| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Surface Science | Monday Sessions |
| Session SS+AS+EN-MoM |
| Session: | Synthesis, Structure and Characterization of Oxides |
| Presenter: | Jonathan Derouin, Loyola University Chicago |
| Authors: | J. Derouin, Loyola University Chicago R.G. Farber, Loyola University Chicago D.R. Killelea, Loyola University Chicago |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Understanding the interaction of oxygen with transition metal surfaces is important in many areas including corrosion and catalysis. The oxygen/silver system in particular has been studied extensively both experimentally and theoretically. Interest is driven largely by the role of silver in two widely used industrial reactions: the epoxidation of ethylene to produce ethylene oxide and the partial oxidation of methanol to produce formaldehyde. In addition, the oxygen/silver system can serve as a model for the dissociative chemisorption of diatomic molecules on close packed metal surfaces. Despite extensive research, the oxygen/silver system is still not well understood. To better understand this system, we use UHV-STM, AES and TPD to study the adsorption of atomic O on an Ag(111) crystal. Atomic O is generated by thermally cracking molecular O. By varying the power of the thermal cracker we are able to change the flux of atomic O reaching the Ag surface. Higher atomic O fluxes produce O structures which desorb at significantly higher temperatures than structures produced with lower O fluxes. We then use UHV-STM to further characterize the various oxide structures produced.