Atomic-Scale Insight into the Metal–Support Interaction: A Case for Ag Nanoparticles on Ordered ZrO2(111) Thin Films

Abstract

Metal–support interaction plays an important role in heterogeneous catalysis. We studied the Ag–zirconia interaction by investigating the growth, electronic structure, and thermal stability of Ag nanoparticles on thin ZrO2(111) film surfaces by low-energy electron diffraction, synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The ZrO2(111) films were epitaxially grown on Pt(111). A three-dimensional growth mode with a nearly constant particle density of ∼2.0 × 1012 particles/cm2 was found for Ag growth on ZrO2(111) at 300 K. The binding energy (BE) of Ag 3d5/2 shifts to a higher BE up to 0.5 eV when decreasing the Ag coverages. The Auger parameter analysis shows that the primary contribution to the Ag 3d core level BE shift is the final state effect, indicating a very weak interaction between Ag nanoparticles and ZrO2(111). Thermal stability experiments demonstrate that Ag particles undergo serious sintering before they desorb from the zirconia surface. In addition, l...