Physisorbates

An interesting point is that infrared absorptions that are symmetry-forbidden and hence that do not appear in the spectrum of the gaseous molecule may appear when that molecule is adsorbed. Thus Sheppard and Yates [74] found that normally forbidden bands could be detected in the case of methane and hydrogen adsorbed on glass this meant that there was a decrease in molecular symmetry. In the case of the methane, it appeared from the band shapes that some reduction in rotational degrees of freedom had occurred. Figure XVII-16 shows the IR spectrum for a physisorbed H2 system, and Refs. 69 and 75 give the IR spectra for adsorbed N2 (on Ni) and O2 (in a zeolite), respectively. 

Fig. XVn-16. Infrared absorption spectra of H2 physisorbed on NaCl(lOO) at 30 K. See text for explanations. (From Ref. 96. Reprinted with permission from American Institute of Physics, copyright 1993.)...

Two other examples will sufhce. Methane physisorbs on NaCl(lOO) and an early study showed that the symmetrical, IR-inactive v mode could now be observed [97]. In more recent work, polarized FTIR rehection spectroscopy was used to determine that on being adsorbed, the three-fold degeneracies of the vs and v modes were partially removed [98]. This hnding allowed consideration of possible adsorbate-adsorbent geometries one was that of a tripod with three of the methane hydrogens on the surface. The systems were at between 4 and 40 K so that the equilibrium pressure was very low, about 10 atm. 

As a final example, similar spectroscopy was carried out for CO2 physisorbed on MgO(lOO) [99]. Temperatures were around 80 K and equilibrium pressures, as low as 10 atm (at higher temperatures, CO2 chemsorbs to give surface carbonate). Here, the variation of the absorbance of the infrared bands with the polarization of the probe beam indicated that the surface CO2 phase was highly oriented. 

Adsorbates can physisorb onto a surface into a shallow potential well, typically 0.25 eV or less [25]. In physisorption, or physical adsorption, the electronic structure of the system is barely perturbed by the interaction, and the physisorbed species are held onto a surface by weak van der Waals forces. This attractive force is due to charge fiuctuations in the surface and adsorbed molecules, such as mutually induced dipole moments. Because of the weak nature of this interaction, the equilibrium distance at which physisorbed molecules reside above a surface is relatively large, of the order of 3 A or so. Physisorbed species can be induced to remain adsorbed for a long period of time if the sample temperature is held sufficiently low. Thus, most studies of physisorption are carried out with the sample cooled by liquid nitrogen or helium. 

Note that the van der Waals forces tliat hold a physisorbed molecule to a surface exist for all atoms and molecules interacting with a surface. The physisorption energy is usually insignificant if the particle is attached to the surface by a much stronger chemisorption bond, as discussed below. Often, however, just before a molecule fonus a strong chemical bond to a surface, it exists in a physisorbed precursor state for a short period of time, as discussed below in section AL7.3.3. 

If adsorption occurs via a physisorbed precursor, then the sticking probability at low coverages will be enhanced due to the ability of the precursor to diflfiise and find a lattice site [30]. The details depend on parameters such as strength of the lateral interactions between the adsorbates and the relative rates of desorption and reaction of the precursor. In figure Al.7,8 an example of a plot of S versus 0 for precursor mediated adsorption is presented. 

Figure Al.7.14. 3.4 mn x 3.4 mn STM images of 1-docosanol physisorbed onto a graphite surface in solution. This image reveals the hydrogen-bonding alcohol molecules assembled in lamellar fashion at the liquid-solid interface. Each bright circular region is attributed to the location of an individual hydrogen...

Cyr D M, Venkataraman B and Flynn G W 1996 STM investigations of organic molecules physisorbed at the liquid-solid interface Chem. Mater. 8 1600... 

Giancarlo L C and Flynn G W 1988 Scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy probes of self-assembled, physisorbed monolayers A/ / . Rev. Phys. Chem. 49 297... 

Figure A3.9.2. Interaction potential for an atom or molecule physisorbed on a surface. A convenient model is obtained by squaring off the potential, which facilitates solution of the Sclirodinger equation for the scattering of a quantum particle.

Persson M, Wiizen L and Andersson S 1990 Mean free path of a trapped physisorbed hydrogen moiecuie Phys. Rev. B 42 5331... 

Time-resolved spectroscopy has become an important field from x-rays to the far-IR. Both IR and Raman spectroscopies have been adapted to time-resolved studies. There have been a large number of studies using time-resolved Raman [39], time-resolved resonance Raman [7] and higher order two-dimensional Raman spectroscopy (which can provide coupling infonuation analogous to two-dimensional NMR studies) [40]. Time-resolved IR has probed neutrals and ions in solution [41, 42], gas phase kmetics [42] and vibrational dynamics of molecules chemisorbed and physisorbed to surfaces [44]- Since vibrational frequencies are very sensitive to the chemical enviromnent, pump-probe studies with IR probe pulses allow stmctiiral changes to... 

The metal substrate evidently affords a huge ( 10 and even as high as 10 [84, 85]) increase in the cross-section for Raman scattering of the adsorbate. There are two broad classes of mechanisms which are said to contribute to this enhancenient [, and Ml- The first is based on electromagnetic effects and the second on cheniicaT effects. Of these two classes the fomier is better understood and, for the most part, the specific mechanisms are agreed upon the latter is more complicated and is less well understood. SERS enhancenient can take place in either physisorbed or chemisorbed situations, with the chemisorbed case typically characterized by larger Raman frequency shifts from the bulk phase. 

Protems can be physisorbed or covalently attached to mica. Another method is to innnobilise and orient them by specific binding to receptor-fiinctionalized planar lipid bilayers supported on the mica sheets [15]. These surfaces are then brought into contact in an aqueous electrolyte solution, while the pH and the ionic strength are varied. Corresponding variations in the force-versus-distance curve allow conclusions about protein confomiation and interaction to be drawn [99]. The local electrostatic potential of protein-covered surfaces can hence be detemiined with an accuracy of 5 mV. 

The SiH radical physisorbs on tlie a-Si H surface and recombines tliere witli anotlier SiH radical to fonn disilane Si2 Hg, or abstracts H from tlie surface to fonn a dangling bond and SiH. The film growtli is detennined by tlie chemisoriDtion of tlie SiH radical on a free dangling bond site by fonnation of a Si-Si bond. The cross-linking of... 

Content of chemisorbed and physisorbed water on a silica gel surface ... 

Other workers have followed a similar approach prolonged evacuation at a low temperature, usually 25°C, is assumed to remove physisorbed, but not chemisorbed water, so that the subsequent isotherm can be ascribed to physisorption. 

The BET monolayer capacity N, calculated from the first water isotherm included both physisorbed and chemisorbed water, whereas that from the second isotherm iV, included only the physisorbed water. Thus the difference (iV, - N,) gave the amount of chemisorbed water taken up as hydroxyl groups during the isotherm determination. N, + iV ) was therefore the total concentration of hydroxyl groups on the surface when the second water isotherm was being measured. 

Representative results are given in Table 5.4. From column 7, it is seen that the ratio iV,/ Afj - - N/,) is in the region of 1 2 (in contrast to the 1 1 found with silica) suggesting that each molecule of water in the physisorbed monolayer is bonded to two surface hydroxyl groups. 

Thus in Fig. 5.22 the first outgassing at 25°C will have removed physisorbed water only, so that curve (1) is the isotherm of physical adsorption on the fully hydroxylated material. The 300°C outgassing, on the other hand, will have removed all the ligand water and the majority of the hydroxyl groups when isotherm (4) is determined, therefore, the Ti ions will chemisorb ligand water at low relative pressure, but the number of hydroxyl groups reformed will be very small. 

Prior to determination of an isotherm, all physisorbed material has to be removed from the surface of the adsorbent. This is best achieved by exposure of the surface to high vacuum, the exact conditions required (temperature and residual pressure) being dependent on the particular gas-solid system. In routine determinations of surface area it is generally advisable not to remove any chemisorbed species which may be present thus, the hydroxylated oxides are usually outgassed at 1S0°C. Microporous adsorbents such as zeolites or active carbons however require higher temperatures (350-400 C, say) for complete removal of physisorbed material from their narrowest pores. An outgassing period of 6-10 hours (e.g. overnight) is usually sufficient to reduce the residual pressure to 10 Torr. 

The first process utilizes a bed of nickel catalyst which has been regenerated with hydrogen to reduce the nickel content to metallic form. The finely divided metal then reacts with impurities and retains them in the bed, probably as nickel oxide in the case of oxygen or as physisorbed compounds for other impurities. Periodically, the bed is regenerated at elevated temperature using hydrogen to restore the metallic content. The nickel process can be used and regenerated indefinitely. 

Surface areas are deterrnined routinely and exactiy from measurements of the amount of physically adsorbed, physisorbed, nitrogen. Physical adsorption is a process akin to condensation the adsorbed molecules interact weakly with the surface and multilayers form. The standard interpretation of nitrogen adsorption data is based on the BET model (45), which accounts for multilayer adsorption. From a measured adsorption isotherm and the known area of an adsorbed N2 molecule, taken to be 0.162 nm, the surface area of the soHd is calculated (see Adsorption). 

Dehydration. Residual liquid and physisorbed moisture on particle surfaces can be eliminated on beating to - 200° C. Temperatures ia excess of 1000°C may be requited to eliminate cbemisorbed water (29). Kaolin must be beated to 700°C to Hberate tbe water of crystallisation and produce tbe desired dehydrated aluminosiUcate. As with biader burnout, rapid gas evolution from rapid dehydration can result ia catastrophic stress development within a body. 

Ab initio moleeular dynamies has been used to study water adsorption and dissoeiation on MgO [215,216] and on Ti02 [217]. Water is weakly physisorbed on the perfeet MgO (001) surfaee, but dissoeiates readily on the stepped surfaee. Dissoeiative adsorption is observed at fivefold-eoordi-nated Ti sites on the Ti02 (110) surfaee. 

In most cases surface reactions proceed according to well-established elementary steps, as schematized in Fig. 1. The first one comprises trapping, sticking, and adsorption. Gaseous reactants atoms and/or molecules are trapped by the potential well of the surface. This rather weak interaction is commonly considered as a physisorbed precursor state. Subsequently, species are promoted to the chemisorbed state, that is, a much stronger... 

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