Surface Reactions of Ethanol over UO2(100) Thin Film

The study of the reactions of oxygenates on well-defined oxide surfaces is important for the fundamental understanding of heterogeneous chemical pathways that are influenced by atomic geometry, electronic structure, and chemical composition. In this work, an ordered uranium oxide thin film surface terminated in the (100) orientation is prepared on a LaAlO3 substrate and studied for its reactivity with a C-2 oxygenate, ethanol (CH3CH2OH). With the use of synchrotron X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we have probed the adsorption and desorption processes observed in the valence band, C 1s, O 1s, and U 4f to investigate the bonding mode, surface composition, electronic structure, and probable chemical changes to the stoichiometric-UO2(100) [smooth-UO2(100)] and Ar+-sputtered UO2(100) [rough-UO2(100)] surfaces. Unlike UO2(111) single crystal and UO2 thin film, Ar-ion-sputtering of this UO2(100) did not result in noticeable reduction of U cations. Upon ethanol adsorption (saturation occurred at 0.5 ML), only the ethoxy (CH3CH2O–) species is formed on smooth-UO2(100) whereas initially formed ethoxy species are partially oxidized to surface acetate (CH3COO–) on the Ar+-sputtered UO2(100) surface. All ethoxy and acetate species are removed from the surface between 600 and 700 K.