Mosha H. Zhao1, John Garra2, Dawn A. Bonnell2, and John M. Vohs3. (1) Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Room 311A Towne Building, 220 South and 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (2) Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3231 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (3) Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Room 311A Towne Building, 220 South and 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
The ability to manipulate the orientation of the dipoles in ferroelectric ceramics holds promise as a method to tailor the surface reactivity of these materials for specific applications. While over the last 50 years multiple studies have suggested that the orientation of ferroelectric domains may affect the energetics of adsorption on ferroelectric oxides, definitive evidence is still lacking. In this talk we will present some of the first definitive observations of differences in the energetics of physisorption of methanol, ethanol and 2-fluoroethanol on positive and negative ferroelectric domains on the surface of a barium titanate thin film. Domain-dependent sticking coefficients are observed and indicate that the ferroelectric orientation alters the strength of the interaction of adsorbed species with the surface. Additionally, for ethanol and 2-fluoroethanol Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) peak shapes and the relative product yields were found to be polarization dependent suggesting that ferroelectric polarization may also affect the intrinsic reactivity of the surface.