The bonding of sulfur to Pd surfaces: photoemission and molecular–orbital studies

Unraveling Molecular Fingerprints of Catalytic Sulfur Poisoning at the Nanometer Scale with Near-Field Infrared Spectroscopy

Fundamental understanding of catalytic deactivation phenomena such as sulfur poisoning occurring on metal/metal-oxide interfaces is essential for the development of high-performance heterogeneous catalysts with extended lifetimes. Unambiguous identification of catalytic poisoning species requires experimental methods simultaneously delivering accurate information regarding adsorption sites and adsorption geometries of adsorbates with nanometer-scale spatial resolution, as well as their detailed chemical structure and surface functional groups. However, to date, it has not been possible to study catalytic sulfur poisoning of metal/metal-oxide interfaces at the nanometer scale without sacrificing chemical definition. Here, we demonstrate that near-field nano-infrared spectroscopy can effectively identify the chemical nature, adsorption sites, and adsorption geometries of sulfur-based catalytic poisons on a Pd(nanodisk)/Al₂O₃ (thin-film) planar model catalyst surface at the nanometer scale. The current results reveal striking variations in the nature of sulfate species from one nanoparticle to another, vast alterations of sulfur poisoning on a single Pd nanoparticle as well as at the assortment of sulfate species at the active metal–metal-oxide support interfacial sites. These findings provide critical molecular-level insights crucial for the development of long-lifetime precious metal catalysts resistant toward deactivation by sulfur.

Strategies for Carbon and Sulfur Tolerant Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Materials, Incorporating Lessons from Heterogeneous Catalysis

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are a rapidly emerging energy technology for a low carbon world, providing high efficiency, potential to use carbonaceous fuels, and compatibility with carbon capture and storage. However, current state-of-the-art materials have low tolerance to sulfur, a common contaminant of many fuels, and are vulnerable to deactivation due to carbon deposition when using carbon-containing compounds. In this review, we first study the theoretical basis behind carbon and sulfur poisoning, before examining the strategies toward carbon and sulfur tolerance used so far in the SOFC literature. We then study the more extensive relevant heterogeneous catalysis literature for strategies and materials which could be incorporated into carbon and sulfur tolerant fuel cells.

A DFT INVESTIGATION OF SULFUR ADSORPTION ON Ir(100)

The adsorptions of sulfur atom on the Ir (100) surface at p (2 × 2) and c (2 × 2) phases were investigated by the density functional calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. The adsorption energy, adsorption geometry, work function change, and charge density distribution were analyzed. The hollow site was found to be the most stable, followed by the bridge and the top sites. The calculated adsorption geometries were in good agreement with the observed results. Particularly, it was found that the adsorption of S on Ir (100) caused a work function decrease. A charge accumulation at the interface between the S layer and the Ir substrate, which centered closer to the S atom, suggests a polar covalent bonding. Density of states (DOS) analysis showed that the adsorption of S induces a reduction of the surface Ir d-orbital DOS around the Fermi level.

The complex thiol-palladium interface: a theoretical and experimental study

This paper presents a theoretical study of the surface structures and thermodynamic stability of different thiol and sulfide structures present on the palladium surface as a function of the chemical potential of the thiol species. It has been found that as the chemical potential of the thiol is increased, the initially clean palladium surface is covered by a (√3 × √3)R30° sulfur lattice. Further increase in the thiol pressure or concentration leads to the formation of a denser (√7 × √7)R19.1° sulfur lattice, which finally undergoes a phase transition to form a complex (√7 × √7)R19.1° sulfur + thiol adlayer (3/7 sulfur + 2/7 thiol coverage). This transition is accompanied by a strong reconstruction of the Pd(111) surface. The formation of these surface structures has been explained in terms of the catalytic properties of the palladium surface. These results have been compared with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results obtained for thiols adsorbed on different palladium surfaces.

13C NMR and Infrared Evidence of a Dioctyl−Disulfide Structure on Octanethiol-Protected Palladium Nanoparticle Surfaces

On 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.7 nm Pd nanoparticle surfaces, it has been observed that the 13C1 NMR of the alpha-carbon shows a peak centered around 38 ppm (with respect to tetramethylsilane (TMS)), which virtually coincides with that of the alpha-carbons in a dioctyl-disulfide molecule (39.3 ppm), and the corresponding 13C1 spin-spin relaxation becomes nonexponential. In addition, the infrared spectrum of the same sample shows that the ligands have a 100% gauche conformation, which is also consistent with a dioctyl-disulfide arrangement. By comparing with data obtained on 13C1-labeled octanethiol-protected 2.8 nm Au nanoparticles, we propose that a dioctyl-disulfide structure of the ligands is formed on the octanethiol-protected Pd nanoparticle surface, in contrast to the thiolate structure proposed on the Au nanoparticles. In addition, CO adsorption experiments show no sign of a PdS layer formed on the Pd nanoparticle surface. Furthermore, data taken over a period of more than 1 year show that the Pd nanoparticles are rather stable in organic solvents (for instance benzene), although slow degradation does happen and oxygen seems to play an important role in accelerating the degradation.

Coverage effects and the nature of the metal-sulfur bond in S/Au(111): high-resolution photoemission and density-functional studies

The bonding of sulfur to surfaces of gold is an important subject in several areas of chemistry, physics, and materials science. Synchrotron-based high-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional (DF) slab calculations were used to study the interaction of sulfur with a well-defined Au(111) surface and polycrystalline gold. Our experimental and theoretical results show a complex behavior for the sulfur/Au(111) interface as a function of coverage and temperature. At small sulfur coverages, the adsorption of S on fcc hollow sites of the gold substrate is energetically more favorable than adsorption on bridge or a-top sites. Under these conditions, S behaves as a weak electron acceptor but substantially reduces the density-of-states that gold exhibits near the Fermi edge. As the sulfur coverage increases, there is a weakening of the Au-S bonds (with a simultaneous reduction in the Au --> S charge transfer and a modification in the S sp hybridization) that facilitates changes in adsorption site and eventually leads to S-S bonding. At sulfur coverages above 0.4 ML, S(2) and not atomic S is the more stable species on the gold surface. Formation of S(n)(n > 2) species occurs at sulfur coverages higher than a monolayer. Very similar trends were observed for the adsorption of sulfur on polycrystalline surfaces of gold. The S atoms bonded to Au(111) display a unique mobility/reactivity not seen on surfaces of early or late transition metals.