Model surface studies of metal oxides: Adsorption of water and methanol on ultrathin MgO films on Mo(100)

Abstract

Model surface studies of magnesium oxide have been carried out using surface sensitive techniques. Ultrathin MgO films have been synthesized under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions by thermally evaporating Mg onto Mo(100) in the presence of oxygen. Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) studies indicate that the MgO films grow epitaxially with the (100) face of MgO oriented parallel to Mo(100). The MgO films, prepared under optimum synthesis conditions, have essentially one-to-one stoichiometry, are nearly free from pointlike surface defects, and have properties essentially identical to those of bulk, single-crystal MgO. Adsorption of water and methanol onto the MgO films has been studied using high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). In order to circumvent the difficulty associated with intense multiple surface optical phonon (Fuchs–Kliewer modes) losses, a new approach to acquisition of HREELS data has been demonstrated. This new approach enables the direct observation of weak loss features due to excitation of the adsorbates without serious interference from multiple phonon losses. Our HREELS studies show that water and methanol undergo heterolytic dissociation, leading to the formation of hydroxyl and methoxy species, respectively.