Characterization and Reactivity of Mo₂C

Two types of Mo₂C have been investigated: polycrystalline β-Mo₂C and single crystal α-Mo₂C. The β-Mo₂C material was synthesized via a temperature-programmed method, and then characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), CO chemisorption, and N₂ physisorption. The catalytic activity of the β-Mo₂C was tested for cumene hydrogenation under high pressure conditions, and the effect of sulfur and oxygen poisons on cumene hydrogenation was also investigated.

As a complement to the work done on polycrystalline β-Mo₂C, UHV studies of single crystal α-Mo₂C were undertaken to provide fundamental information about a well-characterized Mo₂C surface. The (0001) surface of α-Mo₂C was investigated using XPS and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). It was found that an ion-bombarded surface could be prepared as either Mo-terminated or C-terminated by choosing either low annealing temperatures (~1000 K) or high annealing temperatures (~1500 K), respectively. CO and O₂ adsorption was also studied on α-Mo₂C (0001) using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), XPS, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and LEED. Finally, thiophene adsorption was investigated on α-Mo₂C (0001).