Electron-assisted
hydroxylation of single-crystalline silica bilayer
films grown on Ru(0001) is studied by high-resolution electron energy
loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR)
spectroscopy. The HREELS results reveal the formation of several hydroxyl
species whose number and speciation depend on the defect structure
of the film. For incomplete bilayer films, which exhibit nanometer-sized
holes in the bilayer, the level of hydroxylation is significantly
larger than for complete films. HREEL spectra taken in off-specular
geometry provide evidence for the presence of hydroxyl groups with
a transition dipole moment almost parallel to the surface for complete
and incomplete bilayer films. Hydroxylation with isotopically labeled
water (H2
18O) reveals a clear difference between
the two casesOH species on the incomplete film almost exclusively
contain oxygen from water, while the more ideal film exhibits OH groups
with oxygen atoms stemming from both water and the silica film. These
observations not only indicate that the degree of hydroxylation is
significantly enhanced for the incomplete film but also that the reaction
mechanism for hydroxylation at defect sites of this film is different.
To gain insight into the reaction mechanism of electron-assisted hydroxylation,
in situ EPR spectroscopy of electron-bombarded adsorbed ice layers
was combined with infrared (IR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.
We show that the electron bombardment removes a significant part of
the water layer and produces different reactive paramagnetic species,
namely, O2D, D, and solvated electrons, which may be trapped
at low temperatures. The interaction of the silica film with such
species may lead to splitting Si–O bonds even for covalently
saturated silica structures as found in the ideal bilayer film and
thus provide insight into possible reaction mechanisms.