RESUMEN
High-performance photocathodes for many prominent particle accelerator applications, such as x-ray free-electron lasers, cannot be grown in situ. These highly reactive materials must be grown and then transported to the electron gun in an ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) suitcase, during which time monolayer-level oxidation is unavoidable. Thin film Cs3Sb photocathodes were grown on a variety of substrates. Their performance and chemical state were measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy after transport in a UHV suitcase as well as after O2-induced oxidation. The unusual chemistry of cesium oxides enabled trace amounts of oxygen to drive structural reorganization at the photocathode surface. This reorganization pulled cesium from the bulk photocathode, leading to the development of a structurally complex and O2-exposure-dependent cesium oxide layer. This oxidation-induced phase segregation led to downward band bending of at least 0.36 eV as measured from shifts in the Cs 3d5/2 binding energy. At low O2 exposures, the surface developed a low work function cesium suboxide overlayer that had little effect on quantum efficiency (QE). At somewhat higher O2 exposures, the overlayer transformed to Cs2O; no antimony or antimony oxides were observed in the near-surface region. The development of this overlayer was accompanied by a 1000-fold decrease in QE, which effectively destroyed the photocathode via the formation of a tunnel barrier. The O2 exposures necessary for degradation were quantified. As little as 100 L of O2 irreversibly damaged the photocathode. These observations are discussed in the context of the rich chemistry of alkali oxides, along with potential material strategies for photocathode improvement.
RESUMEN
Exfoliation of large-area monolayers is important for fundamental research and technological implementation of transition-metal dichalcogenides. Various techniques have been explored to increase the exfoliation yield, but little is known about the underlying mechanism at the atomic level. Here, we demonstrate gold-assisted mechanical exfoliation of monolayer molybdenum disulfide, up to a centimeter scale. Detailed spectroscopic, microscopic, and first-principles density functional theory analyses reveal that strong van der Waals (vdW) interaction between Au and the topmost MoS2 layer facilitates the exfoliation of monolayers. However, the large-area exfoliation promoted by such strong vdW interaction is only achievable on freshly prepared clean and smooth Au surfaces, while rough surfaces and surfaces exposed to air for more than 15 min result in negligible exfoliation yields. This technique is successfully extended to MoSe2, WS2, WSe2, MoTe2, WTe2, and GaSe. In addition, electrochemical characterization reveals intriguing interactions between monolayer MoS2 and Au. A subnanometer-thick MoS2 monolayer strongly passivates the chemical properties of the underlying Au, and the Au significantly modulates the electronic band structure of the MoS2, turning it from semiconducting to metallic. This could find applications in many areas, including electrochemistry, photovoltaics, and photocatalysis.
RESUMEN
Researchers around the world have observed the formation of molecularly ordered structures of unknown origin on the surface of titanium dioxide (TiO2) photocatalysts exposed to air and solution. Using a combination of atomic-scale microscopy and spectroscopy, we show that TiO2 selectively adsorbs atmospheric carboxylic acids that are typically present in parts-per-billion concentrations while effectively repelling other adsorbates, such as alcohols, that are present in much higher concentrations. The high affinity of the surface for carboxylic acids is attributed to their bidentate binding. These self-assembled monolayers have the unusual property of being both hydrophobic and highly water-soluble, which may contribute to the self-cleaning properties of TiO2 This finding is relevant to TiO2 photocatalysis, because the self-assembled carboxylate monolayers block the undercoordinated surface cation sites typically implicated in photocatalysis.
RESUMEN
Toward a truly photostable PbSe quantum dot (QD), we apply the thick-shell or "giant" QD structural motif to this notoriously environmentally sensitive nanocrystal system. Namely, using a sequential application of two shell-growth techniques-partial-cation exchange and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR)-we are able to overcoat the PbSe QDs with sufficiently thick CdSe shells to impart new single-QD-level photostability, as evidenced by suppression of both photobleaching and blinking behavior. We further reveal that the crystal structure of the CdSe shell (cubic zinc-blende or hexagonal wurtzite) plays a key role in determining the photoluminescence properties of these giant QDs, with only cubic nanocrystals sufficiently bright and stable to be observed as single emitters. Moreover, we demonstrate that crystal structure and particle shape (cubic, spherical, or tetrapodal) and, thereby, emission properties can be synthetically tuned by either withholding or including the coordinating ligand, trioctylphosphine, in the SILAR component of the shell-growth process.
RESUMEN
Chemists have long preferred the Si(111) surface for chemical functionalization, as a simple aqueous etch can be used to produce ideal, atomically flat H/Si(111) surfaces for subsequent reactions. In contrast, industry-standard etches produce rough H/Si(100) surfaces terminated by nanohillocks. The recent discovery of an aqueous etch that produces morphologically controlled H/Si(100) surfaces with a near atomically flat or "half-flat" morphology challenges the assumption that Si(111) is an inherently preferable starting point for chemical functionalization. This study shows that alkyl functionalization of morphologically controlled, "half-flat" Si(100) surfaces by terminal alkenes produces dense, tightly packed monolayers that are essentially identical to those on atomically flat Si(111). The striking similarity between the infrared spectra on these two surfaces - in terms of absolute absorbance, line shape and position, and polarization dependence - strongly suggests that alkyl monolayers on morphologically controlled Si(111) and Si(100) have essentially identical structures. The principle difference between the two surfaces is the amount of residual H at the Si/organic interface, a difference that is dictated by the structure of the Si(100) surface. Alkyl monolayers on morphologically controlled Si(111) and Si(100) surfaces were shown to be equally resistant to harsh oxidants. As a result, there appears to be no chemical reason to prefer one surface over the other, at least for functionalization with terminal alkenes.
RESUMEN
We present results of a scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) study of the impact of dehydrogenation on the electronic structures of hydrogen-passivated silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) supported on the Au(111) surface. Gradual dehydrogenation is achieved by injecting high-energy electrons into individual SiNCs, which results, initially, in reduction of the electronic bandgap, and eventually produces midgap electronic states. We use theoretical calculations to show that the STS spectra of midgap states are consistent with the presence of silicon dangling bonds, which are found in different charge states. Our calculations also suggest that the observed initial reduction of the electronic bandgap is attributable to the SiNC surface reconstruction induced by conversion of surface dihydrides to monohydrides due to hydrogen desorption. Our results thus provide the first visualization of the SiNC electronic structure evolution induced by dehydrogenation and provide direct evidence for the existence of diverse dangling bond states on the SiNC surfaces.
RESUMEN
Six new inorganic-organic salts, all containing iodobismuthate anions and d-metal coordination cations, were synthesized solvothermally from reactions of bismuth iodide, a transition metal (M) nitrate salt (M = Co, Fe or Zn), and a heterocyclic, chelating organic ligand: 1,10-phenanthroline (1,10-phen), 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (TMphen), or 2,2':6',2''-terpyridine (tpy). All six compounds were structurally analyzed by single crystal X-ray diffraction, including variable temperature crystallographic analysis to monitor for structural changes. Furthermore, those containing novel anions and achieved in high yield were additionally characterized by solid-state UV visible spectroscopy at room temperature. [Co(1,10-phen)(3)][Bi(3)I(11)] (1), [Fe(1,10-phen)(3)][Bi(3)I(11)] (2), and [Zn(1,10-phen)(3)][Bi(3)I(11)] (3) are isostructural. They crystallize in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n and contain the unprecedented iodobismuthate anion, [Bi(3)I(11)](2-), which exhibits near D(3h) symmetry and has an unusual arrangement of three cis face-sharing BiI(6) octahedra. [Co(TMPhen)(3)](2)[Bi(2)I(9)][I] (4), which crystallizes in the trigonal space group P-31c, and [Co(tpy)(2)](2)[Bi(2)I(9)][I] (5) and [Zn(tpy)(2)](2)[Bi(2)I(9)][I] (6), which are isostructural and crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/c, contain the discrete binuclear [Bi(2)I(9)](3-) anion, common in previously reported iodobismuthate compounds. In addition they contain unusual isolated I(-) anions, which are rarely encountered in iodobismuthate phases. Compounds 1-6 show constitutional similarities while utilizing different organic ligands and illustrate the sensitive dependence of reaction conditions on the identity of the halometalate anion formed. Additionally, all six compounds and the starting material BiI(3) are thermochromic; the origin of this behavior is spectroscopically and crystallographically investigated.
