Electronic structural properties of phenol adsorption of Fe$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{3}}$ nanoclusters and (0001) surface

Temperature dependent electronic structure of phenol adsorbed on single-crystal Fe$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{3}}$(0001) and Fe$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{3}}$ nanoparticles is investigated. in an effort to further understand how environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are formed. EPFR formation on metal oxide powders is typically accompanied by a reduction of metal cations as electrons are transferred from the aromatic precursor. The current study takes a surface science approach to study the atomic-scale formation of EPFRs on single-crystal Fe$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{3}}$(0001) and 18 nm Fe$_{\mathrm{2}}$O$_{\mathrm{3}}$ nanoparticles in order to guide a more fundamental understanding of the mechanism of radical formation. Here we use synchrotron-based photoemission (UPS), XPS, FTIR, and EELS to probe the surface electronic and vibrational structure of phenol adsorbed on an environmentally abundant metal oxide in order to develop an atomic-scale understanding of the electronic structure of the composite organic/metal oxide system and better elucidate the physical interactions that produce known trends in the lifetime, reactivity, and biological activity of EPFRs.