Ultrafast laser spectroscopy/matter interaction

We investigate the dynamics of fundamental atomic and molecular processes and the interaction of intense laser pulses and molecules in the gas phase and at surfaces with various spectrocopic methods, such as femtosecond time and energy resolved photoelectron and photoion coincidence spectroscopy and surface sensitive sum frequency generation.

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A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Naphthalene Dehydrogenation on Ni(111) in the Presence of Chemisorbed Oxygen and Nickel Oxide

  2024. Kess Marks (et al.). Catalysts 14 (2)

  Article

  Catalyst passivation through carbon poisoning is a common and costly problem as it reduces the lifetime and performance of the catalyst. Adding oxygen to the feed stream could reduce poisoning but may also affect the activity negatively. We have studied the dehydrogenation, decomposition, and desorption of naphthalene co-adsorbed with oxygen on Ni(111) by combining temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), and density functional theory (DFT). Chemisorbed oxygen reduces the sticking of naphthalene and shifts H2 production and desorption to higher temperatures by blocking active Ni sites. Oxygen increases the production of CO and reduces carbon residues on the surface. Chemisorbed oxygen is readily removed when naphthalene is decomposed. Oxide passivates the surface and reduces the sticking coefficient. But it also increases the production of CO dramatically and reduces the carbon residues. Ni2O3 is more active than NiO.

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• Effect of Coadsorbed Sulfur on the Dehydrogenation of Naphthalene on Ni(111)

  2024. Lea Hohmann (et al.). The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 128 (1), 67-76

  Article

  There are several difficulties when experimentally determined reaction mechanisms are applied from model systems to real catalysis. Besides the infamous pressure and material gaps, it is sometimes necessary to consider impurities in the real reactant feedstock that can act as promoters or catalyst poisons and alter the reaction path. In this study, the effect of sulfur on the dehydrogenation of naphthalene on Ni(111) is investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. Sulfur induces a (5√3 × 2) surface reconstruction, as previously reported in the literature. The sulfur does not have a strong effect on the dehydrogenation temperature of naphthalene. However, the presence of sulfur leads to a preferred formation of carbidic over graphitic carbon and a strong inhibition of carbon diffusion into the nickel bulk, which is one of the steps of destructive whisker carbon formation described in the catalysis literature.

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• Multi-spectroscopic study of electrochemically-formed oxide-derived gold electrodes

  2024. Sara Boscolo Bibi (et al.). Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP 26 (3), 2332-2340

  Article

  Oxide-derived metals are produced by reducing an oxide precursor. These materials, including gold, have shown improved catalytic performance over many native metals. The origin of this improvement for gold is not yet understood. In this study, operando non-resonant sum frequency generation (SFG) and ex situ high-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HP-XPS) have been employed to investigate electrochemically-formed oxide-derived gold (OD-Au) from polycrystalline gold surfaces. A range of different oxidizing conditions were used to form OD-Au in acidic aqueous medium (H₃PO₄, pH = 1). Our electrochemical data after OD-Au is generated suggest that the surface is metallic gold, however SFG signal variations indicate the presence of subsurface gold oxide remnants between the metallic gold surface layer and bulk gold. The HP-XPS results suggest that this subsurface gold oxide could be in the form of Au₂O₃ or Au(OH)₃. Furthermore, the SFG measurements show that with reducing electrochemical treatments the original gold metallic state can be restored, meaning the subsurface gold oxide is released. This work demonstrates that remnants of gold oxide persist beneath the topmost gold layer when the OD-Au is created, potentially facilitating the understanding of the improved catalytic properties of OD-Au.

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• Chemisorbed oxygen or surface oxides steer the selectivity in Pd electrocatalytic propene oxidation observed by operando Pd L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy

  2021. Sergey Koroidov (et al.). Catalysis Science & Technology 11 (10), 3347-3352

  Article

  Controlled electrochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons to desired products is an attractive approach in catalysis. Here we study the electrochemical propene oxidation under operando conditions using Pd L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) as a sensitive probe to elucidate surface processes occurring during catalysis. Together with ab initio multiple-scattering calculations, our XAS results enable assignment of characteristic changes of the Pd L-edge intensity and energy position in terms of a mechanistic understanding of the selective oxidation of propene. The results, supported by electrochemical density functional theory DFT simulations, show that in the potential range of 0.8–1.0 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), selective oxidation of propene to acrolein and acrylic acid occurs on the metallic Pd surface. These reactions are proposed to proceed via the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. In contrast, for the potential range of 1.1–1.3 V vs. RHE, selective oxidation of propene to propylene glycol takes place on a Pd oxide surface.

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• Competition between ring-puckering and ring-opening excited state reactions exemplified on 5H-furan-2-one and derivatives

  2020. Oliver Schalk (et al.). Journal of Chemical Physics 152 (6)

  Article

  The influence of ring-puckering on the light-induced ring-opening dynamics of heterocyclic compounds was studied on the sample 5-membered ring molecules gamma-valerolactone and 5H-furan-2-one using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. In gamma-valerolactone, ring-puckering is not a viable relaxation channel and the only available reaction pathway is ring-opening, which occurs within one vibrational period along the C-O bond. In 5H-furan-2-one, the C = C double bond in the ring allows for ring-puckering which slows down the ring-opening process by about 150 fs while only marginally reducing its quantum yield. This demonstrates that ring-puckering is an ultrafast process, which is directly accessible upon excitation and which spreads the excited state wave packet quickly enough to influence even the outcome of an otherwise expectedly direct ring-opening reaction.

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• Time-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy Studies of Isoxazole and Oxazole

  2020. Ting Geng (et al.). The Journal of Physical Chemistry A

  Article

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• Investigation of the surface species during temperature dependent dehydrogenation of naphthalene on Ni(111)

  2019. Kess Marks (et al.). Journal of Chemical Physics 150 (24)

  Article

  The temperature dependent dehydrogenation of naphthalene on Ni(111) has been investigated using vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and density functional theory with the aim of discerning the reaction mechanism and the intermediates on the surface. At 110 K, multiple layers of naphthalene adsorb on Ni(111); the first layer is a flat lying chemisorbed monolayer, whereas the next layer(s) consist of physisorbed naphthalene. The aromaticity of the carbon rings in the first layer is reduced due to bonding to the surface Ni-atoms. Heating at 200 K causes desorption of the multilayers. At 360 K, the chemisorbed naphthalene monolayer starts dehydrogenating and the geometry of the molecules changes as the dehydrogenated carbon atoms coordinate to the nickel surface; thus, the molecule tilts with respect to the surface, recovering some of its original aromaticity. This effect peaks at 400 K and coincides with hydrogen desorption. Increasing the temperature leads to further dehydrogenation and production of H-2 gas, as well as the formation of carbidic and graphitic surface carbon. Published under license by AIP Publishing.

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• The ring-opening channel and the influence of Rydberg states on the excited state dynamics of furan and its derivatives

  2018. Oliver Schalk (et al.). Journal of Chemical Physics 149 (8)

  Article

  One important relaxation pathway for photo-excited five-membered heterocyclic organic molecules is ring-opening via a dissociative pi sigma* state. In this study, we investigate the influence of this pathway in furan and several hydrogenated and methylated derivatives by combining time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with time-dependent density functional theory and coupled cluster calculations. We find strong experimental evidence that the ring-opening channel is the major relaxation channel in furan, 2,3-dihydrofuran, and 2-methylfuran (2-MF). In 2,5-dimethylfuran (25-DMF), however, we observe that the molecules relax either via a pi 3s Rydberg state or through a direct return to the ground state by undergoing ring-puckering motions. From the supporting calculations, for 2-MF and 25-DMF, we predict that there is strong mixing between the pi sigma* state and the pi 3s Rydberg state along the ring opening pathway. However, in 25-DMF, no crossing between the pi sigma*/pi 3s state and the initially excited pi pi* state can be found along the ring opening coordinate, effectively blocking this channel.

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• Dynamics in higher lying excited states

  2017. Ting Geng (et al.). Journal of Chemical Physics 146 (14)

  Article

  The involvement of intermediate Rydberg states in the relaxation dynamics of small organic molecules which, after excitation to the valence manifold, also return to the valence manifold is rarely observed. We report here that such a transiently populated Rydberg state may offer the possibility to modify the outcome of a photochemical reaction. In a time resolved photoelectron study on pyrrole and its methylated derivatives, N-methyl pyrrole and 2,5-dimethyl pyrrole, 6.2 eV photons (200 nm) are used to excite these molecules into a bright pi pi* state. In each case, a pi 3p-Rydberg state, either the B-1(pi 3p(y)) or the A(2)(pi 3p(z)) state, is populated within 20-50 fs after excitation. The wavepacket then proceeds to the lower lying A(2)(pi sigma*) state within a further 20 fs, at which point two competing reaction channels can be accessed: prompt N-H (N-CH3) bond cleavage or return to the ground state via a conical intersection accessed after ring puckering, the latter of which is predicted to require an additional 100-160 fs depending on the molecule.

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• Substituent effects on the relaxation dynamics of furan, furfural and β-furfural

  2017. Sven Oesterling (et al.). Physical Chemistry, Chemical Physics - PCCP 19, 2025-2035

  Article

  For the series furan, furfural and β-furfural we investigated the effect of substituents and their positioning on the photoinduced relaxation dynamics in a combined theoretical and experimental approach. Using time resolved photoelectron spectroscopy with a high intensity probe pulse, we can, for the first time, follow the whole deactivation process of furan through a two photon probe signal. Using the extended 2-electron 2-orbital model [Nenov et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2011, 135, 034304] we explain the formation of one central conical intersection and predict the influence of the aldehyde group of the derivatives on its geometry. This, as well as the relaxation mechanisms from photoexcitation to the final outcome was investigated using a variety of theoretical methods. Complete active space self consistent field was used for on-the-fly calculations while complete active space perturbation theory and coupled cluster theory were used to accurately describe critical configurations. Experiment and theory show the relaxation dynamics of furfural and β-furfural to be slowed down, and together they disclose an additional deactivation pathway, which is attributed to the n_O lonepair state introduced with the aldehyde group.

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• Naphthalene on Ni(111)

  2017. Milad Ghadami Yazdi (et al.). The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 121 (40), 22199-22207

  Article

  An attractive solution to mitigate tars and also to decompose lighter hydrocarbons in biomass gasification is secondary catalytic reforming, converting hydrocarbons to useful permanent gases. Albeit that it has been in use for a long time in fossil feedstock catalytic steam reforming, understanding of the catalytic processes is still limited. Naphthalene is typically present in the biomass gasification gas and to further understand the elementary steps of naphthalene transformation, we investigated the temperature dependent naphthalene adsorption, dehydrogenation and passivation on Ni(111). TPD (temperature-programmed desorption) and STM (scanning tunneling microscopy) in ultrahigh vacuum environment from 110 K up to 780 K, combined with DFT (density functional theory) were used in the study. Room temperature adsorption results in a flat naphthalene monolayer. DFT favors the dibridge[7] geometry but the potential energy surface is rather smooth and other adsorption geometries may coexist. DFT also reveals a pronounced dearomatization and charge transfer from the adsorbed molecule into the nickel surface. Dehydrogenation occurs in two steps, with two desorption peaks at approximately 450 and 600 K. The first step is due to partial dehydrogenation generating active hydrocarbon species that at higher temperatures migrates over the surface forming graphene. The graphene formation is accompanied by desorption of hydrogen in the high temperature TPD peak. The formation of graphene effectively passivates the surface both for hydrogen adsorption and naphthalene dissociation. In conclusion, the obtained results on the model naphthalene and Ni(111) system, provides insight into elementary steps of naphthalene adsorption, dehydrogenation, and carbon passivation, which may serve as a good starting point for rational design, development and optimization of the Ni catalyst surface, as well as process conditions, for the aromatic hydrocarbon reforming process.

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• Cyclohexadiene Revisited

  2016. Oliver Schalk (et al.). Journal of Physical Chemistry A 120 (15), 2320-2329

  Article

  We have reinvestigated the excited state dynamics of cyclohexa-1,3-diene (CHD) with time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and fewest switches surface hopping molecular dynamics based on linear response time dependent density functional theory after excitation to the lowest lying pi pi* (1B) state. The combination of both theory and experiment revealed several new results: First, the dynamics progress on one single excited state surface. After an incubation time of 35 +/- 10 fs on the excited state, the dynamics proceed to the ground state in an additional 60 +/- 10 fs, either via a conrotatory ring-opening to hexatriene or back to the CHD ground state. Moreover, ring-opening predominantly occurs when the wavepacket crosses the region of strong nonadiabatic coupling with a positive velocity in the bond alternation coordinate. After 100 fs, trajectories remaining in the excited state must return to the CHD ground state. This extra time delay induces a revival of the photoelectron signal and is an experimental confirmation of the previously formulated model of two parallel reaction channels with distinct time constants. Finally, our simulations suggest that after the initially formed cis-Z-cis HT rotamer the trans-Z-trans isomer is formed, before the thermodynamical equilibrium of three possible rotamers is reached after 1 ps.

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• Excited state dynamics of acrylonitrile

  2016. Ryan J. MacDonell (et al.). Journal of Chemical Physics 145 (11)

  Article

  We report a joint experimental and theoretical study on the photoinitiated ultrafast dynamics of acrylonitrile (AN) and two methylated analogs: crotonitrile (CrN) and methacrylonitrile (MeAN). Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (TRPES) and ab initio simulation are employed to discern the conical intersection mediated vibronic dynamics leading to relaxation to the ground electronic state. Each molecule is pumped with a femtosecond pulse at 200 nm and the ensuing wavepackets are probed by means of one and two photon ionization at 267 nm. The predominant vibrational motions involved in the de-excitation process, determined by ab initio trajectory simulations, are an initial twisting about the C=C axis followed by pyramidalization at a carbon atom. The decay of the time-resolved photoelectron signal for each molecule is characterized by exponential decay lifetimes for the passage back to the ground state of 60 +/- 10, 86 +/- 11, and 97 +/- 9 fs for AN, CrN, and MeAN, respectively. As these results show, the excited state dynamics are sensitive to the choice of methylation site and the explanation for the observed trend may be found in the trajectory simulations. Specifically, since the pyramidalization motion leading to the conical intersection with the ground state is accompanied by the development of a partial negative charge at the central atom of the pyramidal group, the electron donation of the cyano group ensures that this occurs exclusively at the medial carbon atom. In this way, the donated electron density from the cyano group directs the wavepacket to a particular region of the intersection seam. The excellent agreement between the experimental and simulated TRPES spectra, the latter determined by employing trajectory simulations, demonstrates that this mechanistic picture is consistent with the spectroscopic results.

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• Influence of Alkoxy Groups on the Photoinduced Dynamics of Organic Molecules Exemplified on Alkyl Vinyl Ethers

  2015. Oliver Schalk (et al.). Journal of Physical Chemistry A 119 (45), 11105-11112

  Article

  A series of different alkyl vinyl ethers is investigated to decipher the possible reaction channels upon photoexcitation to the pi 3s-Rydberg and the pi pi*-valence state at 200 nm using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy and on-the-fly time-dependent density functional theory dynamics simulations. The results indicate two possible relaxation pathways: (1) a radiationless decay through the pi pi*-state back to the ground state via torsion of the C=C double bond, in accordance with the dynamics found in ethylene; and (2) a fast dissociation of the C-O bond between the alkyl and the vinoxy group in the pi sigma*-state. The latter state can be accessed only after excitation to the pi 3s-Rydberg state (quantum yield of similar to 50% according to the dynamics simulations). Additionally, the excited state barrier leading to formation of a vinyl radical was found to be too high to be crossed. These results indicate that the dynamics of ethers crucially depend on the excitation wavelength and that the pi sigma*-state constitutes an important competitive reaction channel that leads to dissociation of the molecules.

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Show all publications by Tony Hansson at Stockholm University