Adsorption of gold on TiC(001): Au-C interactions and charge polarization

High-resolution photoemission and first-principles density-functional slab calculations were used to study the adsorption of gold on a TiC(001) surface. A positive shift in the binding energy of the C 1s core level is observed after the deposition of Au on the metal carbide surface. The results of the density-functional calculations corroborate the formation of Au-C bonds. In general, the bond between Au and the TiC(001) surface exhibits very little ionic character, but there is a substantial polarization of electrons around Au that affects its chemical properties.     

Activation of noble metals on metal-carbide surfaces: novel catalysts for CO oxidation, desulfurization and hydrogenation reactions

This perspective article focuses on the physical and chemical properties of highly active catalysts for CO oxidation, desulfurization and hydrogenation reactions generated by depositing noble metals on metal-carbide surfaces. To rationalize structure-reactivity relationships for these novel catalysts, well-defined systems are required. High-resolution photoemission, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and first-principles periodic density-functional (DF) calculations have been used to study the interaction of metals of Groups 9, 10 and 11 with MC(001) (M = Ti, Zr, V, Mo) surfaces. DF calculations give adsorption energies that range from 2 eV (Cu, Ag, Au) to 6 eV (Co, Rh, Ir). STM images show that Au, Cu, Ni and Pt grow on the carbide substrates forming two-dimensional islands at very low coverage, and three-dimensional islands at medium and large coverages. In many systems, the results of DF calculations point to the preferential formation of admetal-C bonds with significant electronic perturbations in the admetal. TiC(001) and ZrC(001) transfer some electron density to the admetals facilitating bonding of the adatom with electron-acceptor molecules (CO, O(2), C(2)H(4), SO(2), thiophene, etc.). For example, the Cu/TiC(001) and Au/TiC(001) systems are able to cleave both S-O bonds of SO(2) at a temperature as low as 150 K, displaying a reactivity much larger than that of TiC(001) or extended surfaces of bulk copper and gold. At temperatures below 200 K, Au/TiC is able to dissociate O(2) and perform the 2CO + O(2)→ 2CO(2) reaction. Furthermore, in spite of the very poor hydrodesulfurization performance of TiC(001) or Au(111), a Au/TiC(001) surface displays an activity for the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene higher than that of conventional Ni/MoS(x) catalysts. In general, the Au/TiC system is more chemically active than systems generated by depositing Au nanoparticles on oxide surfaces. Thus, metal carbides are excellent supports for enhancing the chemical reactivity of noble metals.     

Effect of Hydrogen on O2 Adsorption and Dissociation on a TiO2 Anatase (001) Surface

The effect of hydrogen on the adsorption and dissociation of the oxygen molecule on a TiO₂ anatase (001) surface is studied by first‐principles calculations coupled with the nudged elastic band (NEB) method. Hydrogen adatoms on the surface can increase the absolute value of the adsorption energy of the oxygen molecule. A single H adatom on an anatase (001) surface can lower dramatically the dissociation barrier of the oxygen molecule. The adsorption energy of an O₂ molecule is high enough to break the O?O bond. The system energy is lowered after dissociation. If two H adatoms are together on the surface, an oxygen molecule can be also strongly adsorbed, and the adsorption energy is high enough to break the O?O bond. However, the system energy increases after dissociation. Because dissociation of the oxygen molecule on a hydrogenated anatase (001) surface is more efficient, and the oxygen adatoms on the anatase surface can be used to oxidize other adsorbed toxic small gas molecules, hydrogenated anatase is a promising catalyst candidate.     

CO分子在TiC(001)表面上的吸附构型与电子结构

采用第一性原理方法和平板模型对CO分子在TiC(001)表面的吸附构型和电子结构进行了详细研究. 结果表明, CO分子倾向于采用C端吸附在表层Ti原子上方. 对于该吸附方式, 计算得到的吸附能、CO各电子态所处能级位置以及C—O键伸缩振动频率的红移值均与实验观测结果相吻合. 由能带结构和Mvlliken布居分析结果可知, 当采用C端吸附时, CO的5σ和2π鄢态受到底物影响最为显著, 尤其是C端的桥位吸附方式. 此外, 还进一步对底物表面态在CO吸附过程中的作用进行了探讨.     

First principles study of CO oxidation on TiO2(110): the role of surface oxygen vacancies

The reactivities of the stoichiometric and partially reduced rutile TiO2(110) surfaces towards oxygen adsorption and carbon monoxide oxidation have been studied by means of periodic density functional theory calculations within the Car-Parrinello approach. O2 adsorption as well as CO oxidation are found to take place only in the presence of surface oxygen vacancies (partially reduced surface). The oxidation of CO by molecularly adsorbed O2 at the O-vacancy site is found to have an activation energy of about 0.4 eV. When the adsorbed O2 is dissociated, the resulting adatoms can oxidize incoming gas-phase CO molecules with no barrier. In all studied cases, once CO is oxidized to form CO2, the resulting surface is defect-free and no catalytic cycle can be established.     

Adsorption and diffusion of Mg, O, and O2 on the MgO(001) flat surface

A thorough investigation of the adsorption and diffusion of Mg, O, and O(2) on MgO(001) terraces is performed by first-principles calculations. The single Mg adatom weakly binds to surface oxygens, diffuses, and evaporates easily at room temperatures. Atomic O strongly binds to surface oxygens, forming peroxide groups. The diffusion of the O adatom is strongly influenced by the spin polarization, since energy barriers are significantly different for the singlet and triplet states. The crossing of the two Born-Oppenheimer surfaces corresponding to the distinct spin states is also analyzed. Although the O(2) molecule does not stick to the perfect surface, it chemisorbs on surface nonstoichiometric point defects such as O vacancies or Mg adatoms, forming in the latter case new chemical species on the surface. We show that the oxidation rate limiting factor in an O(2) atmosphere is the concentration of point defects (O vacancies and Mg adatoms) in the growing surface. The simulated O core-level shifts for the various adsorption configurations enable a meaningful comparison with the measured values, suggesting the presence of peroxide ions on growing surfaces. Finally, the computed energy barriers are used to estimate the Mg and O surface lifetimes and diffusion lengths, and some implications for the homoepitaxial growth of MgO are discussed.     

Surface dependence of CO2 adsorption on Zn2GeO4

An understanding of the interaction between Zn(2)GeO(4) and the CO(2) molecule is vital for developing its role in the photocatalytic reduction of CO(2). In this study, we present the structure and energetics of CO(2) adsorbed onto the stoichiometric perfectly and the oxygen vacancy defect of Zn(2)GeO(4) (010) and (001) surfaces using density functional theory slab calculations. The major finding is that the surface structure of the Zn(2)GeO(4) is important for CO(2) adsorption and activation, i.e., the interaction of CO(2) with Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces is structure-dependent. The ability of CO(2) adsorption on (001) is higher than that of CO(2) adsorption on (010). For the (010) surface, the active sites O(2c)···Ge(3c) and Ge(3c)-O(3c) interact with the CO(2) molecule leading to a bidentate carbonate species. The presence of Ge(3c)-O(2c)···Ge(3c) bonds on the (001) surface strengthens the interaction of CO(2) with the (001) surface, and results in a bridged carbonate-like species. Furthermore, a comparison of the calculated adsorption energies of CO(2) adsorption on perfect and defective Zn(2)GeO(4) (010) and (001) surfaces shows that CO(2) has the strongest adsorption near a surface oxygen vacancy site, with an adsorption energy -1.05 to -2.17 eV, stronger than adsorption of CO(2) on perfect Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces (E(ads) = -0.91 to -1.12 eV) or adsorption of CO(2) on a surface oxygen defect site (E(ads) = -0.24 to -0.95 eV). Additionally, for the defective Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces, the oxygen vacancies are the active sites. CO(2) that adsorbs directly at the Vo site can be dissociated into CO and O and the Vo defect can be healed by the oxygen atom released during the dissociation process. On further analysis of the dissociative adsorption mechanism of CO(2) on the surface oxygen defect site, we concluded that dissociative adsorption of CO(2) favors the stepwise dissociation mechanism and the dissociation process can be described as CO(2) + Vo → CO(2)(δ-)/Vo → CO(adsorbed) + O(surface). This result has an important implication for understanding the photoreduction of CO(2) by using Zn(2)GeO(4) nanoribbons.     

Interaction of oxygen with TiN(001): N<-->O exchange and oxidation process

This work presents a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the oxidation of TiN(001) using a combination of synchrotron-based photoemission and density functional theory (DFT). Experimentally, the adsorption of O2 on TiN(001) was investigated at temperatures between 250 and 450 K. At the lowest temperature, there was chemisorption of oxygen (O(2,gas)-->2O(ads)) without significant surface oxidation. In contrast, at 450 K the amount of O2 adsorbed increased continuously, there was no evidence for an oxygen saturation coverage, a clear signal in the Ti 2p core level spectra denoted the presence of TiOx species, and desorption of both N2 and NO was detected. The DFT calculations show that the adsorption/dissociation of O2 is highly exothermic on a TiN(001) substrate and is carried out mainly by the Ti centers. A high oxygen coverage (larger than 0.5 ML) may induce some structural reconstructions of the surface. The exchange of a surface N atom by an O adatom is a highly endothermic process (DeltaE=2.84 eV). However, the overall oxidation of the surface layer is thermodynamically favored due to the energy released by the dissociative adsorption of O2 and the formation of N2 or NO. Both experimental and theoretical results lead to conclude that a TiN+mO2 -->TiOx + NO reaction is an important exit channel for nitrogen in the oxidation process.     

Water-enhanced low-temperature CO oxidation and isotope effects on atomic oxygen-covered Au(111)

Water-oxygen interactions and CO oxidation by water on the oxygen-precovered Au(111) surface were studied by using molecular beam scattering techniques, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Water thermally desorbs from the clean Au(111) surface with a peak temperature of approximately 155 K; however, on a surface with preadsorbed atomic oxygen, a second water desorption peak appears at approximately 175 K. DFT calculations suggest that hydroxyl formation and recombination are responsible for this higher temperature desorption feature. TPD spectra support this interpretation by showing oxygen scrambling between water and adsorbed oxygen adatoms upon heating the surface. In further support of these experimental findings, DFT calculations indicate rapid diffusion of surface hydroxyl groups at temperatures as low as 75 K. Regarding the oxidation of carbon monoxide, if a C (16)O beam impinges on a Au(111) surface covered with both atomic oxygen ( (16)O) and isotopically labeled water (H 2 (18)O), both C (16)O (16)O and C (16)O (18)O are produced, even at surface temperatures as low as 77 K. Similar experiments performed by impinging a C (16)O beam on a Au(111) surface covered with isotopic oxygen ( (18)O) and deuterated water (D 2 (16)O) also produce both C (16)O (16)O and C (16)O (18)O but less than that produced by using (16)O and H 2 (18)O. These results unambiguously show the direct involvement and promoting role of water in CO oxidation on oxygen-covered Au(111) at low temperatures. On the basis of our experimental results and DFT calculations, we propose that water dissociates to form hydroxyls (OH and OD), and these hydroxyls react with CO to produce CO 2. Differences in water-oxygen interactions and oxygen scrambling were observed between (18)O/H 2 (16)O and (18)O/D 2 (16)O, the latter producing less scrambling. Similar differences were also observed in water reactivity toward CO oxidation, in which less CO 2 was produced with (16)O/D 2 (16)O than with (16)O/H 2 (16)O. These differences are likely due to primary kinetic isotope effects due to the differences in O-H and O-D bond energies.     

Desulfurization reactions on Ni2P(001) and alpha-Mo2C(001) surfaces: complex role of P and C sites

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles density-functional calculations were used to study the interaction of thiophene, H(2)S, and S(2) with Ni(2)P(001), alpha-Mo(2)C(001), and polycrystalline MoC. In general, the reactivity of the surfaces increases following the sequence MoC < Ni(2)P(001) < alpha-Mo(2)C(001). At 300 K, thiophene does not adsorb on MoC. In contrast, Ni(2)P(001) and alpha-Mo(2)C(001) can dissociate the molecule easily. The key to establish a catalytic cycle for desulfurization is in the removal of the decomposition products of thiophene (C(x)H(y) fragments and S) from these surfaces. Our experimental and theoretical studies indicate that the rate-determining step in a hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process is the transformation of adsorbed sulfur into gaseous H(2)S. Ni(2)P is a better catalyst for HDS than Mo(2)C or MoC. The P sites in the phosphide play a complex and important role. First, the formation of Ni-P bonds produces a weak "ligand effect" (minor stabilization of the Ni 3d levels and a small Ni --> P charge transfer) that allows a high activity for the dissociation of thiophene and molecular hydrogen. Second, the number of active Ni sites present in the surface decreases due to an "ensemble effect" of P, which prevents the system from deactivation induced by high coverages of strongly bound S. Third, the P sites are not simple spectators and provide moderate bonding to the products of the decomposition of thiophene and the H adatoms necessary for hydrogenation.     

乙炔在Ge(001)表面吸附的反应路径

采用第一性原理方法研究了乙炔分子在Ge(001)表面的吸附反应.通过系统考察0.5和1.0ML覆盖度时形成di-σ和end-bridge构型的反应路径,研究在表面形成di-σ和paired-end-bridge构型的反应几率.除了表面反应以外,本文还涉及了亚表层Ge原子参与的吸附反应,乙炔在亚表层原子上吸附形成的亚稳态结构sub-di-σ,是形成end-bridge结构的第二条途径,此反应机理对于表面吸附结构的形成起重要的作用.与乙炔分子不同的是,表面以下原子参与时乙烯分子的吸附反应为吸热反应.综合热力学和动力学的分析表明,paired-end-bridge构型是乙炔分子吸附的主要构型,此结论解释了乙炔分子在Ge(001)表面吸附构型的实验结果.对于乙烯和乙炔两分子在Ge(001)表面吸附的分析比较揭示了导致两者之间差异的原因.     

Defective α‐Fe2O3(0001): An ab Initio Study

By using density functional theory calculations at the PBE+U level, we investigated the properties of hematite (0001) surfaces decorated with adatoms/vacancies/substituents. For the most stable surface termination over a large range of oxygen chemical potentials (${\mu _{\rm{O}} }$ ), the vacancy formation and adsorption energies were determined as a function of ${\mu _{\rm{O}} }$ . Under oxygen‐rich conditions, all defects are metastable with respect to the ideal surface. Under oxygen‐poor conditions, O vacancies and Fe adatoms become stable. Under ambient conditions, all defects are metastable; in the bulk, O vacancies form more easily than Fe vacancies, whereas at the surface the opposite is true. All defects, that is, O and Fe vacancies, Fe and Al adatoms, and Al substituents, induce important modifications to the geometry of the surface in their vicinity. Dissociative adsorption of molecular oxygen is likely to be exothermic on surfaces with Fe/Al adatoms or O vacancies.     

Adsorption structures of benzene on a Si(5 5 12)-2x1 surface: a combined scanning tunneling microscopy and theoretical study

In the first ever attempt to study the adsorption of organic molecules on high-index Si surfaces, we investigated the adsorption of benzene on Si(5 5 12)-(2x1) by using variable-low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy and density-functional theory (DFT) calculations. Several distinct adsorption structures of the benzene molecule were found. In one structure, the benzene molecule binds to two adatoms between the dimers of D3 and D2 units in a tilted butterfly configuration. This structure is produced by the formation of di-sigma bonds with the substrate and of two C[Double Bond]C double bonds in the benzene molecule. In another structure, the molecule adsorbs on honeycomb chains with a low adsorption energy because of strain effects. Our DFT calculations predict that the adsorption energies of benzene are 1.03-1.20 eV on the adatoms and 0.22 eV on the honeycomb chains.     

O2 interaction and reactivity on a model hydroxylated rutile(110) surface

Recently several theoretical studies have examined oxygen adsorption on the clean, reduced TiO2(110) surface. However the photocatalytic behavior of TiO2 and the scavenging ability of oxygen are known to be influenced by the presence of surface hydroxyls. In this paper the chemistry of O2 on the hydroxylated TiO2 surface is investigated by means of first-principles total energy calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The MD trajectories show a direct, spontaneous reaction between O2 and the surface hydroxyls, thus supporting the experimental hypothesis that the reaction does not necessarily pass through a chemisorbed O2 state. Following this reaction, the most stable chemisorbed intermediates are found to be peroxide species HO2 and H2O2. Although these intermediates are very stable on the short time scale of MD simulations, the energetics suggests that their further transformation is connected to a new 300 K feature observed in the experimental water temperature programmed desorption (TPD) spectrum. The participation of two less stable intermediate states, involving terminal hydroxyls and/or chemisorbed water plus oxygen adatoms, to the desorption process, is not supported by the total energy calculations. Analysis of the projected density of states, however, suggests the possibility that these intermediates have a role in completing the surface oxidation immediately before desorption.     

Nature of the binding of a c(2×2)-CO overlayer on Ag(001) and surface mediated intermolecular coupling

We present a first-principles study of the nature of the binding of a c(2×2)-CO overlayer on Ag(001) and of the origin of CO-CO interactions upon adsorption. Electronic structural changes induced by molecular adsorption provide an interpretation for earlier X-ray photoemission valence band spectra of CO/Ag(001). Our results establish that CO chemisorbs on clean Ag(001) and follows the Blyholder model of donation and back-donation between CO and metal orbitals. We analyze the origin of the dispersion of the C-O stretch mode and attest that it is caused by the metal-CO coupling. Specifically, the coupling of CO to Ag, although the weakest of those between it and transition and other noble metals, greatly enhances the intermolecular force constants. We also find that the response of the charge density around CO is much stronger and of longer range when the molecule stretches than when it rigidly vibrates against the surface. This difference explains why the C-O stretch mode disperses while the Ag-CO stretch mode does not.     

CO-induced embedding of Pt adatoms in a partially reduced FeO(x) film on Pt(111)

The reduction of a single-layer FeO film grown on Pt(111) by CO at elevated pressures and temperatures has been studied through an interplay of scanning tunneling microscopy, ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations. Exposure of the FeO thin film to CO at pressures between 1 and 30 Torr and temperatures between 500 and 530 K leads to formation of a honeycomb-structured Fe(3)O(2) film with hollow sites occupied by single Pt atoms extracted from the substrate surface. The formation of these adatoms is driven by an increase in CO adsorption energy. In addition, the structure incorporates undercoordinated Fe centers, which are proposed to have substantial effects on the catalytic properties of the surface.     

Small cluster models of the surface electronic structure and bonding properties of titanium carbide, vanadium carbide, and titanium nitride

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on stoichiometric, high-symmetry clusters have been performed to model the (100) and (111) surface electronic structure and bonding properties of titanium carbide (TiC), vanadium carbide (VC), and titanium nitride (TiN). The interactions of ideal surface sites on these clusters with three adsorbates, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and the oxygen atom, have been pursued theoretically to compare with experimental studies. New experimental results using valence band photoemission of the interaction of O(2) with TiC and VC are presented, and comparisons to previously published experimental studies of CO and NH(3) chemistry are provided. In general, we find that the electronic structure of the bare clusters is entirely consistent with published valence band photoemission work and with straightforward molecular orbital theory. Specifically, V(9)C(9) and Ti(9)N(9) clusters used to model the nonpolar (100) surface possess nine electrons in virtually pure metal 3d orbitals, while Ti(9)C(9) has no occupation of similar orbitals. The covalent mixing of the valence bonding levels for both VC and TiC is very high, containing virtually 50% carbon and 50% metal character. As expected, the predicted mixing for the Ti(9)N(9) cluster is somewhat less. The Ti(8)C(8) and Ti(13)C(13) clusters used to model the TiC(111) surface accurately predict the presence of Ti 3d-based surface states in the region of the highest occupied levels. The bonding of the adsorbate species depends critically on the unique electronic structure features present in the three different materials. CO bonds more strongly with the V(9)C(9) and Ti(9)N(9) clusters than with Ti(9)C(9) as the added metal electron density enables an important pi-back-bonding interaction, as has been observed experimentally. NH(3) bonding with Ti(9)N(9) is predicted to be somewhat enhanced relative to VC and TiC due to greater Coulombic interactions on the nitride. Finally, the interaction with oxygen is predicted to be stronger with the carbon atom of Ti(9)C(9) and with the metal atom for both V(9)C(9) and Ti(9)N(9). In sum, these results are consistent with labeling TiC(100) as effectively having a d(0) electron configuration, while VC- and TiN(100) can be considered to be d(1) species to explain surface chemical properties.     

Maleic anhydride adsorption on silicon (001)

The adsorption of maleic anhydride on the Si(001) surface has been investigated using the first-principles pseudopotential formalism. Our total-energy calculations suggest that maleic anhydride (C2H2-C2O3) adsorbs preferentially through a [2+2] cycloaddition of the C=C bond ([2+2]) with an adsorption energy of around 42 kcal/mol. Besides the [2+2] configuration we have also considered other possible coverages and adsorption models, including the adsorption on inter-row and intrarow dimer sites. Based on the analysis of the relative stability of different adsorption models, we propose the formation of mixed domains, containing the [2+2] unit and an interdimer unit. The comparison of our calculated electronic band structure, vibrational modes, and scanning tunneling microscopy images for the [2+2] and the favored interdimer adsorbed structures corroborate our proposed mixed domain model.     

First-principles study of CO adsorption and vibration on Au surfaces

A CO stretching frequency analysis is presented for the adsorption of CO on various Au(110) surfaces from density functional theory calculations. The structure sensitivity of the adsorption has been studied by considering the unreconstructed (1 x 1) surface, the missing-row reconstructed (1 x 2) surface, the vicinal stepped (20) surface, and the adsorption on adatoms deposited on the (110)-(1 x 2) surface. The calculated CO stretching frequencies are compared with infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) measurements carried out at room temperature and pressure below 1 atm. The overall stability of the systems is discussed within the calculations of surface free energies at various coverages. At room temperature, the adsorption of CO on the ridge of the missing-row reconstructed surface competes in the high pressure regime with more complex adsorption structures where the molecule coadsorbs on the ridge and on adatoms located along the empty troughs of the reconstruction. This result is supported by the CO stretching frequency analysis.     

LiCl对Fe_2O_3/SiO_2甲烷氧化偶联反应的助催化作用

使用穆斯堡尔谱，ESR和XRD等技术表征了未添加助剂和添加LiCl的Fe2O3／SiO2催化剂．XRD结果指出，添加LiCl的Fe2O／SiO2催化剂出现铁酸盐和α-方石英的衍射峰，这种结果的出现与该催化剂有较高的C2烃选择性密切相关。穆斯堡尔谱结果表明：添加LiCl的Fe2O3／SiO2催化剂有更高的结构对称性．这种结构对分子氧的活化起着重要的作用．氯的存在大大降低了氧的离解吸附的速率，减少了原子氧的吸附位的数目，并可除去吸附的原子氧，该氧种对COx的生成有利．