Fragmentation Behavior and Ionization Potentials of Lead Clusters Pb_n(n≤30)

The properties of Pbn(n=2―30) clusters including binding energies,second differences in energy,and HOMO-LUMO gaps,especially fragmentation energies and ionization potentials,have been studied by ab initio calculation.The main fragmentation products of Pbn+ are shown to be Pb+Pbn-1+ for n≤14 and two small cluster fragments for larger ones with n14.The Pb13+ appears frequently as the products in the fragmentations of large clusters.Also,the calculated ionization potentials of the clusters are consistent with the experiment data.     

Adsorption of HCN on Ni/Pt(111) Bimetallic Surfaces Investigated with Density Functional Theory Method

We applied periodic density-functional theory to investigate the adsorption of HCN on x Ni@Pt(111) bimetallic surfaces(x = 1~4). The results have been compared with those obtained on pure Ni(111) and Pt(111) surfaces. For all bimetallic surfaces,HCN is preferentially tilted with the CN bond parallel to the surface,and adsorption energies increase with an increasing number of layer Ni atoms on the surface. The adsorption energies of HCN on all bimetallic surfaces are larger than that on the Pt(111) surface,whereas the adsorption energies of HCN on 3Ni@Pt(111) and 4Ni@Pt(111) are larger than that on the Ni(111) surface,indicating that the introduction of Ni to the Pt catalyst could increase the activity of bimetallic catalyst in the hydrogenation reaction for nitriles. Larger adsorption energy of HCN leads to a longer C–N bond length and a smaller CN vibrational frequency. The analysis of Bader charge and vibrational frequencies showed obvious weakening of the adsorbed C–N bond and an indication of sp2 hybridization of both carbon and nitrogen atoms.     

Structural,Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Co_nO(n = 2～10) Clusters: A Density Functional Study

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of Co_nO(n = 2～10) clusters have been systematically investigated within the framework of the generalized gradient approximation density functional theory. The results indicate that the O atom occupies the surface-capped position on Co_nO(n = 2～10) clusters. The stabilities of the host clusters are improved by adding one O atom. Maximum peaks of the second-order difference energy of the ground-state Co_nO clusters are found at n = 3, 6 and 8, indicating higher stability than their neighboring clusters. Compared with corresponding pure Con clusters, the O-doped cobalt clusters have larger gaps between the HOMO and LUMO energy levels, indicating their higher chemical stabilities. In addition, the doping of O atom exhibits different influence on the magnetism of the clusters. This is also further investigated by the local magnetic moment, deformation charge density and partial local density of states analysis.     

DFT Study of Charge Effect on the Odd-even Oscillatory Behavior in Stabilities for Gold Clusters

The comparative study of charge effect on the size-dependence stabilities of gold clusters Aunz(n = 2~12, z = 0/±1) in gas phase is performed at the M06-L/Lanl2 dz level. The lowest-energy structures charged by –1, 0 and +1 are optimized. The result shows that the geometries of the clusters with over 7 atoms tend to be cake-like. From the two- to three-dimensional geometries, the oscillatory behaviors are exhibited in the structural and electronic properties with the most pronounced in energy gap. The amplitude for the positive clusters is bigger than both the neutral and negative clusters. The neutral clusters with even number of even-coordinated atoms are more stable than the neighbors with odd number of even-coordinated atoms, as is completely reversed for the charged clusters. The oscillatory behaviors for the charged clusters are opposite to that for the neutral clusters, as is attributed to the electron-paired effect.     

Characterization and reactivity of γ-Al_2O_3 supported Pd–Ni bimetallic nanocatalysts for selective hydrogenation of cyclopentadiene

Several g-Al2O3 supported Pd–Ni bimetallic nanocatalysts(Pd–Ni(x:y)/Al2O3; where x and y represent the mass ratio of Pd and Ni, respectively) were prepared by the impregnation method and used for selective hydrogenation of cyclopentadiene to cyclopentene. The Pd–Ni/Al2O3 samples were confirmed to generate Pd–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles by X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM). The catalytic activity was assessed in view of the effects of different mass ratios of Pd and Ni, temperature, pressure, etc. Among all the samples, the Pd–Ni(1:1)/Al2O3(PN-1:1) catalyst showed extremely high catalytic ability. The conversion of cyclopentadiene and selectivity for cyclopentene can be simultaneously more than 90%.     

Quantum Chemical Study of CnAl2^± （n=1～10） Clusters： Structure and Stability

Geometries, electronic structures and vibrational frequencies of CnAl2± clusters have been investigated by using the B3LYP-DFT method in the range of n = 1～10. At the B3LYP/6-311G level, the ground state structures of CnAl2± clusters are planar or linear with terminal aluminum atom. In these structures, the C–C bonds are alternately changed between double and triple. The changing magnitude of the averaged bond length decreases with the increase of cluster size. The energetic analysis showed that CnAl2± clusters with even n are more stable than those with odd n.     

Theoretical Study on the Catalytic Activity and Sulfur Resistibility of Amorphous Alloy Ni-B-P

In the present paper,one hundred cluster models NinBP (n=1～6) have been designed and studied by density functional theory (DFT) to get an insight into the local structure,catalytic properties and sulfur resistibility of amorphous alloy Ni-B-P. The configurations in triplet state are found more stable than those in the singlet state. It is found that as the content of Ni in the clusters increases,the value of Fermi level in clusters fluctuated,which shows that the content of Ni can influence the Fermi level to a certain extent. Based on the Fermi level and DOS,we consider the activity of catalyst in hydrogenation reaction is the best in cluster Ni3BP. On the basis of the charge of clusters NinBP (n=1～6),we conclude the amorphous alloy Ni-B-P with high Ni content has better sulfur resistibility and the best hydrogenation activity,strong sulfur resistibility appears in clusters Ni3BP,and the amorphous alloy Ni60B20P20 with similar proportion is expected to prepare in the future.     

Structure and stability for (AlN)_n~+ and (AlN)_n~- (n=1-15) clusters

Using density functional theory (DFT) method with 6-31G* basis set, we have carried out the optimizing calculation of geometry, vibrational frequency and thermodynamical stability for(AIN)n+ and (AIN)n- (n =1-15) clusters. Moreover, their ionic potential (IP) and electron affinity(EA) were discussed. The results show that the electrical charge condition of the cluster has a relatively great impact on the structure of the cluster and with the increase of n, this kind of impactis reduced gradually. There are no AI-AI and N-N bonds in the stable structure of (AIN)n+ or (AIN)n-, and the AI-N bond is the sole bond type. The magic number regularity of (AIN)n+, and (AIN)n- is consistent with that for (AIN)n, indicating that the structure with even n such as 2, 4,6, … is more stable. In addition, (AIN)10 has the maximal ionization power (9.14 eV) and the minimal electron affinity energy (0.19 eV), which manifests that (AIN)10 is more stable than other clusters.     

Density Functional Theory Study on the Structural and Electronic Properties of Ge（SiO_2）_n Clusters

The geometry,stability,binding energy and electronic properties of(SiO2)n and Ge(SiO2)n clusters(n = 7) have been investigated by Density functional theory(DFT).The results show that the lowest energy structures of Ge(SiO2)n are obtained by adding one Ge on the end site of the O atom or the Si near end site of the O atom in(SiO2)n.The chemical activation of Ge-(SiO2)n is improved compared with(SiO2)n.The calculated second-order difference of energies and fragmentation energies show that the Ge(SiO2)n clusters with n = 2 or 5 are stable.     

Preparation, characterization, and catalysis of mecro-catalysts

Because catalysis by metals is a surface phenomenon, many technological catalysts contain small (typically nanometre-sired) supported metal particles with a large fraction of the atoms exposed. Many reactions, such as hydrocarbon hydrogenations, are structure-insensitive, proceeding at approximately the same rates on metal particles of various sizes provided that they are larger than 1 nm and show bulk-like metallic behavior. But the catalytic properties are not known when metal particles become so small that their sizes are indium clusters consisting of several indium atoms. Here the catalytic behavior of precisely defined clusters of just four and six indium atoms on solid supports is shown. It is found that the Ir4 and Ir6 clusters differ in catalytic activity both from each other and from metallic Ir particles.     

Growth mechanism of palladium clusters on rutile TiO2 （110） surface

Oxide-supported transition metal systems have been the subject of enormous interest due to the improvement of catalytic properties relative to the separate metal.Thus in this paper,we embark on a systematic study for Pd n (n=1-5) clusters adsorbed on TiO2 (110) surface based on DFT-GGA calculations utilizing periodic supercell models.A single Pd adatom on the defect-free surface prefers to adsorb at a hollow site bridging a protruded oxygen and a five-fold titanium atom along the [110] direction,while Pd dimer is located on the channels with the Pd-Pd bond parallel to the surface.According to the transition states (TSs) search,the adsorbed Pd trimer tends to triangular growth mode,rather than linear mode,while the Pd4 and Pd5 clusters prefer three-dimensional (3D) models.However,the oxygen vacancy has almost no influence on the promotion of Pd n cluster nucleation.Additionally,of particular significance is that the Pd-TiO2 interaction is the main driving force at the beginning of Pd nucleation,whereas the Pd-Pd interaction gets down to control the growth process of Pd cluster as the cluster gets larger.It is hoped that our theoretical study would shed light on further designing high-performance TiO2 supported Pd-based catalysts.     

Base-free aerobic oxidation of glycerol on TiO_2-supported bimetallic Au–Pt catalysts

The aerobic oxidation of glycerol provides an economically viable route to glyceraldehyde, dihydroxyacetone and glyceric acid with versatile applications, for which monometallic Pt, Au and Pd and bimetallic Au–Pt, Au–Pd and Pt–Pd catalysts on Ti O2 were examined under base-free conditions. Pt exhibited a superior activity relative to Pd, and Au–Pd and Pt–Pd while Au was essentially inactive. The presence of Au on the Au–Pt/Ti O2 catalysts led to their higher activities(normalized per Pt atom) in a wide range of Au/Pt atomic ratios(i.e.1/3–7/1), and the one with the Au/Pt ratio of 3/1 exhibited the highest activity. Such promoting effect is ascribed to the increased electron density on Pt via the electron transfer from Au to Pt, as characterized by the temperature-programmed desorption of CO and infra-red spectroscopy for CO adsorption. Meanwhile,the presence of Au on Au–Pt/Ti O2, most like due to the observed electron transfer, changed the product selectivity, and facilitated the oxidation of the secondary hydroxyl groups in glycerol, leading to the favorable formation of dihydroxyacetone over glyceraldehyde and glyceric acid that were derived from the oxidation of the primary hydroxyl groups. The synergetic effect between Au and Pt demonstrates the feasibility in the efficient oxidation of glycerol to the targeted products, for example, by rational tuning of the electronic properties of metal catalysts.     

Theory Study of the Adsorption of Hydrocyanic Acid onto Small Silver Clusters

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to study the interaction of small silver clusters, Ag2 ~Ag9, with HCN. The adsorption of HCN on-top site of the silver cluster, among various possible sites, is energetically preferred. The adsorption energies of HCN on the silver clusters reach a local maximum at n = 4, which is only about 0.450 eV, indicating that the adsorbed HCN molecule is weakly perturbed. The adsorbed C–N and C–H stretching frequencies are blue- and red-shifted compared with the values of free HCN, respectively.     

A quantum-chemical study on the discharge reaction mechanism of lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries have attracted a great interest in electrochemical energy conversion and storage, but their discharge mechanism remains not well understood up to now. Here, we report density functional theory (DFT) calculation study of the discharge mechanism for lithium-sulfur batteries which are based on the structure of S8 and Li2S x (1≤x≤8) clusters. The results show that for Li2S x (1≤x≤8) clusters, the most stable geometry is chainlike when x = 1 and 6, while the minimal-energy structure is found to be cyclic when x = 2-5, 7,8. The stability of Li2S x (1≤x≤8) clusters increases with the decreasing x value, indicating a favorable thermodynamic tendency of transition from S8 to Li2S. A three-step reaction route has been proposed during the discharge process, that is, S8 →Li2S4 at about 2.30 V, Li2S4 →Li2S2 at around 2.22 V, and Li2S2 → Li2S at 2.18 V. Furthermore, the effect of the electrolyte on the potential platform has been also investigated. The discharge potential is found to increase with the decrease of dielectric constant of the electrolyte. The computational results could provide insights into further understanding the discharge mechanism of lithium-sulfur batteries.     

Density Functional Theory Study of HCN Adsorption on Small Gold Clusters

A theoretical study was carried out on the adsorption of hydrocyanic acid on small Aun （n ≤ 7） clusters using density functional methods. For HCN adsorption on gold clusters, no dependence was found with respect to the even-odd alternation in relation to the number of gold atoms in the cluster. The HCN molecule is adsorbed at simple adsorption sites （1-fold coordination）, perpendicular to the adsorption site. The largest adsorption energy is only about 74.61 kJ·mol^-1, which indicates that the HCN molecule does not decompose and the C-N bond retains triple bond, and that the C-H and C-N stretching frequencies are only weakly perturbed. The adsorbed C-N and C-H stretching frequencies are blue- and red-shifted compared with the values of free HCN, respectively.     

Formation of heterocaryotic and homonuclear bridged–dimeric complexes on surface

The formation of coordinated dimeric complexes bridged by axial ligands on surface is observed with the help of a 1,3,5-tris(10-carboxydecyloxy)benzene(TCDB) template through scanning tunneling microscopy(STM). STM images of molecular adlayers of zinc tetraphenylporphyrin(Zn TPP), zinc phthalocyanine(Zn Pc), and their mixture are reported. Zn TPP and Zn Pc can spontaneously form highly an ordered structure with a 1:1 molar ratio, which is different from that of individual Zn Pc. The coordinated bimolecular complexes bridged with axial ligands, simply as Zn Pc–DPP–Zn TPP and Zn Pc–DPE–Zn Pc, are presented and the corresponding surface structures are compared. Zn Pc and Zn TPP can be connected by an axial ligand DPP and formed assembled structures out of surface. Two types of arrays with entirely new structure are obtained for the Zn Pc–DPE–Zn Pc complex. These bridged hybrid complexes provide an example of design of self-organized crystals on the basis of coordination through non-covalent interactions.     

Adsorption of cyclohexene and its dehydrogenation intermediates on nAu/Pt(100)(n＝0,1,2) surfaces:A DFT study

Adsorption of cyclohexene and its dehydrogenation intermediates on the nAu/Pt(100) (n = 0, 1, 2 means clean Pt, one monolayer and two layers of Au covered Pt surfaces, respectively.) has been investigated by self-consistent (GGA-PW91) density functional theory combined with periodic slab model. It is found that on the clean platinum, there are two kinds of favorable adsorption sites, i.e., hollow sites and bridge sites, and the adsorption energy at the hollow site is larger than that at the bridge site. However, on the Au/Pt and 2Au/Pt surfaces, there are three kinds of adsorption sites, and the adsorption energies are alike at both the bridge site and the top site. The magnitude order of the adsorption energies is as follows: clean Pt > Au/Pt > 2Au/Pt. The configurations of cyclohexene molecule have been distorted a little during the geometry optimizations. The lengths of C–M (M = Pt or Au, on the top layer of the slab) bonds are closely related to the corresponding adsorption energies.     

Characterization and reactivity of γ-Al_2O_3 supported Pd–Cu bimetallic nanocatalysts for the selective oxygenization of cyclopentene

In this work, Pd–Cu/γ-Al_2O_3 is prepared by the impregnation method and investigated for selective oxygenization of cyclopentene to cyclopentanone. A series of bimetallic Pd–Cu/γ-Al_2O_3 nanocatalysts were prepared and the structures characterized by XRD, XPS and TEM. We determined that the obtained Pd–Cu/γ-Al_2O_3(molar ratio Pd:Cu = 5:1) was an efficient catalyst for the oxygenization of cyclopentene to cyclopentanone with 95% selectivity and 85% conversion(100 °C, 1 MPa initial O_2 pressure, 7 h).     

Synthesis of Polymer-Supported Heteronuclear Rhodium- Cobalt Bimetallic Carbonyl Cluster Catalysts and Their Hydroformylation Properties

Tetranuclear Rh-Co bimetallic cluster was synthesized and characterized by IR and XPS. The properties of the anchored catalysts, its stability and the ligand effect were also studied. The experimental results show that the optimal conditions for the hydroformylation of hexene-1 are as follows: the temperature is 80℃, reaction time 8 h, pressure 5. 88×105 Pa, and molar ratio of H2/CO 1. 2/1. 0. Functional groups attached to the donor atom(N) possess more or less some influence on the catalytic behavior. Compared with the homogeneous cluster, the polymer-supported bimetallic cluster is more stable. After the catalytic reaction, the structure of the anchored catalysts was not destroyed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization indicates that there is a weak interaction between the polymer support and the active metals.     

Interaction of cobalt with ceria thin films and its influence on supported Au nanoparticles

The interaction of Co with ceria thin films and its influence on the sintering behavior of Au were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy(STM), synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy(SRPES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS). The strong interaction between Co and CeO_2(111) leads to oxidation of Co to Co~(2+) at 300 K, accompanied by partial reduction of ceria surface at low Co coverages. Subsequent Co deposition results in an increasing fraction of metallic Co. Annealing to high temperatures induces Co~(2+)ions diffuse into the CeO_2 film, while the small metallic Co islands agglomerate into larger ones. The bimetallic Co–Au particles were prepared by deposition of Au on the existing Co particles on ceria surfaces. The sintering behavior of Co–Au bimetallic surfaces is found to be highly determined by the stoichiometry of ceria supports. The addition of Co to the Au/CeO_2 surface suppresses the sintering of Au particles at high temperatures in comparison with that of pure Au particles. However, Au particles are less stable on the Co/CeO_(1.82) layer than on CeO_(1.82) surface.