Density functional study on the sensing properties of nano-sized BeO tube toward H2S

Using density functional calculations, we have investigated the adsorption of a H₂S molecule on the pristine and Si-doped BeO nanotubes (BeONT). It was found that the H₂S molecule is physically adsorbed on the pristine BeONT with adsorption energies ranging from 3.0 to 4.2 kcal/mol. Substituting a Be or O atom of the tube by Si increases the adsorption energy to 6.9–17.2 kcal/mol. We found that substituting an O atom by Si makes the electronic properties of the BeONT strongly sensitive to the H₂S molecule. Therefore, the process of Si doping provides a good strategy for improving the sensitivity of BeONT to toxic H₂S, which cannot be trapped and detected by the pristine BeONT. Also, the emitted electron current density from the Si_O–BeONT will be significantly increased after the H₂S adsorption.     

ZnO Nanocluster as a Potential Catalyst for Dissociation of H2S Molecule

Adsorption of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the external and internal surface of Zn₁₂O₁₂ nanocluster was studied by using density functional calculations. The results indicate that the H₂S molecule is physically adsorbed or chemically dissociated by the nanocluster. It was found that the H₂S molecule can dissociate into –H and–SH fragments, suggesting that the nanocluster might be a potential catalyst for dissociation of the H₂S molecule. Also, dissociation of H₂S to S species in internal surface of the Zn₁₂O₁₂ nanocluster is energetically impossible. The HOMO–LUMO energy gap of H₂S dissociation configuration is changed about 27.68 %, indicating that the electronic properties of the nanocluster by dissociation process have strongly changed.     

Formaldehyde adsorption on the interior and exterior surfaces of CN nanotubes

Using density functional theory, we have investigated the adsorption of formaldehyde (H₂CO) on the interior and exterior walls of a carbon nitride nanotube (CNNT) in terms of energetic, geometric, and electronic properties. It was found that the adsorption is more preferential on the exterior surface of the tube with maximum adsorption energy of ?7.4 kcal/mol. It has also been found that the adsorption energy per molecule is increased by increasing the number of adsorbed molecules. The results reveal that the electronic properties of CNNT are very sensitive to the presence of formaldehyde so that the HOMO/LUMO gap is reduced from 4.02 eV in the free tube to 2.44 eV in the most stable configuration of 3H₂CO/CNNT complex. Also, we have showed that the response of the tube may depend on concentration of the H₂CO molecules, suggesting that the CNNT might produce an electrical signal in the presence of H₂CO molecules.     

First principle study of hydrogen storage on the graphene-like aluminum nitride nanosheet

Employing density functional calculations including an empirical dispersion term, we investigated the hydrogenation of an aluminum nitride nanosheet (h-AlN) with atomic and molecular hydrogen. It was found that atomic H prefers to be adsorbed on an N atom rather than Al, releasing energy of 21.1 kcal/mol. The HOMO/LUMO energy gap of the sheet is dramatically reduced from 107.9 to 44.5 kcal/mol, upon the adsorption of one hydrogen atom. The adsorption of atomic H on the h-AlN presents properties which are promising for nanoelectronic applications. The molecular H₂ was found to be adsorbed collinearly on an N atom and dissociated to two H atoms on Al–N bond. Calculated barrier and adsorption energies for this dissociation process are about +18.9 and ?1.9 kcal/mol. We predict that each nitrogen atom in an AlN sheet can adsorb two hydrogen molecules on opposite sides of the sheet, and thus the gravimetric density for hydrogen storage on AlN sheet is evaluated to be about 8.9 wt%.     

Covalent Functionalization of Zn12O12 Nanocluster with Thiophene

Covalent functionalization of a ZnO nanocluster with thiophene molecule was studied by means of density functional theory calculations. The obtained results show that the molecule is physically adsorbed on the surface of nanocluster with adsorption energies in the range of ?0.33 to ?0.42 eV. In this study, ²η-C₄H₄S–Zn₁₂O₁₂ cluster is the most stable adsorption among all thiophene adsorption configurations. Accordingly, HOMO–LUMO energy gap of the nano-cluster is changed about 0.24 to 0.72 % using the DFT calculations. The values of charge transfer shows that π-back bonding exists for ²η and ⁵η bonding modes. Present results might be helpful to provide an effective way to modify the Zn₁₂O₁₂ properties for further applications such as generation of the new hybrid compounds.     

Multiscale study on hydrogen storage based on covalent organic frameworks

In this paper, we performed a multiscale study on the hydrogen storage capacity of Li–Sc doped and Li-C₆₀ injected covalent organic frameworks (COFs)-based phthalocyanine, porphyrin and TBPS COFs. We combined the first-principles studies of hydrogen adsorption and grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations of hydrogen adsorption in nine designed COFs. The first-principles calculations revealed that the Li atoms can be doped on the surface of the Sc-doped COFs with binding energy from ?83.9 to ?160.2 kJ/mol. Each Li atom can bind three H₂ molecules with the adsorption energy between ?16.8 and ?20.0 kJ/mol. The GCMC simulations have predicted that all the nine designed COFs can reach the Department of Energy’s 2015 target (5.5 wt% and 40 g/L) at T = 77 K and P = 100 bar. The optimum conditions of hydrogen storage for Li-C₆₀@Li–Sc-PR-TBPS2, the promising materials, are T = 193 K (?80 °C) and P = 100 bar with a gravimetric H₂ density of 8.19 wt% and volumetric H₂ uptake of 42.6 g/L. Finally, we further convinced the importance of Sc in improving H₂ uptake in doped COFs.     

密度泛函理论研究十二烷硫醇在Au(111)面上的吸附

采用第一性原理方法研究了十二烷硫醇(C₁₂H₂₅SH)分子在Au(111)面上未解离和解离吸附的结构、能量和吸附性质,在此基础上分析判断长链硫醇分子在Au(111)面吸附时S―H键的解离, 以及分子链长度对吸附结构和能量的影响. 计算了S原子在不同位置以不同方式吸附的系列构型, 结果表明在S―H键解离前和解离后,均存在两种可能的表面结构, 直立吸附构型和平铺吸附构型; 未解离的C₁₂H₂₅SH分子倾向于吸附在top位, 吸附能为0.35-0.38 eV; H原子解离后C₁₂H₂₅S基团倾向于吸附在bri-fcc位, 吸附能量为2.01-2.09 eV. 比较分析未解离吸附和解离吸附, 发现C₁₂H₂₅SH分子未解离吸附相较于解离吸附要稳定, 未解离吸附属于弱化学吸附.局域电子态密度和差分电荷密度分析进一步验证了S―H解离后S原子与表面之间成键的数目增加, 而且键合更强. 同时我们发现长链硫醇的吸附能量较短链硫醇的吸附能量略大, S原子与表面Au原子之间的距离略小.     

Dissociative adsorption of molecular hydrogen onto Pt<Subscript>6</Subscript> and Pt<Subscript>19</Subscript> platinum clusters located on the tin dioxide surface: Quantum-chemical modeling

It is suggested that, for the operation of platinum catalysts based on tin dioxide in air hydrogen fuel cells, hydrogen spillover (migration) leading to a change in the electron and proton contributions of the catalyst conductivity is of crucial importance. The hydrogen adsorption, dissociation, and migration in the platinum-tin dioxide-hydrogen system surface have been modeled by the density functional theory method within the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) under periodic conditions using a projector-augmented plane-wave (PAW) basis set with a pseudopotential. It has been demonstrated that the adsorption energy of a hydrogen molecule onto a platinum cluster increases from 1.6 to 2.4 eV as the distance to the SnO₂ substrate decreases. The calculated Pt-H bond length for adsorbed structures is 1.58–1.78 Å. The computer modeling has demonstrated that: (1) the hydrogen adsorption energy on clusters is higher than on the perfect platinum surface; (2) dissociative chemisorption onto Pt _n clusters can occur without a barrier and depends on the adsorption site and the cluster structure; (3) the adsorption energy of hydrogen onto the SnO₂ surface is higher than the adsorption energy onto the platinum cluster surface: (4) multiple H₂ dissociation on the tin dioxide surface occurs with a barrier; (5) the dissociation adsorption of hydrogen molecules onto the platinum cluster surface followed by atom migration (spillover) is energetically favorable.     

A Theoretical Study of the Interaction of Hydrogen and Oxygen with Palladium or Gold Adsorbed on Pyridine‐Like Nitrogen‐Doped Graphene

The interaction of H₂ and O₂ molecules in the presence of nitrogen‐doped graphene decorated with either a palladium or gold atom was investigated by using density functional theory. It was found that two hydrogen molecules were adsorbed on the palladium atom. The interaction of these adsorbed hydrogen molecules with two oxygen molecules generates two hydrogen peroxide molecules first through a Eley–Rideal mechanism and then through a Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism. The barrier energies for this reaction were small; therefore, we expect that this process may occur spontaneously at room temperature. In the case of gold, a single hydrogen molecule is adsorbed and dissociated on the metal atom. The interaction of the dissociated hydrogen molecule on the surface with one oxygen molecule generates a water molecule. The competitive adsorption between oxygen and hydrogen molecules slightly favors oxygen adsorption.     

Dispersion-corrected DFT study on the carbon monoxide sensing by B<Subscript>2</Subscript>C nanotubes: effects of dopant and interferences

Electrical sensitivity of a boron carbon nanotube (B₂CNT) was examined toward carbon monoxide (CO) molecule by using dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. It was found that CO is weakly adsorbed on the tube, releasing energy of 3.5–4.1 kcal/mol, and electronic properties of the tube are not significantly changed. To overcome this problem, boron and carbon atoms of the tube were substituted by aluminum and silicon atoms, respectively. Although both Al and Si doping make the tube more reactive and sensitive to CO, Si doping seems to be a better strategy to manufacture CO chemical sensors due to the higher sensitivity without deformation of nanotube structure after adsorption procedure. Moreover, it was shown that some interference molecules such as H₂O, H₂S and NH₃ cannot significantly change the electronic properties of B₂CNT. Therefore, the Si-doped tube might convert the presence of CO molecules to electrical signal.     

Adsorption properties of hydrazine on pristine and Si-doped Al12N12 nano-cage

The interaction of hydrazine (N₂H₄) molecule with pristine and Si-doped aluminum nitride (Al₁₂N₁₂) nano-cage was investigated using the density functional theory calculations. The adsorption energy of N₂H₄ on pristine Al₁₂N₁₂ in different configurations was about –1.67 and –1.64 eV with slight changes in its electronic structure. The results showed that the pristine nano-cage can be used as a chemical adsorbent for toxic hydrazine in nature. Compared with very low sensitivity between N₂H₄ and Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage, N₂H₄ molecule exhibits high sensitivity toward Si-doped Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage so that the energy gap of the Si-doped Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage is changed by about 31.86% and 37.61% for different configurations in the Si_Al model and by about 26.10% in the Si_N model after the adsorption process. On the other hand, in comparison with the Si_Al model, the adsorption energy of N₂H₄ on the Si_N model is less than that on the Si_Al model to hinder the recovery of the nano-cage. As a result, the Si_N Al₁₂N₁₁ is anticipated to be a potential novel sensor for detecting the presence of N₂H₄ molecule.     

Experimental and numerical study on water sorption over modified mesoporous silica

–SO₃H modified mesoporous silica adsorbent with water sorption capacity and fast desorption kinetics for water sorption was synthesized and studied via a combined experimental and numerical approach. Mesoporous silica was synthesized using sol–gel method in H₂SO₄ medium. The water adsorption isotherms and kinetics over the silica were evaluated by a dynamic water vapor sorption analyzer. Mesoporous silica was modeled using annealing simulation with CVFF forcefield. –SO₃H modified mesoporous silica was modeled by the attachment of –SO₃H to the surface hydroxyl groups and validated. Simulation results show water sorption capacity at low relative humidity (RH) increases with –SO₃H loading on mesoporous silica. Energy distribution of intermolecular interaction and micro-view of water sorption over –SO₃H modified mesoporous silica reveal that although strong interaction (intermolecular interaction of ?40 to ?20 kcal/mol) between hydrophilic groups (–SO₃H) with water can increase water sorption capacity at low RH, weak H₂O–H₂O interaction (intermolecular interaction of ?20 to ?10 kcal/mol) dominated water sorption capacity at both low and high RH.     

Effects of coverage and solvent on H2S adsorption on the Cu(100) surface: A DFT study

Density functional theory is used to investigate the effects of coverage and solvent on the adsorption of H₂S on the Cu(100) surface. In this work, the adsorption energies, structural parameters and Mulliken charges of the adsorbed H₂S are calculated. The results show that when the coverage of H₂S is high (1 ML), H₂S molecule cannot adsorb on the Cu(100) surface spontaneously, and the decomposition of H₂S preferentially occurs at the bridge site. When the coverage decreases to 1/4 ML coverage, H₂S molecule does not exhibit the decomposition, but bonds to the top Cu atom with the tilted adsorption. Furthermore, when the coverage is 1/9, 1/16 and 1/25 ML, H₂S adsorption remains stable. In addition, the stability of H₂S adsorption on the Cu(100) surface improves rapidly when the solvent dielectric constant (ε) increases from 1 to 12.3 corresponding to the vacuum and pyridine, respectively. For the higher ε (≥24.3), the effect of the solvent on the H₂S adsorption was greatly reduced. In this work, both coverage and solvent are shown to have an important effect on the H₂S adsorption on the Cu(100) surface, which might be useful to improve the future similar simulations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ab initio study of NH3 and H2O adsorption on pristine and Na-doped MgO nanotubes

We have investigated, on the basis of density functional theory calculations, the structural and electronic properties of chemical modification of pristine and Na-doped MgONTs with NH₃ and H₂O molecules. We found that the NH₃ and H₂O molecules can be barrierlessly adsorbed on the Mg atom of the tube sidewall along with a charge transfer from the adsorbate to MgONT. The adsorption is chemical in nature with adsorption energies about ?22.3 and ?21.5 kcal/mol for H₂O and NH₃, respectively. The calculated density of state (DOS) shows that the chemical modification of MgONTs with these molecules can be generally classified as certain type of “harmless modification.” In other words, the electronic properties of the MgONT are little changed by the adsorption processes. The substitution of an Mg atom in the tube surface with an Na atom results in a semi-insulator to p-type semiconductor transition based on DOS analysis. It was also found that the doping process reduces the adsorption energies and the electronic properties of Na-doped MgONT is slightly more sensitive toward NH₃ and H₂O molecules, compared with the pristine one.     

Mercuric chloride adsorption on sulfur-containing BC2N nanotube: toward HSAB concept

Electronic sensitivity of pristine and sulfur-containing BC₂N nanotubes to mercuric chloride (HgCl₂) molecule was investigated by utilizing density functional theory. It was found that HgCl₂ is weakly adsorbed on the tube, releasing energy of 6.4–8.1 kcal/mol, and electronic properties of the tube are not significantly changed. To overcome this problem, carbon atoms of the tube were substituted by sulfur atom. Of interest are sulfur derivative functional adsorbents because of their strong affinity toward mercury. This observation may be explained based on the Pearson’s hard–soft acid–base theory. It was demonstrated that the S-doped tube can not only strongly adsorb the HgCl₂ molecule, but also may effectively detect its presence due to drastic increment of the tube electrical conductivity.     

Adsorption and surface diffusion of silicon growth species in silicon carbide chemical vapour deposition processes studied by quantum-chemical computations

The effect chlorine addition to the gas mixture has on the surface chemistry in the chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process for silicon carbide (SiC) epitaxial layers is studied by quantum-chemical calculations of the adsorption and diffusion of SiH₂ and SiCl₂ on the (000-1) 4H–SiC surface. SiH₂ was found to bind more strongly to the surface than SiCl₂ by approximately 100 kJ mol^?1 and to have a 50 kJ mol^?1 lower energy barrier for diffusion on the fully hydrogen-terminated surface. On a bare SiC surface, without hydrogen termination, the SiCl₂ molecule has a somewhat lower energy barrier for diffusion. SiCl₂ is found to require a higher activation energy for desorption once chemisorbed, compared to the SiH₂ molecule. Gibbs free energy calculations also indicate that the SiC surface may not be fully hydrogen terminated at CVD conditions since missing neighbouring pair of surface hydrogens is found to be a likely type of defect on a hydrogen-terminated SiC surface.     

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.     

Quantum chemical study of dissociation of H2 on C3H3V organometallic compound

We have studied H₂ adsorption on C₃H₃V organometallic compound using density functional method at B3LYP/LanL2Dz level of theory. It was found that H₂ molecule dissociates and adsorbed in dihydride form on this organometallic compound. Potential energy surface for H₂ dissociation process was obtained and different properties such as HOMO–LUMO gap, dipole moment, interaction energies between different molecules and atoms, vibrational frequencies, and atomic charges during the dissociation process were studied. It was found that the C₃H₃V(H₂) structure is most stable at H? V? H angle of 66.3°. Many‐body analysis was also carried out to determine the two‐body energies, three‐body energies, relaxation energy, and binding energy of the structures for each point on the potential surface. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

A Theoretical Study of OH and OCH3 Free Radical Adsorption on a Nanosized Tube of BC2N

By using density functional theory calculations, we have investigated the adsorption of OH and OCH₃ free radicals on a BC₂N nanotube based on the energetic, electronic and geometric properties. The adsorption of radicals on the top of a B atom is more favorable than that on the other sites and reaction energies have been calculated to be in the range of ?0.57 to ?1.48 eV for OH and ?0.27 to ?1.19 eV for OCH₃. It was found that the adsorption of radicals may facilitate the electron emission from the BC₂N nanotube surface by decreasing the work function due to the charge transfer which occurs between the tube and radicals. Also, HOMO/LUMO gap of the tube is significantly decreased, which may result in the increase of the electrical conductivity of the tube.