Theoretical investigation of CO adsorption on TM-doped (MgO)12 (TM = Ni, Pd, Pt) nanotubes

CO adsorption on TM-doped magnesia nanotubes (TM = Ni, Pd and Pt) have been studied by using density functional theory. Our calculation results show that CO favors adsorption on TM-doped magnesia nanotubes in the form of C atom bonding with TM atom. Fukui indices analysis clearly exhibits that doping of impurity TM atom allows for a noticeably enhancement of nucleophilic reactivity ability of magnesia nanotube. The adsorption energies demonstrate that CO molecule is more strongly bound on the 3-fold TM atoms than the 4-fold TM atoms. This finding is well confirmed by TM-C bond length, charge transfer and C-O vibrational frequency. The high adsorption energy of 2.55 eV is found when CO adsorbs on 3-fold Pt in Pt-doped magnesia nanotubes, implying the kind of the doping TM atom has a significant influence on the chemical reactivity.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy study of oxygen adsorption on Mo2C(0 0 0 1)

Oxygen adsorption on the α-Mo₂C(0 0 0 1) surface has been investigated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and valence photoelectron spectroscopy utilizing synchrotron radiation. It is found that oxygen adsorbs dissociatively at room temperature, and the adsorbed oxygen atoms interact with both Mo and C atoms to form an oxycarbide layer. As the O-adsorbed surface is heated at ≧800 K, the C-O bonds are broken and the adsorbed oxygen atoms are bound only to Mo atoms. Valence PES study shows that the oxygen adsorption induces a peculiar state around the Fermi level, which enhances the emission intensity at the Fermi edge in PES spectra.     

Theoretical study on adsorption of thiophenethiolate molecule on Au(1 1 1) surface

We have theoretically studied the adsorption of a thiophenethiolate (C₄H₃S-S) molecule on the Au(1 1 1) surface by first-principles calculations. It is found that the bridge site is the most stable adsorption site with the adsorption energy of 1.02 eV. In the optimized adsorption geometry, the bond between the head S atom and the connected C atom in the tail thiophene molecule is tilted by 57.2° from the surface normal. In addition, the adsorption of thiophenethiolate induces large relaxations of the surface Au atoms around it. Furthermore, weak interactions between the S atom in the tail thiophene ring and the Au atoms also contribute to the adsorption on the Au surface.     

DFT study on the chemical sensitivity of C3N nanotubes toward acetone

Potential application of single-walled C₃N nanotubes was investigated as chemical sensors for acetone molecules based on the density functional theory calculations. It was found that the pristine nanotube weakly adsorbs an acetone molecule with the adsorption energy of − 9.7 kcal/mol, and its electronic properties are not sensitive to this molecule. By replacing a C atom with a Si atom, the nanotube becomes a p-type semiconductor. The adsorption energy of the acetone molecule on the Si-doped nanotube becomes much more negative (E_ad=−67.4 kcal/mol). The adsorption process leads to a sizable increase in the resistance of the Si-doped tube, thereby, it can show the presence of acetone molecule, creating an electronic signal. Also, the sensitivity of these devices can be controlled by the doping level of Si atoms. By increasing the number of dopant atoms from 1 to 4, the sensitivity is gradually increased.     

MoSi_2(001)表面的氧吸附行为

运用第一原理密度泛函理论方法,首先计算了MoSi_2各清洁表面的表面能,(001)Si-|-Si断面具有较低的表面能,是MoSi_2最可能的解理面;通过生成能及键布居分析研究了单氧原子、双氧原子及氧分子在(001)Si-|-Si断面的吸附行为,发现单氧原子在空位处吸附最稳定,此时O极易与Si结合,得到的Si-O-Si键长及键角与SiO_2的非常接近,表明低浓度下O极易与表面的Si结合生成SiO_2;双氧原子发生空位+顶位吸附时O原子除与Si有强作用外,可与Mo有一定相互作用;氧分子以平行的方式接近空位最有利于吸附,此时氧分子最易分解为氧原子,发生氧原子在空位的吸附.     

First-principles studies on initial growth of Ni on MgO(0 0 1) surface

To elucidate the initial growth of metal on oxide surface, we studied adsorption of small nickel clusters, Ni_n (n = 1-5), on MgO(0 0 1) surface using first-principles method based on density-functional theory. It was found that the preferential adsorption site for an isolated Ni atom is directly above the surface oxygen atom. A strong covalent bond with partial ionic character is formed between the Ni adatom and the surface oxygen atom. Various structures were considered for the Ni_n isomers and 3D structures were found to be energetically more stable than 2D structures for clusters of more than two atoms. For the 2D clusters, metal-metal bonds prevail over metal-substrate bonds with increasing Ni coverage. The calculated work function and ionization energy were found to vary with Ni coverage which is attributed to the change of the surface dipole moment upon metal adsorption, while the evolution of Schottky barrier height at the initial growth stage is dominated by the adatom-induced gap states.     

碳纳米锥吸附Na的第一性原理计算

本文采用第一性原理计算结合从头算分子动力学的方法,研究了碳纳米锥(CNC)、B和N掺杂碳纳米锥(B-CNC和N-CNC)的稳定性,结果表明CNC、B-CNC和N-CNC均可以稳定存在.在此基础上分别研究了Na原子在CNC、B-CNC和N-CNC上的吸附行为.结果表明：1) Na原子在CNC五元碳环中心顶部位置的吸附最强,吸附能为-2.52 eV. CNC的能隙(Eg)为1.96 eV. 2) B和N掺杂CNC后,B-CNC和N-CNC的导电性均显著增强. 3)与CNC相比,Na原子在B-CNC上的吸附增强,而在N-CNC上的吸附则显著减弱.这表明B-CNC有望作为Na离子电池的负极材料.本文的研究结果对以CNC为负极材料的Na离子电池的研究提供了理论指导.     

SiO2-羟基表面上金属原子的第一性原理研究

采用第一性原理方法研究了SiO₂-羟基表面上几种金属原子的吸附性质，发现In和Ga在SiO₂-羟基表面上的结合很弱，而Fe，Co， Ni在该表面上与Si，O形成强的化学键.等势能面和扩散势垒计算表明In (Ga)的扩散激活能只有0.1—0.3 eV，表明这两种原子容易在表面上扩散.这些结果可以定性地解释纳米合成中的一些实验现象. 关键词： 第一性原理 表面扩散 结合能 金属原子     

Thermal destruction of two-dimensional graphite islands on refractory metals (Ir, Re, Ni, and Pt)

Thermal destruction of two-dimensional graphite films on Ni(111), Re(10-10), Ir(111), and Pt(111) substrates is studied. It is shown that the detachment of an edge carbon atom from an island is a limiting process stage for all the cases. The activation energy of this process varies from 2.5 eV for nickel to 4.5 eV for iridium. The variation of the activation energy is associated with the ability of the metal surface to form strong chemisorptive bonds with valence-active edges of graphite islands, which loosen C-C bonds in graphite.     

A DFT study for adsorption of CO on Ni,Pd and Pt atoms doped (7, 0) boron nitride nanotube

By using density functional theory calculations, we investigated the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption on the pure, Ni, Pd and Pt doped atoms in zigzag single-walled (7, 0) boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). The results indicated that compared to the pure (7, 0) BNNTs, replacing B atom by Ni, Pd and Pt atoms can significantly increase the adsorption energy of CO gas on the BNNTs. The adsorption energies of CO gas on the pure (7, 0) Ni, Pd and Pt doped (7, 0) BNNTs are ?0.2013, ?1.746, ?1.593 and ?2.257 eV, respectively. Our results revealed that in comparison with the pure (7, 0) BNNTs, CO gas is chemisorbed on the transition metal doped (7, 0) BNNTs with the appreciable adsorption energy. In addition, it was found that by doping these atoms, band gap energy of the pure (7, 0) BNNTs is considerably decreased. These observations suggested that the Pt doped (7, 0) BNNTs can be introduced as a promising candidate in gas sensor devices for detecting CO gas.     

Adsorption states and Ga depletion during oxygen adsorption on clean polar GaAs surfaces

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and Auger (AES) measurements were used to study oxygen adsorption on sputtered an annealed GaAs(111)Ga, (1̄1̄1̄)As, and (100) surfaces. Two forms of adsorbed oxygen are seen in UPS. One of them is associatively bound and desorbs at 400–550 K mainly as molecular O₂. It is most probably bound to surface As atoms as indicated by the small amounts of AsO which desorb simultaneously. The second form is atomic oxygen bound in an oxidic environment. It desorbs at 720–850 K in the form of Ga₂O. Electron irradiation of the associatively bound oxygen transforms it into the oxidic form. This explains the mechanism of the known stimulating effect of low energy electrons on the oxidation of these surfaces. During oxygen exposure a Ga depletion occurs at the surface which indicates that oxygen adsorption is a more complex phenomenon then is usually assumed. The following model for oxygen adsorption is proposed: oxygen impinges on the surface, removes Ga atoms and thus creates sites which are capable of adsorbing molecular oxygen on As atoms of the second layer and are surrounded by Ga atoms of the first layer. This molecular oxygen is stable and simultaneously forms the precursor state for the dissociation to the oxidic form.     

CO adsorption on oxygen-modified molybdenum surfaces

Structures of carbon monoxide layers on the oxygen-modified Mo(1 1 0) and Mo(1 1 2) surfaces have been investigated by means of density-functional (DFT) calculations. It is found that CO molecules adsorb at hollow sites on the O/Mo(1 1 0) surface and nearly atop Mo atoms on the O/Mo(1 1 2) surface. The favorable positions for adsorption are shown to be near protrusions of electron density above the Mo surface atoms. The presence of oxygen on the molybdenum surface significantly reduces the binding energy of the CO molecule with the substrate; on the oxygen-saturated Mo(1 1 0) surface, the adsorption of CO is completely blocked. The calculated local densities of states (LDOS) demonstrate that the O 2s peak for O adsorbed on Mo(1 1 0) surface is at −19 eV (with respect to the Fermi level), while for the oxygen atom of an adsorbed CO molecule the related 3σ molecular orbital gives rise to a peak at −23 eV. This difference stems from the bonding of the O atom either with Mo surface for adsorbed O or with C atom in adsorbed CO, and therefore the position of the O 2s peak in photoemission spectra can serve as a convincing argument in favor of either the presence or absence of the CO dissociation on Mo surfaces.     

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on Si x Ge4– x (x = 0–4) nano-clusters: a hybrid meta density functional study

Theoretical study of carbon monoxide adsorption on Si _x Ge_{4 ? x} (x = 0–4) nano-clusters has been carried out using advanced hybrid meta density functional method of Truhlar (MPW1B95). MG3 semi-diffuse (MG3S) and correlation consistent valence basis sets with relativistic core potential were employed to improve the results. The agreement of the calculated ionization and dissociation energies with experimental values validates the reported structures of nano-clusters and justifies the use of hybrid meta density functional method. The geometry, adsorption energy, charge distribution, and vibrational frequency of CO adsorption on all possible structures were investigated. The maximum vibrational frequency changes occur in the bridge structures while the most stable structures occur when CO adsorbs on one silicon atom in a flat surface. The changes of spin densities arising through bridged structures with higher spin multiplicities were rationalized. Adsorption energies of CO on one Si atom are by far more negative than the corresponding value for on Ge atom, at the highest being nearly ?77 and ?35 kJ mol^?1. Comparison was made of adsorbed CO bridging neighbouring and diagonal Si atoms and the former was more stable, having adsorption energy of nearly ?77 kJ mol^?1. Flat surfaces adsorb CO more favourably. Exhaustive vibrational frequency analyses were performed to confirm the local minima energy of all optimized structures.     

Stability of gold nanostructures on rutile TiO2(110) surface

The adsorption of gold atoms and formation of nanostructures on the rutile TiO₂(110) surface with different degree of oxygen reduction was studied from first principles. The Au atoms adsorb strongest at oxygen vacancy sites. Starting from a very low coverage limit the potential energy profiles or diffusion paths of the adsorbed Au monomers and dimers were calculated. Stable structures of two to nine Au atoms arranged in finite and infinite rows and in the shape of finite-size clusters were determined. All these structures are found to bind to the reduced surface stronger than 2 eV/atom. The elongated Au row-like structures bind by about 0.1 eV stronger than 3D clusters, suggesting a preference for the 1D-like Au growth mode on the missing-row reconstructed TiO₂(110).     

Study on the adsorption of fluorescein on Ag(1 1 0) substrate

The adsorption of fluorescein on the Ag(1 1 0) surface has been investigated by the first-principles pseudopotential method. Various adsorption geometries have been calculated and the energetically most favorable structure of fluorescein/Ag(1 1 0) was identified. The fluorescein molecule, in most favorable structure, is on hollow site, and the adsorption energy is 2.34 eV. Here the adsorption sites refer to the positions at the first layer of the substrate where the middle carbon atom of the fluorescein molecule is located. The bonding strength of the fluorescein molecule to the Ag substrate is site selective, being determined by electron transfer to the oxygen atoms of the molecule and local electrostatic attraction between the oxygen atoms and the silver atoms.     

Interaction of NO with a Ni (111) surface

The interaction of NO with a Ni (111) surface was studied by means of LEED, AES, UPS and flash desorption spectroscopy. NO adsorbs with a high sticking probability and may form two ordered structures (c4 × 2 and hexagonal) from (undissociated) NO_ad. The mean adsorption energy is about 25 $\text{kcal}\text{mole}$. Dissociation of adsorbed NO starts already at ?120°C, but the activation energy for this process increases with increasing coverage (and even by the presence of preadsorbed oxygen) up to the value for the activation energy of NO desorption. The recombination of adsorbed nitrogen atoms and desorption of N₂ occurs around 600 °C with an activation energy of about 52 $\text{kcal}\text{mole}$. A chemisorbed oxygen layer converts upon further increase of the oxygen concentration into epitaxial NiO. A mixed layer consisting of N_ad + O_ad (after thermal decomposition of NO) exhibits a complex LEED pattern and can be stripped of adsorbed oxygen by reduction with H₂. This yields an N_ad overlayer exhibiting a 6 × 2 LEED pattern. A series of new maxima at ≈ ?2, ?8.8 and ?14.6 eV is observed in the UV photoelectron spectra from adsorbed NO which are identified with surface states derived from molecular orbitals of free NO. N_ad as well as O_ad causes a peak at ?5.6 eV which is derived from the 2p electrons of the adsorbate. The photoelectron spectrum from NiO agrees closely with a recent theoretical evaluation.     

Point-defect properties of,and sputtering events in,the {001} surfaces of Ni3Al. II. Sputtering events at and near surfaces

Atomic recoil events at and near {001} surfaces of Ni₃Al due to elastic collisions between electrons and atoms have been simulated by molecular dynamics to obtain the sputtering threshold energy as a function of atomic species, recoil direction and atomic layer of the primary recoil atom. The minimum sputtering energy occurs for adatoms and is 3.5 and 4.5?eV for Al and Ni adatoms on the Ni–Al surface (denoted ‘M’), respectively, and 4.5?eV for both species on the pure Ni surface (denoted ‘N’). For atoms within the surface plane, the minimum sputtering energy is 6.0?eV for Al and Ni atoms in the M plane and for Ni atoms in the N surface. The sputtering threshold energy increases with increasing angle, θ, between the recoil direction and surface normal, and is almost independent of azimuthal angle, ?, if θ<60°; it varies strongly with ? when θ>60°, with a maximum at ??=?45° due to ?{110}? close-packed atomic chains in the surface. The sputtering threshold energy increases significantly for subsurface recoils, except for those that generate efficient energy transfer to a surface atom by a replacement collision sequence. The implications of the results for the prediction of the mass loss due to sputtering during microanalysis in a FEG STEM are discussed.     

The adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide on cleaved polar and nonpolar ZnO surfaces studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (ELS) with primary energies e₀ ? 80 eV has been performed on ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cleaved nonpolar (11?00) and polar zinc (0001) and oxygen (0001?) surfaces of ZnO to study the adsorption of oxygen and carbon monoxide. Except for CO on the nonpolar surface where no spectral changes in ELS are observed a surface transition near 11.5 eV is strongly affected at 300 K on all surfaces by CO and O₂. At 300 K clear evidence for new adsorbate characteristic transitions is found for oxygen adsorbed on the Zn polar surface near 7 and 11 eV. At 100 K on all three surfaces both CO and O₂ adsorb in thick layers and produce loss spectra very similar to the gas phase, thus indicating a physisorbed state.     

Molecular cluster calculations for the interpretation of CO chemisorption on a Ni(100) surface

Self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Slater molecular cluster calculations for the chemisorption of carbon monoxide on a Ni(100) surface are presented. In earlier calculations of this type the CO molecule has been assumed to be chemisorbed in a hollow position of C_4v symmetry. A recent EELS experiment shows however that in the most stable configuration CO is linearly bonded to the Ni atoms, i.e. a top position of the CO-molecule. This experiment indicates also that there exists an additional bridge bonding of the CO molecule to the two nearest neighbour Ni atoms. The variation of the energy levels, binding energies and charge distribution with the height of the CO molecule above the nickel surface is calculated for the top position using the NiCO and Ni₅CO clusters and for the bridge bonding configuration using the Ni₂CO cluster. The CO 1π level is found to be split by about 0.8 eV in bridge bonding geometry. For both hollow and top positions the 1π and 5σ levels are separated by about 0.5 eV. The energy separation to the 4σ level is about 3 eV, which is in good agreement with experimental data. Theoretical ionization energies relative to the Fermi energy for top position geometry at a bond distance of 3.5 au between the carbon atom and nickel surface were found to be 25.7, 11.7, 8.7 and 8.2 eV for the 3σ, 4σ, 5σ and 1π levels which should be compared with the experimental data of 29.0, 10.8, 8.4 and 7.8 eV, respectively. The corresponding ionization energies for a bond angle of 99° in bridge bonding were 23.7, 12.1, 7.3, 7.0 and 7.9 eV. The two last values represent the 1π level which is split into two levels in this geometry. The variation of the C-O stretch vibrational frequencies with the height of the CO molecule above the surface for the top-position geometry is estimated from the 5σ and 2π gross orbital populations and from the CO σ and π overlap populations.     

Interaction of low-energy Cu2 dimers with copper clusters on the graphite surface

The sputtering of clusters consisting of 13, 27, and 75 copper atoms from the (0001) graphite surface under bombardment by Cu₂ dimers with energies of 100, 200, and 400 eV has been simulated using the molecular dynamics method. A comparative analysis of the distributions of backscattered particles and their energies over polar angles and the energy distributions of sputtered atoms has been performed. The factors responsible for the large sputtering yield from surface clusters under their bombardment with dimers as compared to copper and xenon monomers have been discussed. It has been demonstrated that, in the case of bombardment with dimers, the substantial role in the sputtering of surface clusters is played by the overlap of collision cascades initiated by each atom of the incident dimer. The differences in the sputtering under cluster and atom bombardments are especially pronounced in the case of large surface clusters.