A first principles study of oxygen reduction reaction on a Pt(111) surface modified by a subsurface transition metal M (M = Ni, Co, or Fe)

We have performed first-principle density functional theory calculations to investigate how a subsurface transition metal M (M = Ni, Co, or Fe) affects the energetics and mechanisms of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on the outermost Pt mono-surface layer of Pt/M(111) surfaces. In this work, we found that the subsurface Ni, Co, and Fe could down-shift the d-band center of the Pt surface layer and thus weaken the binding of chemical species to the Pt/M(111) surface. Moreover, the subsurface Ni, Co, and Fe could modify the heat of reaction and activation energy of various elementary reactions of ORR on these Pt/M(111) surfaces. Our DFT results revealed that, due to the influence of the subsurface Ni, Co, and Fe, ORR would adopt a hydrogen peroxide dissociation mechanism with an activation energy of 0.15 eV on Pt/Ni(111), 0.17 eV on Pt/Co(111), and 0.16 eV on Pt/Fe(111) surface, respectively, for their rate-determining O2 protonation reaction. In contrast, ORR would follow a peroxyl dissociation mechanism on a pure Pt(111) surface with an activation energy of 0.79 eV for its rate-determining O protonation reaction. Thus, our theoretical study explained why the subsurface Ni, Co, and Fe could lead to multi-fold enhancement in catalytic activity for ORR on the Pt mono-surface layer of Pt/M(111) surfaces.     

Kinetics of CO oxidation on high-concentration phases of atomic oxygen on Pt(111)

Temperature-programmed reaction spectroscopy (TPRS) and direct, isothermal reaction-rate measurements were employed to investigate the oxidation of CO on Pt(111) covered with high concentrations of atomic oxygen. The TPRS results show that oxygen atoms chemisorbed on Pt(111) at coverages just above 0.25 ML (monolayers) are reactive toward coadsorbed CO, producing CO(2) at about 295 K. The uptake of CO on Pt(111) is found to decrease with increasing oxygen coverage beyond 0.25 ML and becomes immeasurable at a surface temperature of 100 K when Pt(111) is partially covered with Pt oxide domains at oxygen coverages above 1.5 ML. The rate of CO oxidation measured as a function of CO beam exposure to the surface exhibits a nearly linear increase toward a maximum for initial oxygen coverages between 0.25 and 0.50 ML and constant surface temperatures between 300 and 500 K. At a fixed CO incident flux, the time required to reach the maximum reaction rate increases as the initial oxygen coverage is increased to 0.50 ML. A time lag prior to the reaction-rate maximum is also observed when Pt oxide domains are present on the surface, but the reaction rate increases more slowly with CO exposure and much longer time lags are observed, indicating that the oxide phase is less reactive toward CO than are chemisorbed oxygen atoms on Pt(111). On the partially oxidized surface, the CO exposure needed to reach the rate maximum increases significantly with increases in both the initial oxygen coverage and the surface temperature. A kinetic model is developed that reproduces the qualitative dependence of the CO oxidation rate on the atomic oxygen coverage and the surface temperature. The model assumes that CO chemisorption and reaction occur only on regions of the surface covered by chemisorbed oxygen atoms and describes the CO chemisorption probability as a decreasing function of the atomic oxygen coverage in the chemisorbed phase. The model also takes into account the migration of oxygen atoms from oxide domains to domains with chemisorbed oxygen atoms. According to the model, the reaction rate initially increases with the CO exposure because the rate of CO chemisorption is enhanced as the coverage of chemisorbed oxygen atoms decreases during reaction. Longer rate delays are predicted for the partially oxidized surface because oxygen migration from the oxide phase maintains high oxygen coverages in the coexisting chemisorbed oxygen phase that hinder CO chemisorption. It is shown that the time evolution of the CO oxidation rate is determined by the relative rates of CO chemisorption and oxygen migration, R(ad) and R(m), respectively, with an increase in the relative rate of oxygen migration acting to inhibit the reaction. We find that the time lag in the reaction rate increases nearly exponentially with the initial oxygen coverage [O](i) (tot) when [O](i) (tot) exceeds a critical value, which is defined as the coverage above which R(ad)R(m) is less than unity at fixed CO incident flux and surface temperature. These results demonstrate that the kinetics for CO oxidation on oxidized Pt(111) is governed by the sensitivity of CO binding and chemisorption on the atomic oxygen coverage and the distribution of surface oxygen phases.     

The mechanism of N2O formation via the (NO)2 dimer: a density functional theory study

Catalytic formation of N(2)O via a (NO)(2) intermediate was studied employing density functional theory with generalized gradient approximations. Dimer formation was not favored on Pt(111), in agreement with previous reports. On Pt(211) a variety of dimer structures were studied, including trans-(NO)(2) and cis-(NO)(2) configurations. A possible pathway involving (NO)(2) formation at the terrace near to a Pt step is identified as the possible mechanism for low-temperature N(2)O formation. The dimer is stabilized by bond formation between one O atom of the dimer and two Pt step atoms. The overall mechanism has a low barrier of approximately 0.32 eV. The mechanism is also put into the context of the overall NO + H(2) reaction. A consideration of the step-wise hydrogenation of O(ads) from the step is also presented. Removal of O(ads) from the step is significantly different from O(ads) hydrogenation on Pt(111). The energetically favored structure at the transition state for OH(ads) formation has an activation energy of 0.63 eV. Further hydrogenation of OH(ads) has an activation energy of 0.80 eV.     

IR chemiluminescence probe of the vibrational energy distribution of CO2 formed during steady-state CO oxidation on Pt(111) and Pt(110) surfaces

The infrared (IR) chemiluminescence spectra of CO2 were measured during the steady-state CO + O2 reaction over Pt(110) and Pt(111) surfaces. Analysis of the IR emission spectra indicates that the bending vibrational temperature (TVB), as well as the antisymmetric vibrational temperature (TVAS), was higher on Pt(110) than on Pt(111). On the Pt(110) surface, the highly excited bending vibrational mode compared to the antisymmetric vibrational mode was observed under reaction conditions at low CO coverage (theta(CO) < 0.2) or at high surface temperatures (TS > or = 700 K). This can be related to the activated complex of CO2 formation in a more bent form on the inclined (111) terraces of the Pt(110)(1 x 2) structure. On the other hand, at high CO coverage (theta(CO) > 0.2) or at low surface temperatures (TS < 650 K), TVAS was higher than TVB, which can be caused by the reconstruction of the Pt(110)(1 x 2) surface to the (1 x 1) form with high CO coverage.     

铈基模型催化剂的纳米结构:有序CeO2(111)薄膜上的Pt-Co纳米颗粒

制备并表征了原子分散的模型体系:氧化铈负载的Pt-Co核壳催化剂.采用超高真空物理气相沉积法制备了有序CeO2(111)膜上的Pt@Co和Co@Pt核壳纳米结构,并用同步辐射光电子能谱和共振光发射光谱对其进行了研究.在低Co覆盖率(0.5 ML)下Co在CeO2(111)上沉积生成Co-CeO2(111)固溶体,然后在更高Co覆盖率下生长为金属Co纳米粒子.Pt@Co和Co@Pt两种模型结构在300-500 K温度范围内都能稳定地抗烧结.在500 K退火后, Pt@Co纳米结构含有接近纯的钴壳,而Co@Pt中的铂壳部分被金属钴覆盖.在550 K以上,在Pt@Co和Co@Pt纳米结构中近表面区域的重新排序中产生了次表层的Pt Co合金和富铂外壳.对于Co@Pt纳米粒子,近表面区域的化学有序性取决于沉积铂壳的初始厚度.无论初始铂壳的厚度如何,在有氧存在下对Co@Pt纳米结构进行退火,都会导致Pt-Co合金的分解以及Co的氧化.Co的逐步氧化与吸附质诱导的Co偏析共同导致在负载的Co@Pt纳米结构表面形成厚的Co O层.这一过程伴随着CeO2(111)薄膜的裂解,以及在550K以上氧气中退火后CeO2包裹氧化的Co@Pt纳米结构.很明显,于不同温度下在氧气和氢气的氧化-还原循环过程中,无论铂的初始厚度是多少,负载的Co@Pt纳米颗粒的结构和化学成分的变化主要是由氧化所致,而还原处理的影响则很小.     

Reduction of NO adlayers on Pt(110) and Pt(111) in acidic media: evidence for adsorption site-specific reduction

We present a combined in situ Fourier transform infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy and voltammetric study of the reduction of saturated and subsaturated NO adlayers on Pt(111) and Pt(110) single-crystal surfaces in acidic media. The stripping voltammetry experiments and the associated evolution of infrared spectra indicate that different features (peaks) observed in the voltammetric profile for the electrochemical reduction of NO adlayers on the surfaces considered are related to the reduction of NO(ads) at different adsorption sites and not to different (consecutive) processes. More specifically, reduction of high- and intermediate-coverage (ca. 0.5-1 monolayers (ML)) NO adlayers on Pt(110) is accompanied by site switching from atop to bridge position, in agreement with the ultra-high-vacuum data. On Pt(111) linearly bonded (atop) NO and face-centered cubic 3-fold-hollow NO species coexist at high coverages (0.25-0.5 ML) and can be reduced consecutively and independently. On Pt(111) and Pt(110) electrodes, linearly bonded NO species are more reactive than multifold-bonded NO species. Both spectroscopic and voltammetric data indicate that ammonia is the main product of NO(ads) reduction on the two surfaces examined.     

水在HfO2(111)和(110)表面的吸附与解离

运用广义梯度近似密度泛函理论方法(GGA-PW91)结合周期平板模型, 研究水分子在二氧化铪(111)和(110)表面不同吸附位置在不同覆盖度下的吸附行为. 通过比较不同吸附位的吸附能和几何构型参数发现:(111)和(110)表面铪原子(top 位)是活性吸附位. 水分子与表面的吸附能值随覆盖度的变化影响较小. 在(111)和(110)表面, 水分子都倾向以氧端与表面铪原子相互作用. 同时也计算了羟基、氧和氢在表面的吸附, Mulliken 电荷布居, 态密度及部分频率. 结果表明, 在两种表面羟基以氧端与表面铪相互作用, 氧原子与表面铪和氧原子同时成键, 而氢原子直接与表面氧原子相互作用形成羟基. 通过过渡态搜索, 水分子在(111)和(110)表面发生解离, 反应能垒分别为9.7和17.3 kJ·mol^-1, 且放热为59.9和47.6 kJ·mol^-1.     

The Pt(111)/electrolyte interface under oxygen reduction reaction conditions: an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy study

The Pt(111)/electrolyte interface has been characterized during the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO(4) using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The surface was studied within the potential region where adsorption of OH* and O* species occur without significant place exchange between the adsorbate and Pt surface atoms (0.45-1.15 V vs RHE). An equivalent electric circuit is proposed to model the Pt(111)/electrolyte interface under ORR conditions within the selected potential window. This equivalent circuit reflects three processes with different time constants, which occur simultaneously during the ORR at Pt(111). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to correlate and interpret the results of the measurements. The calculations indicate that the coadsorption of ClO(4)* and Cl* with OH* is unlikely. Our analysis suggests that the two-dimensional (2D) structures formed in O(2)-free solution are also formed under ORR conditions.     

基于DFT计算的Pt(111)表面氧覆盖度和水合质子模型对氧还原反应路径的影响(英文)

利用基于平面波的密度泛函理论（DFT）计算研究了氧气分子在Pt(111)表面的吸附和解离,以及解离产物进一步质子化形成H₂O的过程. 通过使用不同尺寸的平板模型和在表面预吸附不同数量的氧原子,研究了氧覆盖度对氧还原反应（ORR）路径的影响,并对使用不同水合质子模型的计算结果进行了比较. 研究结果表明： 质子化的end-on化学吸附态OOH*的形成是ORR的初始步骤;OOH*能够转化形成非质子化的top-bridge-top化学吸附态O₂*,或者解离形成吸附的O*物种. 对不同氧覆盖度下各种可能步骤的活化能计算结果表明,O*的质子化形成OH*物种是ORR的速决步骤. 增加氧覆盖度时,该步骤的活化能减少. 此外,还发现使用比H₇O₃⁺更复杂的水合质子模型不会改变计算所得的反应路径.     

Coverage dependence and hydroperoxyl-mediated pathway of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface

Hydrogen oxidation on Pt (111) surface is modeled by density functional theory (DFT). Previous DFT calculations showed too large O2 dissociation barriers, but we find them highly coverage dependent: when the coverage is low, dissociation barriers close to experimental values (approximately 0.3 eV) are obtained. For the whole reaction, a new pathway involving hydroperoxyl (OOH) intermediate is found, with the highest reaction barrier of only approximately 0.4 eV. This may explain the experimental observation of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface above the H2O desorption temperature of 170 K, despite that the direct reaction between chemisorbed O and H atoms is a highly activated process with barrier approximately 1 eV as previous calculations showed.     

Surface structural and chemical characterization of Pt/Ru composite electrodes: a combined study by XPS, STM and IR spectroscopy

Electrochemical Ru deposits on Pt(111) surfaces are investigated by STM; the images of the Ru-modified surfaces show islands of monoatomic height and between 2–5 nm in diameter. The density of islands on the surface depends on the Ru deposition potential (observed by STM and XRSD) and the cyclic voltammograms indicate an increasing Ru coverage for lower deposition potentials. The Ru surface coverage is determined by ex-situ XPS measurements and a linear dependence of the Ru coverage on the deposition potential is demonstrated. IR spectra of a monolayer of adsorbed CO on the Ru-modified Pt(111) surfaces show distinct bands for CO adsorbed on Pt and on Ru. For the integrated band intensity of the CO/Ru vibration a linear dependence on deposition potential is found indicating that lateral dipole interactions between CO adsorbed on Pt and Ru are unimportant and that the CO coverage on the Ru islands is constant for the Ru coverages investigated. The possibility of using adsorbate vibrational bands for the determination of the coverage of deposits is discussed. Received: 24 June 1996 / Revised: 6 December 1996 / Accepted: 12 December 1996     

CO oxidation on Pd(100) and Pd(111): a comparative study of reaction pathways and reactivity at low and medium coverages.

We have performed density functional theory calculations with the generalized gradient approximation to investigate CO oxidation on a close-packed transition metal surface, Pd(111), and a more open surface, Pd(100), aiming to shed light on surface structure effects on reaction pathways and reactivity, an important issue in catalysis. Reaction pathways on both surfaces at two different coverages have been studied. It is found that the reaction pathways on both surfaces possess crucial common features despite the fact that they have different surface symmetries. Having determined reaction barriers in these systems, we find that the reaction on Pd(111) is strongly coverage dependent. Surface coverages, however, have little effect on the reaction on Pd(100). Calculations also reveal that the low coverage reactions are structure sensitive while the medium coverage reactions are not. Detailed discussions on these results are given.     

Electron-stimulated reactions in thin D2O films on Pt(111) mediated by electron trapping

We have measured the electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of D(2), O(2), and D(2)O, the electron-stimulated dissociation of D(2)O at the D(2)O/Pt interface, and the total electron-stimulated sputtering in thin D(2)O films adsorbed on Pt(111) as a function of the D(2)O coverage (i.e., film thickness). Qualitatively different behavior is observed above and below a threshold coverage of approximately 2 monolayers (ML). For coverages less than approximately 2 ML electron irradiation results in D(2)O ESD and some D(2) ESD, but no detectible reactions at the water/Pt interface and no O(2) ESD. For larger coverages, electron-stimulated reactions at the water/Pt interface occur, O(2) is produced and the total electron-stimulated sputtering of the film increases. An important step in the electron-stimulated reactions is the reaction between water ions (generated by the incident electrons) and electrons trapped in the water films to form dissociative neutral molecules. However, the electron trapping depends sensitively on the water coverage: For coverages less than approximately 2 ML, the electron trapping probability is low and the electrons trap preferentially at the water/vacuum interface. For larger coverages, the electron trapping increases and the electrons are trapped in the bulk of the film. We propose that the coverage dependence of the trapped electrons is responsible for the observed coverage dependence of the electron-stimulated reactions.     

Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations of the oxygen reduction reaction on a Pt(111) surface in the presence of hydrated hydronium (H3O)(+)(H2O)2: direct or series pathway?

Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on a Pt(111) surface at 350 K. By progressive loading of (H3O)(+)(H2O)(2,3) + e- into a simulation cell containing a Pt slab and O2 for the first reduction step, and either products or intermediate species for the subsequent reduction steps, the detailed mechanisms of the ORR are well illustrated via monitoring MD trajectories and analyzing Kohn-Sham electronic energies. A proton transfer is found to be involved in the first reduction step; depending on the initial proton-oxygen distance, on the degree of proton hydration, and on the surface charge, such transfer may take place either earlier or later than the O2 chemisorption, in all cases forming an adsorbed end-on complex H-O-O*. Decomposition of H-O-O* takes place with a rather small barrier, after a short lifetime of approximately 0.15 ps, yielding coadsorbed oxygen and hydroxyl (O + HO*). Formation of the one-end adsorbed hydrogen peroxide, HOO*H, is observed via the reduction of H-O-O*, which suggests that the ORR may also proceed via HOO*H, i.e., a series pathway. However, HOO*H readily dissociates homolytically into two coadsorbed hydroxyls (HO* + HO*) rather than forming a dual adsorbed HOOH. Along the direct pathway, the reduction of H-O* + O* yields two possible products, O* + H2O* and HO* + HO*. Of the three intermediates from the second electron-transfer step, HOO*H from the series pathway has the highest energy, followed by O* + H2O* and HO* + HO* from the direct pathway. It is therefore theoretically validated that the O2 reduction on a Pt surface may proceed via a parallel pathway, the direct and series occurring simultaneously, with the direct as the dominant step.     

DFT study of interaction of O, O2, and OH with unreconstructed Pt(hkl) (h, k, l = 0, 1) surfaces—similarities, differences, and universalities

Adsorption of O, O₂, and OH on Pt(111), Pt(100), and Pt(110) surfaces was studied using periodic DFT calculations. It was found that generally adsorbate-surface interaction strengths increase with the decrease in surface packing density. On the Pt(111) surface the dissociation of O₂ molecule was not predicted, but it was predicted on Pt(100) and Pt(110) surfaces. While the strength of the adsorbate-substrate interaction decreases with the rise in surface coverage by O atoms, in the case of OH adsorption adsorbate layer gets stabilized at higher surface coverage through the hydrogen bonding. In spite of all the mentioned differences, single parameter of surface electronic structure was identified, being useful for the explanation of the adsorption trends at different adsorption sites for O and OH adsorption on Pt surfaces of various crystallographic orientations and also provided a deeper understanding of atomic oxygen adsorption as a function of surface coverage.     

CO oxidation on nanostructured SnO(x)/Pt(111) surfaces: unique properties of reduced SnO(x)

We have investigated surface CO oxidation on "inverse catalysts" composed of SnO(x) nanostructures supported on Pt(111) using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEISS) and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD). Nanostructures of SnO(x) were prepared by depositing Sn on Pt(111) pre-covered by NO(2) layers at low temperatures. XPS data show that the SnO(x) nanoparticles are highly reduced with Sn(II)O being the dominant oxide species, but the relative concentration of Sn(II) in the SnO(x) nanoparticles decreases with increasing Sn coverage. We find that the most active SnO(x)/Pt(111) surface for CO oxidation has smallest SnO(x) coverage. Increasing the surface coverage of SnO(x) reduces CO oxidation activity and eventually suppresses it altogether. The study suggests that reduced Sn(II)O, rather than Sn(IV)O(2), is responsible for surface CO oxidation. The occurrence of a non-CO oxidation reaction path involving reduced Sn(II)O species at higher SnO(x) coverages accounts for the decreased CO oxidation activity. From these results, we conclude that the efficacy of CO oxidation is strongly dependent on the availability of reduced tin oxide sites at the Pt-SnO(x) interface, as well as unique chemical properties of the SnO(x) nanoparticles.     

Surface spectators and their role in relationships between activity and selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction in acid environments

We use the rotating ring disk (RRDE) method to study activity–selectivity relationships for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on Pt(111) modified by various surface coverages of adsorbed CN_ad (Θ_CNad). The results demonstrate that small variations in Θ_CNad have dramatic effect on the ORR activity and peroxide production, resulting in “volcano-like” dependence with an optimal surface coverage of Θ_CNad = 0.3 ML. These relationships can be simply explained by balancing electronic and ensemble effects of co-adsorbed CN_ad and adsorbed spectator species from the supporting electrolytes, without the need for intermediate adsorption energy arguments. Although this study has focused on the Pt(111)–CN_ad/H₂SO₄ interface, the results and insight gained here are invaluable for controlling another dimension in the properties of electrochemical interfaces.     

Kinetic Isotope Effect as a Tool To Investigate the Oxygen Reduction Reaction on Pt-based Electrocatalysts – Part II: Effect of Platinum Dispersion

We investigated the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism on Pt nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed on several carbon blacks with various physicochemical properties (i. e. specific surface ranging from 80 to 900 m² g⁻¹, different graphitization degree, etc.). Using the kinetic isotope effect (KIE) along with various electrochemical characterizations, we determined that the rate determining step (RDS) of the ORR is a proton-independent step when the density of Pt NPs on the surface of the carbon support is high. Upon decrease of the density of Pt NPs on the surface, the RDS of the ORR starts involving a proton, as denoted by an increase of the KIE >1. This underlined the critical role played by the carbon support in the oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysis by Pt supported on high surface area carbon.     

Icosahedral platinum alloy nanocrystals with enhanced electrocatalytic activities

This communication describes the synthesis of Pt-M (M = Au, Ni, Pd) icosahedral nanocrystals based on the gas reducing agent in liquid solution method. Both CO gas and organic surface capping agents play critical roles in stabilizing the icosahedral shape with {111} surfaces. Among the Pt-M alloy icosahedral nanocrystals generated, Pt(3)Ni had an impressive ORR specific activity of 1.83 mA/cm(2)(Pt) and 0.62 A/mg(Pt). Our results further show that the area-specific activity of icosahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts was about 50% higher than that of the octahedral Pt(3)Ni catalysts (1.26 mA/cm(2)(Pt)), even though both shapes are bound by {111} facets. Density functional theory calculations and molecular dynamics simulations indicate that this improvement may arise from strain-induced electronic effects.