidazole functional group nearly parallel to, and strongly interacting with, the surface. The pi*/sigma* intensity ratio in NEXAFS spectra at the nitrogen edge varies strongly with angle, showing the imidazole ring is oriented. Adsorption models are proposed.

Nanocrystalline diamond protects Zr cladding surface against oxygen and hydrogen uptake: Nuclear fuel durability enhancement.

In this work, we demonstrate and describe an effective method of protecting zirconium fuel cladding against oxygen and hydrogen uptake at both accident and working temperatures in water-cooled nuclear reactor environments. Zr alloy samples were coated with nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) layers of different thicknesses, grown in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition apparatus. In addition to showing that such an NCD layer prevents the Zr alloy from directly interacting with water, we show that carbon released from the NCD film enters the underlying Zr material and changes its properties, such that uptake of oxygen and hydrogen is significantly decreased. After 100-170 days of exposure to hot water at 360 °C, the oxidation of the NCD-coated Zr plates was typically decreased by 40%. Protective NCD layers may prolong the lifetime of nuclear cladding and consequently enhance nuclear fuel burnup. NCD may also serve as a passive element for nuclear safety. NCD-coated ZIRLO claddings have been selected as a candidate for Accident Tolerant Fuel in commercially operated reactors in 2020.

Interaction of CO with palladium supported on oxidized tungsten.

A model catalyst system, palladium on tungsten oxide, has been examined by temperature-programmed desorption and photoemission spectroscopy. The samples were prepared by evaporation of palladium onto an oxidized tungsten foil under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Mostly three-dimensional (3-D) palladium (Pd) clusters were found to be present on oxidized tungsten (WOx) surfaces at room temperature. Upon annealing to 670 K, the palladium clusters are redispersed and decorated by the WOx surface layer. The nature of the WOx phase on top of the palladium clusters is dependent on the mode of oxidation of the tungsten foil prior to palladium deposition. Mainly W(2+) species decorate palladium deposits on tungsten oxidized at room temperature, while mainly W(4+) species are on top of palladium deposits on the surface oxidized at 1300 K. The appearance of a Pd(n+)-O-W(4+) mixed oxide phase with n < 2 was observed on the oxidized tungsten surface. The substantial reduction (relative to nonannealed samples) of molecular CO coverage induced by annealing is discussed in terms of the changes in chemical composition and morphology of the outermost surface.

A complex study of the fast blue luminescence of oxidized silicon nanocrystals: the role of the core.

Silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) smaller than 5 nm are a material with strong visible photoluminescence (PL). However, the physical origin of the PL, which, in the case of oxide-passivated SiNCs, is typically composed of a slow-decaying red-orange band (S-band) and of a fast-decaying blue-green band (F-band), is still not fully understood. Here we present a physical interpretation of the F-band origin based on the results of an experimental study, in which we combine temperature (4-296 K), temporally (picosecond resolution) and spectrally resolved luminescence spectroscopy of free-standing oxide-passivated SiNCs. Our complex study shows that the F-band red-shifts only by 35 meV with increasing temperature, which is almost 6 times less than the red-shift of the S-band in a similar temperature range. In addition, the F-band characteristic decay time obtained from a stretched-exponential fit decreases only slightly with increasing temperature. These data strongly suggest that the F-band arises from the core-related quasi-direct radiative recombination governed by slowly thermalizing photoholes.

Simultaneous current, force and dissipation measurements on the Si(111) 7×7 surface with an optimized qPlus AFM/STM technique.

We present the results of simultaneous scanning-tunneling and frequency-modulated dynamic atomic force microscopy measurements with a qPlus setup. The qPlus sensor is a purely electrical sensor based on a quartz tuning fork. If both the tunneling current and the force signal are to be measured at the tip, a cross-talk of the tunneling current with the force signal can easily occur. The origin and general features of the capacitive cross-talk will be discussed in detail in this contribution. Furthermore, we describe an experimental setup that improves the level of decoupling between the tunneling-current and the deflection signal. The efficiency of this experimental setup is demonstrated through topography and site-specific force/tunneling-spectroscopy measurements on the Si(111) 7×7 surface. The results show an excellent agreement with previously reported data measured by optical interferometric deflection.

Chemical identification of single atoms in heterogeneous III-IV chains on Si(100) surface by means of nc-AFM and DFT calculations.

Chemical identification of individual atoms in mixed In-Sn chains grown on a Si(100)-(2 × 1) surface was investigated by means of room temperature dynamic noncontact AFM measurements and DFT calculations. We demonstrate that the chemical nature of each atom in the chain can be identified by means of measurements of the short-range forces acting between an AFM tip and the atom. On the basis of this method, we revealed incorporation of silicon atoms from the substrate into the metal chains. Analysis of the measured and calculated short-range forces indicates that even different chemical states of a single atom can be distinguished.

Tip-induced reduction of the resonant tunneling current on semiconductor surfaces.

We report scanning tunneling microscope measurements showing a substantial decrease of the current, almost to zero, on the Si(111)-(7x7) reconstruction in the near-to-contact region under low bias conditions. First principles simulations for the tip-sample interaction and transport calculations show that this effect is driven by the substantial local modification of the atomic and electronic structure of the surface. The chemical reactivity of the adatom dangling bond states that dominate the electronic density of states close to the Fermi level and their spatial localization result in a strong modification of the electronic current.

The interfacial properties of MgCl(2) thin films grown on Si(111)7 x 7.

Photoelectron spectroscopy with synchrotron radiation and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used in order to study the MgCl(2)Si(111) system. At submonolayer coverage of MgCl(2), a new LEED pattern was observed corresponding to a (sqr rt 3 x sqr rt 3)R30 degrees overlayer superimposed on the underlying reconstructed Si(111)7 x 7. The surface species at this stage are mainly molecular MgCl(2) and MgCl(x) (x<2) or MgO(x)Cl(y) attached to the Si substrate through Cl bridges coexisting with monodentate SiCl. The interfacial interaction becomes more pronounced when the submonolayer coverage is obtained by annealing thicker MgCl(2) layers, whereby desorption of molecular MgCl(2) is observed leaving on the nonreconstructed silicon surface an approximately 0.2 ML thick MgCl(x) layer which again forms the (sqr rt 3 x sqr rt 3 )R30 degrees superstructure.

The effect of potassium on the adsorption of gold on the TiO(2)(110)-1 × 1 surface.

Density functional theory (DFT) total-energy calculations have been used to investigate the effect of potassium on the adsorption geometry of gold on a TiO(2)(110)- 1 × 1 surface. The gold prefers to sit between the two bridge oxygen atoms above the sixfold titanium atom. The addition of potassium significantly affects the bonding geometry of the gold. Potassium displaces gold from the bridge site and causes its migration to the top of the fivefold titanium atom. Our calculations suggest that potassium is bonded to the bridging oxygen atoms, and to the sixfold titanium atom as well as to gold. This excludes the formation of a K(2)O-like compound at the surface.