Presentation: 2025 ND EPSCoR Annual conference 

October 21, 2025, NDSU Memorial Union, Fargo, North Dakota

Adsorption of Ethyl Ether on Graphene/Silicon(111) – Theory and Experiment

This study explores how ethyl ether (C₄H₁₀O) interacts with graphene supported on a Silicon(111) surface, as part of the ongoing search for low-cost, sustainable metal-free catalysts. We examined this system to assess its potential for catalytic applications. A combination of surface science techniques, i.e. thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy were used to study the adsorption behavior and surface stability. TDS results showed that ethyl ether desorbs intact, with no signs of decomposition. This finding was supported by AES and XPS, which showed no post-exposure changes suggesting reaction products on the surface. The measured adsorption energy (−36.4 ± 1.4 kJ/mol) closely matched theoretical predictions, indicating physisorption. Therefore, ethyl ether adsorbs molecularly on graphene supported by Si(111) without evidence of dissociation under the conditions studied. The sample was obtained from coworkers in Belgium (T.T. Pham, R. Sporken at NAMUR) as well as calculations were conducted by coworkers in Italy (A. Seif, A. Ambrosetti, P.L. Silvestrelli at Padova). See [Surface Science 761 (2025) 122808] for details.