Growth and Structure of Ultrathin Iron Silicate and Iron Germanate Films

The growth and structure of two-dimensional iron silicate and iron germanate films on Ru(0001) are studied. We investigate in detail the temperature-dependent film formation of ultrathin layers of iron silicate and iron germanate. These two-dimensional films can be seen as model systems for more complex catalytically active structures, such as zeolites, which can be used as selective catalysts or molecular sieves. The experimental methods of XPS, LEED, LEEM, LEEM-IV, and XPEEM are applied for correlated chemical and physical characterization in situ and in real time, and DFT is applied for theoretical consideration. We show that both systems can be considered as two-layered systems, with a monolayer of iron oxide at the Ru interface and a monolayer of silica or germania on top, respectively. The Fe-Fe distance in the iron oxide layer is influenced by the Si-O-Si or Ge-O-Ge bond length, in agreement with those of unstrained silicates or germanates. Moreover, iron silicate can be prepared using different preparation methods. The actual loading of Fe atoms is three per unit cell for FeGeOx and only two for FeSiOx

Growth and Atomic‐Scale Characterization of Ultrathin Silica and Germania Films: The Crucial Role of the Metal Support

The present review reports on the preparation and atomic‐scale characterization of the thinnest possible films of the glass‐forming materials silica and germania. To this end state‐of‐the‐art surface science techniques, in particular scanning probe microscopy, and density functional theory calculations have been employed. The investigated films range from monolayer to bilayer coverage where both, the crystalline and the amorphous films, contain characteristic XO4 (X=Si,Ge) building blocks. A side‐by‐side comparison of silica and germania monolayer, zigzag phase and bilayer films supported on Mo(112), Ru(0001), Pt(111), and Au(111) leads to a more general comprehension of the network structure of glass former materials. This allows us to understand the crucial role of the metal support for the pathway from crystalline to amorphous ultrathin film growth

Growth and Structure of Ultrathin Iron Silicate and Iron Germanate Films

The growth and structure of two dimensional iron silicate and iron germanate films on Ru 0001 are studied. We investigate in detail the temperature dependent film formation of ultrathin layers of iron silicate and iron germanate. These two dimensional films can be seen as model systems for more complex catalytically active structures, such as zeolites, which can be used as selective catalysts or molecular sieves. The experimental methods of XPS, LEED, LEEM, LEEM IV, and XPEEM are applied for correlated chemical and physical characterization in situ and in real time, and DFT is applied for theoretical consideration. We show that both systems can be considered as two layered systems, with a monolayer of iron oxide at the Ru interface and a monolayer of silica or germania on top, respectively. The Fe Fe distance in the iron oxide layer is influenced by the Si O Si or Ge O Ge bond length, in agreement with those of unstrained silicates or germanates. Moreover, iron silicate can be prepared using different preparation methods. The actual loading of Fe atoms is three per unit cell for FeGeOx and only two for FeSiO

Preparation of Silica Films on Ru 0001 a LEEM PEEM Study

We use an aberration corrected spectro-microscope, the low energy electron microscope/photoelectron emission microscope (LEEM/PEEM) SMART, to follow the preparation and structure of a bilayer silica film on Ru(0001) as a function of temperature and oxidation conditions. This allows us to analyze the growth process at different length scales in order to judge on the overall quality and the morphology of the film. It is found that the film growth occurs in a crystalline and a vitreous phase as previously discovered using scanning tunneling microscopy. However, the present experiment allows an analysis on the sub-micron level to gain insight into the growth process at a mesoscopic scale. We find that the fully oxidized film can be prepared but that this film contains holes. These are unavoidable and are important to consider, if one wants to use the films for ensemble averaging experiments to investigate migration and reaction of molecules between the silica film and the Ru(0001) substrate

Formation and Evolution of Ultrathin Silica Polymorphs on Ru 0001 Studied With Combined in Situ, Real Time Methods

Silica mono- and bilayer films on Ru(0001) can be physisorbed or chemisorbed, with ordered or vitreous structures, depending on the particular preparation procedures applied. Using the SMART spectro-microscope at BESSY-II with its capabilities for µ-spectroscopy, µ-diffraction, and LEEM imaging with lateral resolution below 5 nm, in situ and in real time and applied to identical areas, we have investigated the formation of these layers, defined and characterized their properties and their connected morphology, and followed their evolution. Two distinct chemisorbed monolayers and three bilayers (physisorbed crystalline and vitreous, and chemisorbed zigzag phases), and some transitions between them, have been studied. We found that, apart from the deposited silicon amount, the most important parameter for steering the evolution to a particular well-defined layer is the oxygen content at the Ru interface. Nucleation and growth of all layers are homogeneous on the scale of our resolution, leading to rather small domains (20 – 40 nm), mostly of the same phase, separated by defect lines. We discuss these and other basic findings in context and point out open questions. We also offer alternative recipes for the preparation of some phases, to obtain more homogeneous layers on a mesoscopic scale

Growth and Atomic Scale Characterization of Ultrathin Silica and Germania Films The Crucial Role of the Metal Support

The present review reports on the preparation and atomic‐scale characterization of the thinnest possible films of the glass‐forming materials silica and germania. To this end state‐of‐the‐art surface science techniques, in particular scanning probe microscopy, and density functional theory calculations have been employed. The investigated films range from monolayer to bilayer coverage where both, the crystalline and the amorphous films, contain characteristic XO4 (X=Si,Ge) building blocks. A side‐by‐side comparison of silica and germania monolayer, zigzag phase and bilayer films supported on Mo(112), Ru(0001), Pt(111), and Au(111) leads to a more general comprehension of the network structure of glass former materials. This allows us to understand the crucial role of the metal support for the pathway from crystalline to amorphous ultrathin film growth