Adsorption and reaction of Rh(CO)2(acac) on Al2O3/Ni3Al(111).

The Al(2)O(3)/Ni(3)Al(111) surface has been used as a template for the nucleation and growth of rhodium clusters using an organometallic precursor: Rh(CO)(2)(acac). When Rh(CO)(2)(acac) is deposited on the Al(2)O(3)/Ni(3)Al(111) surface, the molecule is observed to bind preferentially to specific sites associated with the film superstructure (known as the dot structure) and appears to be stable at temperatures up to 473 K at which point some sintering and aggregation processes begin. Annealing the sample to 673 K results in further sintering of the metal deposits as well as an apparent loss in the coverage of rhodium species possibly due to a combination of desorption and deligation. After annealing to 873 K the coverage of rhodium species decreases by about 50% with respect to the initial deposited coverage. Our results suggest that using an organometallic precursor rather than metal atoms to form deposited metal particles on oxide substrates may result in increased resistance to sintering processes.