Energy-selective reaction of the hydrogen-passivated Si surface with carbon tetrafluoride via dissociative electron attachment

Energy-Selective Decomposition of Organometallic Compounds by Slow Electrons: The Case of Chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I)

Gold-containing compounds offer many applications in nanoscale materials science, and electron-beam methods are versatile for shaping nanostructures. In this study, we report the energy-selective fragmentation of chloro(dimethyl sulfide)gold(I) (ClAuS(CH₃)₂) induced by slow electrons. We observe the resonant formation of four fragment anions, namely [Cl]^-, [S]^-, [CH₂S]^-, and [ClAuH···SH]^-, which are generated in the energy range of 0-9 eV. The predominant fragment anion is formed below 1 eV from the cleavage of a single Au-Cl bond to produce the [Cl]^- anion. The resonant states and the energetics of the fragmentation are investigated by DFT methods. These findings may contribute to future strategies in the elaboration of specific nanomaterials or for selective chemistry using electron-beam techniques.

Control of chemical reactions and synthesis by low-energy electrons

Controlling the outcome of reactions is a central issue of chemical research. Physical tools can achieve this if they are able to precisely dissociate specific bonds of a molecule. However, to control synthesis, such tools must induce the formation of new bonds between two reactants to yield a more complex product. In the ideal case of an atom efficient synthesis, this product would contain all or at least most of the initial material. An electron beam is a physical tool that is capable of preparing molecules in reactive states or, at low electron energies, of initiating highly selective bond dissociation. The resulting fragments in turn can react with other molecules to yield stable products. This tutorial review focuses in particular on such low-energy electron-initiated molecular syntheses and their applications in the modification of surfaces. It thus emphasizes strategies towards the controlled and predictable formation of more complex products from small reactants initiated by interaction with low-energy electrons either through selective bond dissociation or formation of specific reactive molecular species. However, selective bond dissociation is not always desirable. This is briefly illustrated by the case of electron beam induced deposition where additional strategies may be required to control product formation.

Functionalization of a self-assembled monolayer driven by low-energy electron exposure

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of 10-undecene-1-thiol on Au were functionalized with nitrogen-containing groups using an approach in which multilayer ammonia (NH(3)) films were deposited at low temperature onto the SAMs and subsequently exposed to 15 eV electrons. The result of this process was investigated after removal of the remaining NH(3) by annealing to room temperature using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). HREELS shows that the CC double bonds disappear during electron exposure, while XPS gives evidence that about 25% of the terminal double bonds of the SAM were functionalized. Also, XPS shows that a sufficiently thick NH(3) layer protects the underlying SAM from electron-induced damage. The process suggested here thus represents a particularly gentle approach to the functionalization of ultrathin molecular layers. Thermal desorption spectrometry (TDS) and electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) experiments on condensed layers of NH(3) reveal production of N(2) but show that significant amounts of the initial NH(3) as well as N(2) produced during electron exposure desorb. Hydrogen released upon formation of N(2) is held responsible for the reduction of double bonds and protection of the SAMs from damage.

Electron-induced reactions in condensed films of acetonitrile and ethane

Reactions in pure and mixed films of C(2)H(6) and CD(3)CN deposited on a Au surface at 35 K have been induced by low-energy electrons and investigated by Thermal Desorption Spectrometry (TDS). The incident electron energy (E(0)) was varied between 5 and 16 eV and a number of different products were identified. Beside the main products, CD(4), CD(3)H, and C(2)D(6), molecules resulting from atom scrambling during radical chain reactions (C(2)H(5)D) and recombination products (CD(3)CD(2)CN and C(2)H(5)CD(3)) were identified while others were characteristically absent. The quantity of the different products varied with E(0). The observed electron-driven processes are in accord with previous findings from gas phase experiments on dissociative electron attachment and electron impact ionization. On this basis, reaction mechanisms leading to the formation of the observed products are suggested for different ranges of E(0).

Products and Reaction Sequences in Tetrahydrofuran Exposed to Low-Energy Electrons

Electron-stimulated reactions in solid films of tetrahydrofuran (THF), condensed on Kr spacers deposited on a Pt substrate, or directly onto the substrate, were induced and monitored simultaneously with use of high-resolution electron-energy-loss spectroscopy in the ranges of vibrational and electronic excitations. The spectra of the molecular films obtained after a certain time of exposure to electrons at incident energies of 14 and 15.5 eV were analyzed and different products were identified. Besides an aldehyde, which is the main product, olefins, conjugated olefins, as well as CO were identified. Closer investigation of the reactions of propionaldehyde, as a model aldehyde, demonstrates that CO appears in THF as a secondary product (i.e., from the intermediate aldehyde). On the basis of the cross sections for the formation of an aldehyde from THF, of CO from propionaldehyde, and for the loss of propionaldehyde under electron impact, the reaction sequences were evaluated with the help of a kinetic model. This analysis suggests that some CO could also be formed directly from THF (i.e., without involvement of an intermediate aldehyde).

Complete chemical transformation of a molecular film by subexcitation electrons (<3 eV)

The potential of slow electrons to act as a soft tool to control a chemical reaction in the condensed phase is demonstrated. By setting the energy of a well defined electron beam to values below 3 eV, the surface of a thin film of 1,2-C(2)F(4)C(l2) molecules can completely be transformed into molecular chlorine (and by-products, possibly perfluorinated polymers). At higher energies (>6 eV) some equilibrium state between product and educt composition can be achieved, however, accompanied by a gradual overall degradation of the film. The effect of complete transformation is based on both the selectivity and particular energy dependence of the initial step of the reaction which is dissociative electron attachment to C(2)F(4)C(l2), but also the fact that the initial molecule is efficiently decomposed by subexcitation electrons while the product C(l2) is virtually unaffected.