In Situ Ambient Pressure Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of the Plasma-Surface Interaction on Metal Foils.

The plasma-surface interface has sparked interest due to its potential of creating alternative reaction pathways not available in typical gas-surface reactions. Currently, there are a limited number of in situ studies investigating the plasma-surface interface, restricting the development of its application. Here, we report the use of in situ ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in tandem with an optical spectrometer to characterize the hydrogen plasma's interaction with metal surfaces. Our results demonstrate the possibility to monitor changes on the metal foil surface in situ in a plasma environment. We observed an intermediate state from the metal oxide to an -OH species during the plasma environment, indicative of reactive hydrogen radicals at room temperature. Furthermore, the formation of metal-carbides in the hydrogen plasma environment was detected, a characteristic absent in gas and vacuum environments. These findings illustrate the significance of performing in situ investigations of the plasma-surface interface to better understand and utilize its ability to create reactive environments at low temperature.

Dip-and-pull ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy as a spectroelectrochemistry tool for probing molecular redox processes.

Ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) can provide a compelling platform for studying an analyte's oxidation and reduction reactions in solutions. This paper presents proof-of-principle operando measurements of a model organometallic complex, iron hexacyanide, in an aqueous solution using the dip-and-pull technique. The data demonstrates that the electrochemically active liquid meniscuses on the working electrodes can undergo controlled redox reactions which were observed using APXPS. A detailed discussion of several critical experimental considerations is included as guidance for anyone undertaking comparable experiments.

Resonant X-ray photo-oxidation of light-harvesting iron (II/III) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes.

Two photoactive iron N-heterocyclic carbene complexes [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], where btz is 3,3'-dimethyl-1,1'-bis(p-tolyl)-4,4'-bis(1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene) and bpy is 2,2'-bipyridine, have been investigated by Resonant Photoelectron Spectroscopy (RPES). Tuning the incident X-ray photon energy to match core-valence excitations provides a site specific probe of the electronic structure properties and ligand-field interactions, as well as information about the resonantly photo-oxidised final states. Comparing measurements of the Fe centre and the surrounding ligands demonstrate strong mixing of the Fe [Formula: see text] levels with occupied ligand [Formula: see text] orbitals but weak mixing with the corresponding unoccupied ligand orbitals. This highlights the importance of [Formula: see text]-accepting and -donating considerations in ligand design strategies for photofunctional iron carbene complexes. Spin-propensity is also observed as a final-state effect in the RPES measurements of the open-shell [Formula: see text] complex. Vibronic coupling is evident in both complexes, where the energy dispersion hints at a vibrationally hot final state. The results demonstrate the significant impact of the iron oxidation state on the frontier electronic structure and highlights the differences between the emerging class of [Formula: see text] photosensitizers from those of more traditional [Formula: see text] complexes.

Gas Pulse-X-Ray Probe Ambient Pressure Photoelectron Spectroscopy with Submillisecond Time Resolution.

A setup capable of conducting gas pulse-X-ray probe ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy with high time resolution is presented. The setup makes use of a fast valve that creates gas pulses with an internal pressure in the mbar range and a rising edge of few hundreds of microseconds. A gated detector based on a fast camera is synchronized with the valve operation to measure X-ray photoemission spectra with up to 20 µs time resolution. The setup is characterized in several experiments in which the N2 gas is pulsed either into vacuum or a constant flow of another gas. The observed width of the pulse rising edge is 80 µs, and the maximum internal pulse pressure is ∼1 mbar. The CO oxidation reaction over Pt (111) was used to demonstrate the capability of the setup to correlate the gas phase composition with that of the surface during transient supply of CO gas into an O2 stream. Thus, formation of both chemisorbed and oxide oxygen species was observed prior to CO gas perturbation. Also, the data indicated that both the Langmuir-Hinshelwood and Mars-van-Krevelen mechanisms play an important role in the oxidation of carbon monoxide under ambient conditions.

A soft x-ray probe of a titania photoelectrode sensitized with a triphenylamine dye.

We present a thorough soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of a mesoporous titanium dioxide electrode sensitized with the dye 4-(diphenylamino)phenylcyanoacrylic acid, referred to as "L0." Supported by calculations, the suite of XPS, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy allows us to examine bonding interactions between the dye and the surface and the frontier electronic structure at the molecule-oxide interface. While placing these measurements in the context of existing literature, this paper is intended as a useful reference for further studies of more complex triphenylamine based sensitizers.

Site-Selective Orbital Interactions in an Ultrathin Iron-Carbene Photosensitizer Film.

We present the first experimental study of the frontier orbitals in an ultrathin film of the novel hexa-carbene photosensitizer [Fe(btz)3]3+, where btz is 3,3'-dimethyl-1,1'-bis(p-tolyl)-4,4'-bis(1,2,3-triazol-5-ylidene). Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (RPES) was used to probe the electronic structure of films where the molecular and oxidative integrities had been confirmed with optical and X-ray spectroscopies. In combination with density functional theory calculations, RPES measurements provided direct and site-selective information about localization and interactions of occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals. Fe 2p, N 1s, and C 1s measurements selectively probed the metal, carbene, and side-group contributions revealing strong metal-ligand orbital mixing of the frontier orbitals. This helps explain the remarkable photophysical properties of iron-carbenes in terms of unconventional electronic structure properties and favorable metal-ligand bonding interactions-important for the continued development of these type of complexes toward light-harvesting and light-emitting applications.

Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering of a Ru photosensitizer: Insights from individual ligands to the electronic structure of the complete molecule.

N 1s Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) was used to probe the molecular electronic structure of the ruthenium photosensitizer complex cis-bis(isothiocyanato) bis(2,2'-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarboxylato) ruthenium(II), known as "N3." In order to interpret these data, crystalline powder samples of the bipyridine-dicarboxylic acid ligand ("bi-isonicotinic acid") and the single ring analog "isonicotinic acid" were studied separately using the same method. Clear evidence for intermolecular hydrogen bonding is observed for each of these crystalline powders, along with clear vibronic coupling features. For bi-isonicotinic acid, these results are compared to those of a physisorbed multilayer, where no hydrogen bonding is observed. The RIXS of the "N3" dye, again prepared as a bulk powder sample, is interpreted in terms of the orbital contributions of the bi-isonicotinic acid and thiocyanate ligands by considering the two different nitrogen species. This allows direct comparison with the isolated ligand molecules where we highlight the impact of the central Ru atom on the electronic structure of the ligand. Further interpretation is provided through complementary resonant photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. This combination of techniques allows us to confirm the localization and relative coupling of the frontier orbitals and associated vibrational losses.

Direct Synthesis of Multiplexed Metal-Nanowire-Based Devices by Using Carbon Nanotubes as Vector Templates.

We present the synthesis of metal nanowires in a multiplexed device configuration using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as nanoscale vector templates. The SWNT templates control the dimensionality of the wires, allowing precise control of their size, shape, and orientation; moreover, a solution-processable approach enables their linear deposition between specific electrode pairs in electronic devices. Electrical characterization demonstrated the successful fabrication of metal nanowire electronic devices, while multiscale characterization of the different fabrication steps revealed details of the structure and charge transfer between the material encapsulated and the carbon nanotube. Overall the strategy presented allows facile, low-cost, and direct synthesis of multiplexed metal nanowire devices for nanoelectronic applications.

In situ XPS analysis of the atomic layer deposition of aluminium oxide on titanium dioxide.

Ultra-thin aluminium oxide was grown on a rutile titanium dioxide surface by atomic layer deposition using trimethylaluminium and water precursors. This process, carried out using realistic temperatures and pressures (1 mbar, 450 K), was monitored in situ using near-ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS). This provides insight into the surface chemistry at the interface between the two oxide layers - specifically the reduction of titanium atoms from Ti4+ to Ti3+ upon dosing of trimethylaluminium. These defect states become locked into the heterojunction's interface, with implications to its electronic structure, and can act as an indicator as to when complete coverage of the rutile substrate is achieved.

Ultra-fast intramolecular vibronic coupling revealed by RIXS and RPES maps of an aromatic adsorbate on TiO2(110).

Two-dimensional resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (RPES) maps are presented for multilayer and monolayer coverages of an aromatic molecule (bi-isonicotinic acid) on the rutile TiO2(110) single crystal surface. The data reveal ultra-fast intramolecular vibronic coupling upon core excitation from the N 1s orbital into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) derived resonance. In the RIXS measurements, this results in the splitting of the participator decay channel into a purely elastic line which disperses linearly with excitation energy and a vibronic coupling channel at constant emission energy. In the RPES measurements, the vibronic coupling results in a linear shift in binding energy of the participator channel as the excitation is tuned over the LUMO-derived resonance. Localisation of the vibrations on the molecule on the femtosecond time scale results in predominantly inelastic scattering from the core-excited state in both the physisorbed multilayer and the chemisorbed monolayer.

Exploring ultra-fast charge transfer and vibronic coupling with N 1s RIXS maps of an aromatic molecule coupled to a semiconductor.

We present for the first time two-dimensional resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) maps of multilayer and monolayer bi-isonicotinic acid adsorbed on the rutile TiO2(110) single crystal surface. This enables the elastic channel to be followed over the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals resonantly excited at the N 1s absorption edge. The data also reveal ultra-fast intramolecular vibronic coupling, particularly during excitation into the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital-derived resonance. Both elastic scattering and the vibronic coupling loss features are expected to contain the channel in which the originally excited electron is directly involved in the core-hole decay process. This allows RIXS data for a molecule coupled to a wide bandgap semiconductor to be considered in the same way as the core-hole clock implementation of resonant photoemission spectroscopy (RPES). However, contrary to RPES measurements, we find no evidence for the depletion of the participator channel under the conditions of ultra-fast charge transfer from the molecule to the substrate densities of states, on the time scale of the core-hole lifetime. These results suggest that the radiative core-hole decay processes in RIXS are not significantly modified by charge transfer on the femtosecond time scale in this system.

Adsorption and charge transfer interactions of bi-isonicotinic acid on Ag(111).

The adsorption and charge transfer dynamics of the organic molecule bi-isonicotinic acid (4,4-dicarboxy-2,2-bipyridine) on single crystal Ag(111) has been studied using synchrotron radiation-based photoemission, x-ray absorption, and resonant core spectroscopies. Measurements for multilayer and monolayer coverage are used to determine the nature of the molecule-surface interactions and the molecular orientation. An experimental density of states for the monolayer with respect to the underlying metal surface is obtained by combining x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the N 1s edge and valence photoemission to measure the unoccupied and occupied valence states, respectively. This shows that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital in the core-excited state lies energetically below the Fermi level of the surface allowing charge transfer from the metal into this orbital. Resonant photoelectron spectroscopy was used to probe this charge transfer in the context of super-spectator and super-Auger electron transitions. The results presented provide a novel interpretation of resonant core-level spectroscopy to explore ultra-fast charge transfer between an adsorbed organic molecule and a metal surface through the observation of electrons from the metal surface playing a direct role in the core-hole decay of the core-excited molecule.

Mechanical vibrations of pendant liquid droplets.

A simple optical deflection technique was used to monitor the vibrations of microlitre pendant droplets of deuterium oxide, formamide, and 1,1,2,2-tetrabromoethane. Droplets of different volumes of each liquid were suspended from the end of a microlitre pipette and vibrated using a small puff of nitrogen gas. A laser was passed through the droplets and the scattered light was collected using a photodiode. Vibration of the droplets resulted in the motion of the scattered beam and time-dependent intensity variations were recorded using the photodiode. These time-dependent variations were Fourier transformed and the frequencies and widths of the mechanical droplet resonances were extracted. A simple model of vibrations in pendant/sessile drops was used to relate these parameters to the surface tension, density and viscosity of the liquid droplets. The surface tension values obtained from this method were found to be in good agreement with results obtained using the standard pendant drop technique. Damping of capillary waves on pendant drops was shown to be similar to that observed for deep liquid baths and the kinematic viscosities obtained were in agreement with literature values for all three liquids studied.

Electrospray deposition in vacuum as method to create functionally active protein immobilization on polymeric substrates.

We demonstrate in this work the deposition of a large biological molecule (fibronectin) on polymeric substrates in a high vacuum environment using an electrospray deposition system. Fibronectin was deposited and its distribution and structure investigated and retention of function (ability to promote cell adhesion) on return to liquid environment is shown. AFM was used to monitor changes in the morphology of the surface before and after fibronectin deposition, whilst the biological activity of the deposited protein is assessed through a quantitative analysis of the biomolecular adhesion and migration of fibroblast cells to the modified surfaces. For the first time we have demonstrated that using high vacuum electrospray deposition it is possible to deposit large protein molecules on polymeric surfaces whilst maintaining the protein activity. The deposition of biological molecules such as proteins with the retention of their activity onto clean well-controlled surfaces under vacuum condition, offers the possibility for future studies utilizing high resolution vacuum based techniques at the atomic and molecular scale providing a greater understanding of protein-surface interface behaviour of relevance to a wide range of applications such as in sensors, diagnostics and tissue engineering.

Mechanical vibrations of magnetically levitated viscoelastic droplets.

The mechanical vibrations of magnetically levitated droplets were investigated using a simple optical deflection technique. Droplets of water and a water-based solution of poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) were levitated in the bore of a superconducting magnet and perturbed with a short puff of air. Centre of mass and surface vibrations were monitored using laser light refracted through the droplet, focussed on to the end of an optical fiber and detected using a photodiode. Time dependent variations in the voltage generated by the photodiode were Fourier transformed to obtain the frequency and spectral width of the drops' mechanical resonances. A simple theory of drop vibration was developed to extract the rheological properties of the droplets from these quantities. The resulting values of G' and G'' that were extracted were found to be in good agreement with values obtained using conventional rheology techniques.

Charge transfer from an adsorbed ruthenium-based photosensitizer through an ultra-thin aluminium oxide layer and into a metallic substrate.

The interaction of the dye molecule N3 (cis-bis(isothiocyanato)bis(2,2-bipyridyl-4,4'-dicarbo-xylato)-ruthenium(II)) with the ultra-thin oxide layer on a AlNi(110) substrate, has been studied using synchrotron radiation based photoelectron spectroscopy, resonant photoemission spectroscopy, and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Calibrated X-ray absorption and valence band spectra of the monolayer and multilayer coverages reveal that charge transfer is possible from the molecule to the AlNi(110) substrate via tunnelling through the ultra-thin oxide layer and into the conduction band edge of the substrate. This charge transfer mechanism is possible from the LUMO+2 and 3 in the excited state but not from the LUMO, therefore enabling core-hole clock analysis, which gives an upper limit of 6.0 ± 2.5 fs for the transfer time. This indicates that ultra-thin oxide layers are a viable material for use in dye-sensitized solar cells, which may lead to reduced recombination effects and improved efficiencies of future devices.

Vibrational modes of elongated sessile liquid droplets.

Vibrations of small (microliter) sessile liquid droplets were studied using a simple optical deflection technique. The droplets were made to elongate in one direction by taking advantage of the anisotropic wetting of the liquids on structured diffraction grating surfaces. They were vibrated by applying a puff of nitrogen gas. Motion of the droplets was monitored by scattering laser light from their surfaces. The scattered light was collected using a photodiode, and the resulting time-dependent intensity signals were Fourier-transformed to obtain the vibrational response of the drops. The vibrational spectra of elongated sessile drops were observed to contain two closely spaced peaks. A simple model that considers the frequency of capillary wave fluctuations on the surfaces of the drops was used to show that the vibrational frequencies of these peaks correspond to standing wave states that exist along the major and minor profile lengths of the droplets.