The adsorption of CO on Pd(100) was investigated using simultaneous ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) and infrared reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (IRRAS). The measurements were performed as a function of CO partial pressures from ultra-high vacuum to 0.5 Torr. Total CO coverages estimated from the complementary APXPS and IRRAS measurements are in good agreement. A signal for atop CO, which is uncommon for Pd(100), was observed in the IRRAS data and was used to identify the C 1 s binding energy of this species. Discerning this binding configuration of CO on the Pd(100) surface at elevated pressures has significance for catalytic reactions involving CO, where bridging CO is often the only configuration considered. We also detail the combined APXPS/IRRAS instrumentation and discuss ways to improve these multimodal measurements, which should have wide applicability across many areas of surface and interface science.

We present a combined Langmuir-Pockels trough and ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (APXPS) study of the compression of stearic acid surfactant layers on neat water. Changes in the packing density of the molecules are directly determined from C 1s and O 1s APXPS data. The experimental data are fit with a 2D model for the stearic acid coverage. Based on the results of these proof-of-principle experiments, we discuss the remaining challenges that need to be overcome for future investigations of the role of surfactants in heterogeneous chemical reactions at liquid-vapor interfaces in combined Langmuir-Pockels trough and APXPS measurements.

We demonstrate that combining standing wave (SW) excitation with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) can lead to depth resolution and interface sensitivity for studying orbital and magnetic excitations in correlated oxide heterostructures. SW-RIXS has been applied to multilayer heterostructures consisting of a superconductor La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 (LSCO) and a half-metallic ferromagnet La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO). Easily observable SW effects on the RIXS excitations were found in these LSCO/LSMO multilayers. In addition, we observe different depth distribution of the RIXS excitations. The magnetic excitations are found to arise from the LSCO/LSMO interfaces, and there is also a suggestion that one of the dd excitations comes from the interfaces. SW-RIXS measurements of correlated-oxide and other multilayer heterostructures should provide unique layer-resolved insights concerning their orbital and magnetic excitations, as well as a challenge for RIXS theory to specifically deal with interface effects.