A synchrotron-based spectroscopic study of the electronic structure of N-doped HOPG and PdY/N-doped HOPG

N-doped Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite (HOPG) (obtained by ion implantation) was used as a model system for mimicking the effect of N-doping in sp² hybridized carbon based supports. The electronic structure of such system has been careful characterized by means of spectroscopic techniques adopting synchrotron radiation. We demonstrate that it is possible to tailor different functional groups simply by tuning the annealing temperature after ion implantation. On such chemical modified HOPG, PdY catalyst nanoparticles have been deposited under strictly controlled conditions in ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) and the nanoparticle/support interactions studied by photoemission. The formation of the Pd3Y alloy is evidenced by core level shift in Y 3d and Pd 3d states due to charge transfer.