The importance of frontier orbital symmetry in the adsorption of diiodobenzene on MoS₂(0001)

Authors

• Prescott E. Evans, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
• Zahra Hooshmand, University of Central Florida
• Talat S. Rahman, University of Central Florida
• Peter Dowben, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

12-1-2020

Citation

Published in Surface Science 702 (2020) 121708

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susc.2020.121708

Comments

© 2020 published by Elsevier. This manuscript is made available under the Elsevier user license

Abstract

Evidence of a role of frontier orbital symmetry, in the adsorption process of diiodobenzene on MoS₂(0001), appears in the huge differences in the rate of adsorption between 1,3-diiodobenzene, 1,2-diiodobenzene and 1,4-diiodobenzene isomers on MoS₂. Experiments indicate that the rate of adsorption of 1,3-diiodobenzene on MoS2(0001) is much greater than that of the 1,2-diodobenzene and 1,4-diiodbenzene isomers. As the differences in calculated diiodobenzene isomer-MoS₂ system adsorption energies and electron affinities are negligible, frontier orbital symmetry appears to play a significant role in diiodobenzene adsorption on MoS₂(0001). The experimental and theory results, in combination, suggest that a rehybridization requirement, forced by frontier orbital symmetry, comes at a cost of a reduced sticking coefficient. With the introduction of defects, which lower the adsorption site symmetry at the MoS₂(0001) surface, the rate of 1,3-diiodobenzene adsorption on MoS₂(0001) decreases, while the rates of 1,2-diodobenzene adsorption significantly increases.