Soft Landing of Complex Ions for Studies in Catalysis and Energy Storage

Immobilization of complex molecules and clusters on supports plays an important role in a variety of disciplines including materials science, catalysis, and biochemistry. In particular, deposition of clusters on surfaces has attracted considerable attention due to their nonscalable and highly size-dependent properties. The ability to precisely control the composition and morphology of complex molecules and clusters on surfaces is crucial for the development of next-generation materials with rationally tailored properties. Soft and reactive landing of ions onto solid or liquid surfaces introduces unprecedented selectivity into surface modification by completely eliminating the effect of solvent and sample contamination on the quality of the film. The ability to select the mass-to-charge ratio of the precursor ion, its kinetic energy, and charge state along with precise control of the size, shape, and position of the ion beam on the deposition target makes soft landing an attractive approach for surface modification. High-purity uniform thin films on surfaces generated using mass-selected ion deposition facilitate understanding of critical interfacial phenomena relevant to catalysis, energy generation and storage, and materials science. Our efforts have been directed toward understanding charge retention by soft landed complex ions, which may affect their structure, reactivity, and stability. Specifically, we have examined the effect of the surface on charge retention by both positively and negatively charged ions. We found that the electronic properties of the surface play an important role in charge retention by cations. Meanwhile, the electron binding energy is a key factor determining charge retention by anions. These findings provide the scientific foundation required for the rational design of interfaces for advanced catalysts and energy-storage devices. Further optimization of electrode electrolyte interfaces for applications in energy storage and electrocatalysis may be achieved by understanding and controlling the properties of soft-landed ions.