First principles study of adsorption and dissociation of CO on W(111)

The adsorption and dissociation of carbon monoxide on the W(111) surface is studied with density functional theory. The CO molecule is found to adsorb in end-on configurations (alpha states) and inclined configurations (beta states). The dissociation of the most strongly bound beta state CO is found to have an activation energy of about 0.8 eV, which is lower than the energy required to desorb CO molecularly from the surface. The diffusion of CO and O on W(111) is predicted to be facile at room temperature, whereas C atoms are virtually immobile up to approximately 600 K, according to our calculations. Preadsorbed carbon atoms are shown to prevent the dissociation of CO by blocking the most strongly bound beta state adsorption site and by blocking the dissociation pathway. We predict that dissociation of CO on W(111) is a self-poisoning process.     

Density Functional Theory Calculations Revealing Metal‐like Band Structures and Work Function Variation for Ultrathin Gallium Arsenide (111) Surface Layers

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on tunable numbers of gallium arsenide (100), (110), and (111) planes for their electron density of states (DOS) plots and the corresponding band diagrams. The GaAs (100) and (110) planes show the same semiconducting band structure with tunable plane layers and a band gap of 1.35 eV around the Fermi level. In contrast, metal‐like band structures are obtained with a continuous band structure around the Fermi level for 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8 layers of GaAs (111) planes. For 3, 6, and 9 GaAs (111) planes, the same semiconducting band structure as seen in the (100) and (110) planes returns. The results suggest the GaAs {111} face should be more electrically conductive than its {100} and {110} faces, due to the merged conduction band and valence band. GaAs (100) and (110) planes give a fixed work function, but the (111) planes have variable work function values that are smaller than that obtained for the (100) and (110) planes. Furthermore, bond length, bond geometry, and frontier orbital electron number and energy distribution show notable differences between the metal‐like and semiconducting plane cases, so the emergence of plane‐dependent electronic properties have quantum mechanical origin at the orbital level. GaAs should possess similar facet‐dependent electronic properties to those of Si and Ge.     

First Principles Study of Atomic Adsorption on (111) and (100) Surfaces of Iridium

We have investigated the adsorption of nine different adatoms on the (111) and (100) surfaces of Iridium (Ir) using first principles density functional theory. The study explores surface functionalization of Ir which would provide important information for further study of its functionality in catalysis and other surface applications. The adsorption energy, stable geometry, density of states and magnetic moment are some of the physical quantities of our interest. The study reveals that the three-/four- fold hollow site is energetically the most favorable adsorption site on the (111)/(100) surface of Ir. The investigation on a wide range of coverages (from 0.04 to 1 monolayer) reveals the strong coverage dependence of adsorption energy of the adsorbate atoms. The adsorption energy is found to increase as the coverage increases, implying a repulsive interaction between the adsorbates. Strong hybridization between the adsorbates and the substrate electronic states is revealed to impact the adsorption, while the magnetic moment of the adsorbates is found to be suppressed. The Bader analysis reveals significant amount of charge transfers between the adsorbate atoms and the substrate. The binding of adsorbate atoms on the (100) surface is observed to be moderately stronger as compared to that on the (111) surface.     

Adsorption modes of cysteine on Au(111): thiolate, amino-thiolate, disulfide

The adsorption of cysteine on the (111) surface of gold has been studied by means of periodic supercell density-functional theory calculations. A number of different adsorption modes are examined, including adsorption through the thiol group in either thiolate or disulfide form, and adsorption through both the thiol and amino functional groups. We find that at intermediate coverage densities the latter mode of adsorption is favored, followed by thiolate adsorption at the bridge (slightly displace toward fcc) site. The N-Au and S-Au bond strengths in the amino-thiolate adsorption are estimated to be of the order of 6 and 47 kcal/mol, respectively. The electronic structure of the different systems is analyzed, with focus on the total and projected density of states, as well as on the detailed character of the electronic states at the interface. States near the Fermi energy are found to have a metal-molecule antibonding character, whereas metal-molecule bonding states mostly occur near the lower edge of the Au-d band.     

Charge transfer during H/H− collisions with Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces

We study the H and H⁻ survival probabilities during collisions with Cu(100) and Cu(111) surfaces, at energies ranging from 0.5 to 5 keV and exit angles ranging from 20° to 90°. Calculations are performed with the Wave‐Packet Propagation method adapted to ion‐surface interactions. The projectile survival probability depends on the perpendicular velocity and the copper face being investigated. Projectile's interaction time with the surface and the distance of closest approach are important factors that influence the survival. The H⁻ survival on Cu(100) is much smaller than on Cu(111) but only at low velocities, while becoming higher or comparable to Cu(111) for higher velocities. For very fast collisions, the copper surface behaves like a jellium, and the electron involved in charge transfer does not “feel” the particularities of the surface band structure anymore. While the H survival on Cu(100) seems to not depend on energy and exit angle, the H survival on Cu(111) is both energy and angle dependent, and it is smaller. The study of partial density of states indicates that strong atom‐surface interactions at short distances and the role played by surface states are important factors in determining the neutral fractions obtained after scattering.     

Layer-by-layer growth of polar MgO(111) ultrathin films

By alternate deposition of Mg and exposure of O2, layer-by-layer growth, polar MgO(111) ultrathin films with Mg-terminated or O-terminated surfaces have been successfully fabricated on Mo(110) substrate. The surface geometric structure and electronic structures of the polar MgO(111) films were investigated using surface analysis techniques including low-energy electron diffraction and photoelectron emission and electron energy loss spectroscopies. The results indicate that the O-terminated surface is of an insulating character, while for Mg-terminated surface, a prominent new surface state at 2-3 eV and appreciable density of states near Fermi level have been observed. The polar oxide films provide ideal model surfaces for further investigation of support-particle system.     

Screening and surface states in molecular monolayers adsorbed on silicon

We performed density functional theory calculations of the atomic and electronic structure of a dense monolayer of phenyl-terminated alkyl chains chemisorbed onto the (100) Si surface. Different adsorption sites were characterized for both the pristine and (2 x 1) reconstructed surface. A strong effect on the ordering and alignment of the molecular energy levels with respect to the Fermi level of silicon is observed, consequent to intermolecular screening in the monolayer and of the appearance of surface localized states, as a function of the different bonding arrangements. Some possible consequences of these findings are discussed in the framework of the experimental synthesis of such monolayers as molecular current rectifiers in silicon-integrated nanoscale electronics.     

HCN Adsorption on the Fe(100), Fe(111) and Fe(110) Surfaces: a Density Functional Theory Study

Twenty kinds of adsorptions of HCN on the Fe(100), Fe(111) and Fe(110) surfaces at the 1/4 monolayer coverage are found using the density functional theory. For Fe(100), the adsorption energy of the most stable configuration where the HCN locates at the fourfold site with the C-N bonded to four Fe atoms is 1.928 eV. The most favored adsorption structure for HCN on Fe(111) is f-η3(N)-h-η3(C), in which the C-N bond is almost parallel to the surface, and the adsorption energy is 1.347 eV. On Fe(110), the adsorption energy in the most stable configuration in which HCN locates at the two long-bridge sites is 1.777 eV. The adsorption energy of the parallel orientation for HCN is larger than that of the perpendicular configuration. The binding mechanism of HCN on the Fe(100), Fe(111) and Fe(110) surfaces is also analyzed by Mulliken charge population and the density of states in HCN. The result indicates that the configurations in which the adsorbed HCN becomes the non-linear are beneficial to the formation of the addition reaction for hydrogen. The nature that the introduction of Fe into the catalyst could increase the catalytic activity of the bimetallic catalyst in the addition reaction of hydrogen for nitriles is revealed.     

Slab model studies of water adsorption and decomposition on clean and X- (X = C, N and O) contaminated Pd(111) surfaces

To explore the effect of surface contaminants on water chemistry at metallic surfaces, adsorption and decomposition of water monomers on clean and X/Pd(111)(X = C, N and O) surfaces are investigated based on density functional theory calculations. It is revealed that H(2)O binds to Pd(111) surface primarily through the mixing of its 1b(1) with the Pd 4d(z(2)) state. A charge accumulation between the oxygen atom of water and the bound Pd atom is calculated, which is found to be relevant to the H(2)O-Pd interaction. Water adsorption results in a reduction of surface work function and the polarization of the X 2p states. The O-H bond scission of H(2)O on the clean Pd(111) is an energy unfavorable process. In the case of X-assisted O-H bond breaking on X/Pd(111) surfaces, however, the reaction barrier tends to be lower than that on the clean surface and decreases from C/Pd(111) to O/Pd(111). In particular, water decomposition is found to become feasible on O/Pd(111), in agreement with the experimental observations. The calculated barrier is demonstrated to be correlated linearly with the density of X 2p states at the Fermi level. A thorough energy analysis demonstrates that the following geometrical and electronic factors favor the barrier reduction on X/Pd(111) with respect to water decomposition on clean Pd(111): (i) the less deformed structure of water in TS; (ii) the decreased bonding competition between the fragments OH and H. The remarkable decrease of the barrier on O/Pd(111) is revealed to be due to the largest stabilization of the split H atom and the least deformation of water in the TS.     

氢原子在Pt及Pt系双金属催化表面吸附的密度泛函理论研究

采用密度泛函理论(dFT)考察了Pt(100)、(110)、(111)三种表面氢原子的吸附行为, 计算了覆盖度为0.25 ML时氢原子在Pt 三种表面和M-Pt(111)双金属(M=Al, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Pd)上的最稳定吸附位、表面能以及吸附前后金属表面原子层间弛豫情况. 分析了氢原子在不同双金属表面吸附前后的局域态密度变化以及双金属表面d 带中心偏离费米能级的程度并与氢吸附能进行了关联. 计算结果表明, 在Pt(100), Pt(110)和Pt(111)表面, 氢原子的稳定吸附位分别为桥位、短桥位和fcc 穴位. 三种表面中以Pt(111)的表面能最低, 结构最稳定. 氢原子在不同M-Pt(111)双金属表面上的最稳定吸附位均为fcc 穴位, 其中在Ni-Pt 双金属表面的吸附能最低, Co-Pt 次之. 表明氢原子在Ni-Pt 和Co-Pt 双金属表面的吸附最稳定. 通过对氢原子在M-Pt(111)双金属表面吸附前后的局域态密度变化的分析, 验证了氢原子吸附能计算结果的准确性. 掺杂金属Ni、Co、Fe 的3d-Pt(111)双金属表面在吸附氢原子后发生弛豫, 第一层和第二层金属原子均不同程度地向外膨胀. 此外, 3d金属的掺入使得其对应的M-Pt(111)双金属表面d带中心与Pt 相比更靠近费米能级, 吸附氢原子能力增强, 表明3d-Pt系双金属表面有可能比Pt具有更好的脱氢活性.     

氧在CuCl(111)表面吸附的密度泛函理论研究

运用广义梯度密度泛函理论的PW91方法结合周期平板模型,在DNP基组下研究了氧分子和氧原子在CuCl(111)表面上的吸附.对氧分子在CuCl(111)表面吸附的相关计算和比较发现,覆盖度为0.25单层时的吸附构型为稳定的吸附构型,氧分子倾斜地吸附在CuCl(111)表面的顶位时比较稳定,吸附后O2分子的伸缩振动频率与自由O2分子相比发生了红移.态密度和Mulliken电荷布居分析结果表明,整个吸附体系发生了由Cu原子向O2分子的电荷转移.氧原子在CuCl(111)表面吸附的计算结果表明,氧原子倾向于以穴位(hollow)吸附在CuCl(111)表面,通过Mulliken电荷布居和态密度分析对氧原子在CuCl表面的吸附行为作了进一步探讨.     

Ultrathin metals films on W(221): Structure, electronic properties and reactivity

Nanoscale pyramidal facets with (211) faces are formed when W(111) surface is covered by monolayer film of certain metals (including Pt, Pd and Au) and annealed to T ≥ 750 K. In the present work, we focus on the structure, electronic properties and reactivity of planar W(211) covered by ultrathin films of platinum and palladium. The measurements include soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation, Auger electron spectroscopy, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and thermal desorption spectroscopy. The metal film growth and evolution during annealing has been investigated for coverages ranging from 0 to 8 monolayers. The films grow initially in a layer-by-layer mode at 300 K. LEED, Auger, and Surface Core Level Shift (SCLS) measurements reveal that for coverages of one monolayer, the films are stable up to temperatures at which desorption occurs. In contrast, at higher coverages, SCLS data indicate that surface alloys are formed upon annealing films of Pt and Pd; surface alloy formation is not seen for Au overlayers. These findings are discussed in terms of structural and electronic properties of these bimetallic systems. Relevance to catalytic properties for acetylene cyclization over Pd/W(211) is also discussed.     

Cluster and periodic DFT calculations: the adsorption of atomic nitrogen on M(111) (M = Cu, Ag, Au) surfaces

First-principle density functional calculations with cluster and slab models have been performed to investigate adsorption and thermally activated atomic nitrogen on M(111) (M = Cu, Ag, Au) surfaces. Optimized results indicate that the basis set of the N atom has a distinct effect on the adsorption energy but an indistinct one on the equilibrium distance. For the N/M(111) adsorption systems studied here, the threefold face centered cubic (fcc) hollow site is found to be the most stable adsorption site. The reason for the fcc site is that the perfected adsorption site has been explained by the density of states (DOS) analysis, that is, that N(2p) has the smallest DOS population near the Fermi level on the fcc site as compared with other adsorption sites. The variations of the adsorption energy as a function of adsorption site are similar and in the following order of N-M(111) binding strengths on a given site: Cu(111) > Ag(111) > Au(111). It is found that the N atom forms essentially an ionic bond for the most stable site. Large contributions between the M(ns) and N(2p) orbitals (n = 4, 5, and 6 for Cu, Ag, and Au, respectively) are found for the cluster model at the B3LYP/LANL2DZ-6-31G(d,p) level and also found in the slab DFT-GGA calculation results, which are the main characteristics of M-N bonds. At last, the dissociation of N2 on Cu(111) and Au(111) has also been obtained in this work, and the results showed that the dissociation of N2 on Cu(111) is more active than that on the Au(111) surface.     

W(100) c(2×2)表面的STM图像

用基于第一性原理的密度泛函理论研究了W(100) c(2×2)再构表面的表面弛豫以及扫描隧道显微镜(STM)图像和衬底偏压的关系. 计算所得到的表面原子沿[-110]方向的畸变位移δ为0.027 nm, 畸变能⊿E为80.6 meV·atom-1, 表面原子的弛豫分别为-7.6%(⊿d12/d0)和+0.8%(⊿d23/d0), 功函数Φ为4.55 eV. STM图像模拟表明, 由于表面原子沿[-110]方向的位移, 会导致出现平行于[110]方向的亮暗带状条纹. STM图像中突起所对应的并不是表面或次表面的钨原子, 而是zig-zag型W 原子链中线位置; 而STM暗区对应于原子位置畸变形成的相邻zig-zag型W原子链中间区域. 当衬底负偏压时, STM针尖典型起伏高度大约在0.008-0.013 nm之间; 而当衬底正偏压时, 针尖起伏高度在0.019-0.024 nm之间变化.     

Density Functional Theory Calculations Revealing Metal‐like Band Structures for Ultrathin Germanium (111) and (211) Surface Layers

To find out if germanium possesses facet‐dependent electrical‐conductivity properties, surface‐state density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on one to six layers of germanium (100), (110), (111), and (211) planes. Tunable Ge(100) and Ge(110) planes always present the same semiconducting band structure with a band gap of 0.67 eV expected of bulk germanium. In contrast, one, two, four, and five layers of Ge(111) and Ge(211) plane models show metal‐like band structures with continuous density of states (DOS) throughout the entire band. For three and six layers of Ge(111) and Ge(211) plane models, the normal semiconducting band structure was obtained. The plane layers with metal‐like band structures also show Ge−Ge bond‐length deviations and bond distortions, as well as significantly different 4s and 4p frontier‐orbital electron counts and relative percentages integrated over the valence and conduction bands from those of the semiconducting state. These differences should contribute to strikingly dissimilar band structures. The calculation results suggest the observation of facet‐dependent electrical‐conductivity properties of germanium materials; when making transistors from germanium, the facet effects with shrinking dimensions approaching 3 nm may also need to be considered.     

甲硫醇在Cu(111)表面的解离吸附: 密度泛函理论研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理方法和平板模型研究了CH₃SH分子在Cu(111)表面的吸附反应.系统地计算了S原子在不同位置以不同方式吸附的一系列构型, 第一次得到未解离的CH₃SH分子在Cu(111)表面顶位上的稳定吸附构型,该构型吸附属于弱的化学吸附, 吸附能为0.39 eV. 计算同时发现在热力学上解离结构比未解离结构更加稳定. 解离的CH₃S吸附在桥位和中空位之间, 吸附能为0.75-0.77 eV. 计算分析了未解离吸附到解离吸附的两条反应路径, 最小能量路径的能垒为0.57 eV. 计算结果还表明S―H键断裂后的H原子并不是以H₂分子的形式从表面解吸附而是以与表面成键的形式存在. 通过比较S原子在独立的CH₃SH分子和吸附状态下的局域态密度, 发现S―H键断裂后S原子和表面的键合强于未断裂时S原子和表面的键合.     

Density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the adsorption of the CH3OH/Au(100) system

The adsorption of methanol on flat Au (100) surface with different coverages (θ = 1.0, 0.5 and 0.25 monolayer (ML)) is studied using density functional theory. Among the three sites (top, bridge and hollow) and coverages investigated in the present work, no adsorption is stable for θ = 1.0 ML. The most energetically preferred site of adsorption for CH₃OH is found to be the hollow site for coverages of 0.25 ML and 0.50 ML. We also find that for all adsorption sites, an increase in CH₃OH coverage triggers a decrease in the adsorption energy. The geometric parameters, local density of states and work function changes are analysed in detail. The coadsorption of methoxy and hydrogen has also investigated. In addition, the dissociation of methanol on Au(100) has been studied, and an activation energy was found to be 1.72 eV. This result compare with existing data in the literature for Au(111) surface. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

甲酸在Pt-Sn(111)/C合金表面吸附的量子化学研究

采用周期平板模型, 结合密度泛函理论对HCOOH和CO在Pt-Sn(111)/C表面的top、brigde、hcp和fcc共计8个位点的吸附模型进行构型优化和能量计算, 并对吸附前后的频率、电荷、能带和态密度进行了研究. 计算结果表明fcc-Pt₃是较为有利的吸附位点, Sn掺杂之后费米能级右移, 导带增宽, 价带和导带的位置略微降低, 合金表面电子结构变化利于甲酸的吸附解离催化, 可使甲酸燃料电池阳极催化性能显著提高. 通过催化剂表面的抗中毒分析, 发现CO在Pt-Sn(111)/C表面的吸附能以两种趋势下降, 阳极催化剂掺杂改性后抗CO中毒能力增强.     

甲醇在Pt-Fe(111)/C表面吸附的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论和周期平板模型相结合的方法, 对CH3OH分子在Pt-Fe(111)/C表面top, fcc, hcp和bridge位的吸附模型进行了构型优化、能量计算, 结果表明bridge位是较有利的吸附位. 掺杂后费米能级的位置发生了右移, 价带和导带均增宽, 极利于电子-空穴的迁移, 这对提高催化活性是非常有利的. 考察抗中毒性发现: CO在Pt(111)/C面上的吸附能比甲醇吸附能要高, CO在Pt-Fe(111)/C的吸附能比甲醇吸附能要低, 可说明CO在Pt(111)/C面上有中毒效应, 而Pt-Fe(111)/C的抗CO中毒能力增强, 是催化氧化甲醇良好的催化剂.