Oxidation of ordered Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys and thermal stability of the oxides formed

Najat A. Saliba, Yi Li Tsai, Bruce E. Koel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

Two Pt-Sn surface alloys were oxidized at 300 K by ozone (O3) exposure in UHV. Both alloys were less reactive than Pt(111), and the p(2 x 2) alloy (ΘSn = 0.25) was more reactive than the (√3x√3)R30° alloy (ΘSn = 0.33). The relative O3 dissociative sticking coefficients on these surfaces at 300 K were 1.0:0.79:0.33, respectively. Ozone dissociation was inhibited more easily on the alloys than on Pt(111), and large O3 doses on the p(2 x 2) and (√3x√3)R30° surface alloys produced oxygen coverages of 1.2 and 0.87 monolayers, respectively, compared to 2.4 monolayers on Pt(111). Both chemisorbed and "oxidic" oxygen states were characterized by using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). At 300 K, chemisorbed oxygen adatoms are formed at low exposures, but oxidation of Sn occurs at large oxygen coverages, as evidenced by a 1.6 eV downshift of the Sn(MNN) AES peak. Heating during TPD causes SnOx formation even at low coverages, and this decomposes to liberate O2 in desorption peaks at 1015 and 1078 K on the p(2 x 2) and (√3x√3)R30° surfaces, respectively. After oxidation of Sn, TPD indicates desorption of oxygen from chemisorbed adatoms bound at Pt sites and eventually formation of platinum oxide particles. SnOx particles formed in intimate contact with Pt by oxidation of these Pt-Sn alloys and high-temperature heating are easier (100 K) to reduce by heating in a vacuum than a corresponding thick SnOx film. We also find additional stability (130 K) imparted to PtOx particles by the presence of oxidized Sn following oxidation of these alloys. Heating these oxidized alloys to 1000 K produces a (4 x 1) LEED pattern that we have assigned to the formation of large domains of an SnO2 overlayer on both of the surface alloys.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1532-1541
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Physical Chemistry B
Volume103
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 4 1999
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Materials Chemistry

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Oxidation of ordered Sn/Pt(111) surface alloys and thermal stability of the oxides formed'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this