Growth of Alumina Overlayer Deposited on Au101/TiO2 Catalyst Model Via Atomic Layer Deposition

Abstract

A major challenge in maintaining the unique, size-dependent properties of metal clusters arises from their tendency to agglomerate after deposition, which leads to the loss of their unique electronic and geometrical properties. To address this issue, coating the clusters with an overlayer of metal oxide has been proposed as an effective strategy for metal cluster stability.Herein, several atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles of AlO_x were deposited in a high vacuum chamber on a Au₁₀₁/TiO₂ model catalyst to investigate the growth and stability of the coated overlayer. A combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ion scattering spectroscopy in conjunction with sputtering, and neutral impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy is used to determine the composition and thickness of the ALD-AlO_x overlayer deposited onto the Au₁₀₁/TiO₂ sample. This study explores the potential benefits of utilizing ALD-AlO_x overlayers to maintain metal cluster properties.