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.     

Interplay between subsurface ordering, surface segregation, and adsorption on Pt-Ti(111) near-surface alloys

Using the first-principles cluster expansion (CE) method, we studied the subsurface ordering of Pt/Pt-Ti(111) surface alloys and the effect of this ordering on segregation and adsorption behavior. The clusters included in the CE are optimized by a genetic algorithm to better describe the interactions between Pt and Ti atoms in the subsurface layer. Similar to bulk Pt-Ti alloys, Pt-Ti(111) subsurface alloys show a strong ordering tendency. A series of stable ordered Pt-Ti subsurface structures are identified from the two-dimensional (2D) CE. As an indication of the connection between the 2D and the bulk ordering, the CE predicts a ground-state Pt(8)Ti structure in the (111) subsurface layer, which is the same ordering as the close-packed plane of the bulk Pt(8)Ti compound. We carried out Monte Carlo simulations (MC) using the CE Hamiltonian to study the finite temperature stability of the Pt-Ti subsurface structures. The MC results show that subsurface structures in the Pt-rich range have higher order-disorder transition temperatures than their Ti-rich subsurface counterparts. We calculate the binding energy of different adsorbates (O, S, H, and NO) on Pt-terminated and Ti-segregated surfaces of ordered PtTi and Pt(8)Ti subsurface alloys. The binding of these adsorbates is generally stronger on Ti-segregated surfaces than Pt-terminated surfaces. The adsorption-induced Ti surface segregation is determined by two factors: (i) the unfavorable energy penalty for the Ti atom to segregate to the clean surface and (ii) the favorable energy decrease from stronger adsorbate binding on the Ti-segregated surface. The two factors introduce similar magnitude in energy change for the S and NO adsorption on Ti-segregated surfaces of PtTi subsurface alloys. We predict an adsorption-induced Ti surface segregation that is dependent on the atomic configurations of the Ti-segregated surfaces resulting from the competition of the two factors.     

CO在Pt(111)和Pt-M(111)(M=Ni,Mg)表面吸附的理论研究

采用密度泛函理论与周期性平板模型相结合的方法,对CO在Pt(111)表面top,fcc,hcp和bridge 4个吸附位和Pt-M(111)(M=Ni,Mg)表面h-top,M-top,Pt(M)Pt-bridge,Pt(M)M-bridge,Pt(Pt)M-bridge,M(Pt)M-bridge,Pt1M2-hcp...     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt, Au)表面的吸附

采用密度泛函理论(DFT), 选取DMol³程序模块, 对噻吩在M(111) (M=Pd, Pt, Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨. 通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken 电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现, 噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大, Pt(111)面次之, Au(111)面最小. 吸附后, 噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变, 最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top 位; 噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形, 环中氢原子向上翘起, 最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow 位. 此外, 噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏, 环中碳原子发生sp³杂化, 同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移, M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道, 这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

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.     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面的吸附(英文)

采用密度泛函理论(DFT),选取DMol3程序模块,对噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨.通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现,噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大,Pt(111)面次之,Au(111)面最小.吸附后,噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变,最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top位;噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形,环中氢原子向上翘起,最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow位.此外,噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏,环中碳原子发生sp3杂化,同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移,M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道,这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

碱性条件下Pt-M(Ni, Fe, Mo)/C电催化氧化甲醇的性能对比研究

采用溶胶法制备了碳载Pt-M(M为Ni, Fe, Mo)电催化剂, 并用TEM和XRD技术表征活性物微观结构, 实验结果表明, Pt基合金微粒在碳黑表面分布均匀, 粒径约为2~4 nm. 用循环伏安法测定催化剂在不同碱性条件下的活性, 研究结果表明, 不同掺杂元素催化剂的活性大小顺序为Pt75Ni25/C>Pt75Fe25/C>Pt50Mo50/C, 掺杂Ni可明显地促进纳米Pt的催化活性, Pt75Ni25/C在1.0 mol/L NaOH+1.0 mol/L CH3OH溶液中的峰电流密度可以达到726.9 mA/mg.     

过渡金属碳化物(111)面电子结构的理论研究

采用第一性原理的密度泛函方法对过渡金属碳化物MC(111)清洁表面构型和电子结构进行系统研究.结果表明,与理想表面相比,表面弛豫导致表层金属原子和次表层碳原子分别朝体相和真空方向位移,从而导致层间距的收缩.由能带计算结果得知,紧邻或被EF穿越的活性表面态成分均为表面金属原子的dxz/dyz轨道.进一步考察了弛豫对表面态组成的影响,并对表面芯能级位移和功函进行了探讨.     

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.     

A density functional theory study of self-regenerating catalysts LaFe(1-x)M(x)O(3-y) (M = Pd, Rh, Pt)

Periodic density functional theory was used to investigate the stability and electronic structures of precious-metal atoms in the vicinity of LaFe(1-x)M(x)O(3) (M = Pd, Rh, Pt) perovskite catalyst surfaces. It was found that the surface segregation of Pd and Pt is significantly stabilized by the introduction of O vacancies, whereas the solid-solution phase is favorable for Rh, suggesting an important role of O vacancies in the self-regeneration of Pd and Pt. On the basis of the results, we propose a possible scenario for the self-regeneration of the precious metal in the perovskite catalyst.     

Ag on Pt(111): Changes in Electronic and CO Adsorption Properties upon PtAg/Pt(111) Monolayer Surface Alloy Formation

The electronic and chemical (adsorption) properties of bimetallic Ag/Pt(111) surfaces and their modification upon surface alloy formation, that is, during intermixing of Ag and Pt atoms in the top atomic layer upon annealing, were studied by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and, using CO as probe molecule, by temperature‐programmed desorption (TPD) and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRRAS), respectively. The surface alloys are prepared by deposition of sub‐monolayer Ag amounts on a Pt(111) surface at room temperature, leading to extended Ag monolayer islands on the substrate, and subsequent annealing of these surfaces. Surface alloy formation starts at ≈600–650 K, which is evidenced by core‐level shifts (CLSs) of the Ag(3d_5/2) signal. A distinct change of the CO adsorption properties is observed when going to the intermixed PtAg surface alloys. Most prominently, we find the growth of a new desorption feature at higher temperature (≈550 K) in the TPD spectra upon surface alloy formation. This goes along with a shift of the CO_ad‐related IR bands to lower wave number. Surface alloy formation is almost completed after heating to 700 K.     

Density Functional Theory Study on the Adsorption of CN on Transition Metal M（100） （M = Ni,Pd, Pt,Cu, Ag and Au） Surfaces

The adsorption of cyanide on the top site of a series of transition metal M（100） （M = Cu, Ag, Au, Ni, Pd, Pt） surfaces via carbon and nitrogen atoms respectively, with the CN axis perpendicular to the surface, has been studied by means of density functional theory and cluster model. Geometry, adsorption energy and vibrational frequencies have been determined, and the present calculations show that the adsorption of CN through C-end on metal surface is more favorable than that via N-end for the same surface. The vibrational frequencies of CN for C-down configuration on surface are blue-shifted with respect to the free CN, which is contrary to the change of vibrational frequencies when CN is adsorbed by N-down structure. Furthermore, the charge transfer from surface to CN causes the increase of surface work function.     

Pt-M (M = Co,Ni, Fe)/g-C3N4复合材料构建及其高效光解水制氢性能

Platinum (Pt) is recognized as an excellent cocatalyst which not only suppresses the charge carrier recombination of the photocatalyst but also reduces the overpotential for photocatalytic H₂ generation. Albeit of its good performance, the high cost and low abundance restricted the utilization of Pt in large-scale photocatalytic H₂ generation. Pt based transition metal alloys are demonstrated to reveal enhanced activities towards various catalytic reactions, suggesting the possibility to substitute Pt as the cocatalyst. In the present work, Pt was partially substituted with Co, Ni, and Fe and Pt-M (M = Co, Ni, and Fe)/g-C₃N₄ composites were constructed through co-reduction of H₂PtCl₆ and transition metal salts by the reductant of ethylene glycol. The crystal structure and valence states were measured by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), respectively. The higher degree of XRD peaks and larger binding energies for Pt 4f_5/2 and Pt 4f_7/2 after incorporating Co²⁺ ions indicated that Co was successfully introduced into the lattice of Pt and Pt-Co bimetallic alloys was attained through the solvothermal treatment. The morphology was subsequently observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM), which showed a good dispersion of Pt-Co nanoparticles on the surface of g-C₃N₄. Meanwhile, the shrinkage of lattice fringe after introducing cobalt salt further confirmed the presence of Pt-Co bimetallic alloys. The UV-Vis absorption spectra of g-C₃N₄ and Pt, Pt-Co deposited g-C₃N₄ were subsequently performed. It was found that the absorption edges were all consistent for all three samples as anticipated, implying that the band gap energy was maintained after hybridizing with Pt or Pt-Co alloys. Furthermore, the photocatalytic H₂ generation was carried out over the as-prepared composites with triethanolamine (TEOA) as sacrificial reagent. Under visible-light illumination, the1% (w) Pt_2.5M/g-C₃N₄ (M = Co, Fe, Ni) composites all exhibited higher or comparable activity towards photocatalytic H₂ generation when compared to 1% (w) Pt loaded counterpart. In addition, the atomic ratios of Pt/Co and the loading amount of Pt-Co cocatalyst were modified to optimize the photocatalytic performance, among which, 1% (w) Pt_2.5Co/g-C₃N₄ composite revealed the highest activity with a 1.6-time enhancement. Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicated that the enhancement might be attributed to improved charge transfer from g-C₃N₄ to Pt_2.5Co cocatalyst and inhibited charge carrier recombination in the presence of Pt_2.5Co cocatalyst. Therefore, the present study demonstrates the great potential to partially replace Pt with low-cost and abundant transition metals and to fabricate Pt based bimetallic alloys as promising cocatalysts for highly efficient photocatalytic H₂ generation.     

Adsorption and dissociation of H2O2 on Pt and Pt-alloy clusters and surfaces

The adsorption of H(2)O(2) on Pt and Pt-M alloys, where M is Cr, Co, or Ni, is investigated using density functional theory. Binding energies calculated with a hybrid DFT functional (B3PW91) are in the range of -0.71 to -0.88 eV for H(2)O(2) adsorbed with one of the oxygen atoms on top Pt positions of Pt(3), Pt(2)M, and PtM(2), and enhanced values in the range of -0.81 to -1.09 eV are found on top Ni and Co sites of the Pt(2)M clusters. Adsorption on top sites of Pt(10) yields a weaker binding of -0.48 eV, whereas on periodic Pt(111) and Pt(3)Co(111) surfaces, H(2)O(2) generally dissociates into two OH radicals. On the other hand, attempts to attach H(2)O(2) on bridge sites cause spontaneous dissociation of H(2)O(2) into two adsorbed OH radicals, suggesting that stable adsorptions on bridge sites are not possible for any of the clusters or extended surfaces that are being studied. We also found that the water-H(2)O(2) interaction reduces the strength of the adsorption of H(2)O(2) on these clusters and surfaces.     

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.     

The effect of alloying on the H-atom adsorption on the (100) surfaces of Pd-Ag,Pd-Pt,Pd-Au,Pt-Ag,and Pt-Au. A theoretical study

The effect of alloying on the adsorption of atomic hydrogen was studied using density functional theory (DFT). In the study the (100) surfaces of Pd-Ag, Pd-Pt, Pd-Au, Pt-Ag, and Pt-Au alloys were considered by means of a cluster model. The structural and energetic properties of the H atom adsorbed on the Pd₄Me (Me = Ag, Pt, Au) and Pt₄Me (Me = Pd, Ag, Au) clusters were calculated and compared with the H-atom adsorption on monometallic clusters. The effect of alloying on the H-atom adsorption is evident for all the investigated bimetallic systems. However, it strongly depends on the second metal atom, Me, is placed in the surface layer or in the subsurface one. In general, the H atom adsorbed in a site containing the second metal exhibits different properties from those characteristic of its adsorption on Pd(100) and Pt(100). Hence, the modified interaction between atomic hydrogen and the alloyed surfaces may increase the selectivity of the catalytic hydrogenation reactions on such surfaces.     

Electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol on Pt deposits on Au(111)

This work presents characteristics of Pt deposits on Au(111) obtained by the use of spontaneous deposition and investigated by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). On such prepared and STM characterized Au(111)/Pt surfaces, we studied electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid and methanol. We show that the first monatomic layer of Pt displays a (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees surface structure, while the second layer is (1 x 1). After prolonged deposition, multilayer Pt deposits are formed selectively on Au(111) surface steps and are 1-20 nm wide and one to five layers thick. On the optimized Au(111)/Pt surface, formic acid oxidation rates are enhanced by a factor of 20 compared to those of pure Pt(111). The (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees-Pt yields very low methanol oxidation rates, but the rates increase significantly with further Pt growth.     

Pt(x)Ru(1-x)/Ru(0001) surface alloys-formation and atom distribution

The formation of PtRu surface alloys by deposition of submonolayer Pt films on a Ru(0001) substrate and subsequent annealing to about 1350 K and the distribution of the Pt atoms in the surface layer were investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. Quantitative statistical analysis reveals (i) negligible losses of Pt into subsurface regions up to coverages close below 1 monolayer, (ii) a homogeneous distribution of the Pt atoms over the surface, and (iii) the absence of a distinct long-range or short-range order in the surface layer. In addition, the density of specific adsorption ensembles is analyzed as a function of Pt surface content. Possible conclusions on the process for surface alloy formation are discussed. The results are compared with the properties of PtRu bulk alloys and the findings in previous adsorption studies on similar surface alloys (H. Rauscher, T. Hager, T. Diemant, H. Hoster, F. Bautier de Mongeot and R. J. Behm, Surf. Sci., 2007, 601, 4608; T. Diemant, H Rauscher and R. J. Behm, J. Phys. Chem. C, in press).     

Dynamics of CO at the solid/liquid interface studied by modeling and simulation of CO electro-oxidation on Pt and PtRu electrodes

We consider theoretical models for CO monolayer oxidation on stepped Pt single-crystal electrodes and Ru-modified Pt(111) electrodes. For both systems, our aim is to assess the importance of CO surface diffusion in reproducing the experimental chronoamperometry or voltammetry. By comparing the simulations with the experimental chronoamperometric transients for CO oxidation on a series of stepped Pt surfaces, it was concluded that mixing of CO on the Pt(111) terrace is good, implying rapid diffusion (N. P. Lebedeva, M. T. M. Koper, J. M. Feliu and R. A. van Santen, J. Phys. Chem. B, submitted). We discuss here a more detailed model in which the CO adsorbed on steps is converted into CO adsorbed on terraces as the oxygen-containing species occupy the steps (as observed experimentally on stepped Pt in UHV), followed by a subsequent oxidation of the latter, to reproduce the observed chronoamperometry on stepped surfaces with a higher step density. On Ru-modified Pt(111), the experimentally observed splitting of the CO stripping voltammetry into two stripping peaks, may suggest a slow diffusion of CO on Pt(111). This apparent contradiction with the conclusions of the experiments on stepped surfaces, is resolved by assuming a weaker CO binding to a Pt atom which has Ru neighbors than to "bulk" Pt(111), in agreement with recent quantum-chemical calculations. This makes the effective diffusion from the uncovered Pt(111) surface to the perimeter of the Ru islands, which are considered to be the active sites in CO oxidation electrocatalysis on PtRu surfaces, very slow. Different models for the reaction are considered, and discussed in terms of their ability to explain experimental observations.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of ammonia decomposition activity on Fe-Pt, Co-Pt, and Cu-Pt bimetallic surfaces

We investigate the decomposition of ammonia on bimetallic surfaces prepared by the deposition of a monolayer of Fe, Co, or Cu on a Pt(111) surface computationally and experimentally. We explore the correlation between predicted activities based on the nitrogen binding energies with experimental decomposition activity on these bimetallic and corresponding monometallic surfaces. Through density functional theory calculations and microkinetic modeling, it is predicted that the Fe-Pt-Pt(111) and Co-Pt-Pt(111) surfaces, with a monolayer of Fe or Co on top of Pt(111), are active toward decomposing ammonia. In contrast, the corresponding subsurface configurations, Pt-Fe-Pt(111) and Pt-Co-Pt(111) are inactive. These predictions were confirmed experimentally through temperature programmed desorption experiments. Decomposition was seen at temperatures below 350 K for the Fe-Pt-Pt(111) and Co-Pt-Pt(111) surfaces. For the Cu∕Pt(111) system, the surface, subsurface and parent metals were each predicted to be inactive, consistent with experiments, further validating the model predictions. The stability of these bimetallic surfaces in the presence of adsorbed nitrogen is also discussed.