Properties of Au Clusters Supported on $TiO_2$ Studied by XPS, ISS, AES, and TPD

Au was dosed on film grown epitaxially on Mo(100) surface in about 90 thickness. The growth mode of Au, thermal behavior and stability of the Au clusters, and the binding energy shift of Au 4f with the change in the amount of Au loading were studied by Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) spectroscopy, Ion Scattering Spectroscopy (ISS), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Au grows three dimensionally on film and the average size of Au clusters prepared at low temperature is smaller than those at higher temperature and the size increases with temperature irreversibly. Au clusters on start evaporation at 1000 K. TPD spectra of Au show very asymmetric peaks with the same leading edges irrespective of the amount of Au loading. The temperature at the peak maximum increases with the amount of Au. The desorption energy of Au obtained from the leading edge analysis of the TPD spectra is about 50 kcal/mol. The initial sticking coefficient of Au on is constant in the temperature range of 200-600 K. The binding energy of Au 4f for the Au loaded on the film less than 2.0 MLE shifts to higher energy compared with the bulk Au. The shift is +0.3 eV at 0.1 MLE Au amount.