Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

O: Fachverband Oberflächenphysik

O 14: Adsorption on semiconductors, oxides and insulators II

O 14.9: Talk

Monday, March 26, 2012, 18:00–18:15, MA 041

Adsorption Properties of a Thin Vitreous Silica Film on Ru(0001) — •Leonid Lichtenstein, Christin Büchner, Stefanie Stuckenholz, Markus Heyde, and Hans-Joachim Freund — Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany

Silica is a technologically very important material. Particularly, it is widely used as a support for metal nanoparticles in catalysis. However, neither the exact atomic structure nor the precise adsorption properties of the silica substrate are well known. Therefore, our goal is to study the adsorption of metal particles on a well defined thin film of vitreous silica by using low temperature dynamic force microscopy (DFM, also known as nc-AFM) in combination with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in ultra-high vacuum.

Recently, we resolved the atomic structure of a vitreous silica film on Ru(0001) [1]. Our results showed good agreement with the postulated glass model from Zachariasen [2] and diffraction experiments on silica glass [3,4]. Herein, we use this film as a template for the adsorption of metal single atoms and nanoparticles. Studying the exact adsorption geometry provides insight into the catalytic properties of this combined sample system.

[1] L. Lichtenstein et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., in press (2011), DOI: 10.1002/anie.201107097

[2] W. H. Zachariasen, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 54, 3841 (1932)

[3] R. L. Mozzi et al., J. Appl. Crystallogr. 2, 164 (1969)

[4] D. I. Grimley et al., J. Non-Cryst. Solids 119, 49 (1990)