Theoretical investigation on RuO2 nanoclusters adsorbed on TiO2 rutile (110) and anatase (101) surfaces

Minimizing the energy of an $N$ -electron system as a functional of a two-electron reduced density matrix (2-RDM), constrained by necessary $N$ -representability conditions (conditions for the 2-RDM to represent an ensemble $N$ -electron quantum system), yields a rigorous lower bound to the ground-state energy in contrast to variational wave function methods. We characterize the performance of two sets of approximate constraints, (2,2)-positivity (DQG) and approximate (2,3)-positivity (DQGT) conditions, at capturing correlation in one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional (ladder) Hubbard models. We find that, while both the DQG and DQGT conditions capture both the weak and strong correlation limits, the more stringent DQGT conditions improve the ground-state energies, the natural occupation numbers, the pair correlation function, the effective hopping, and the connected (cumulant) part of the 2-RDM. We observe that the DQGT conditions are effective at capturing strong electron correlation effects in both one- and quasi-one-dimensional lattices for both half filling and less-than-half filling.     

Adsorption of O2 and oxidation of CO at Au nanoparticles supported by TiO2(110)

Density functional theory calculations are performed for the adsorption of O2, coadsorption of CO, and the CO+O2 reaction at the interfacial perimeter of nanoparticles supported by rutile TiO2(110). Both stoichiometric and reduced TiO2 surfaces are considered, with various relative arrangements of the supported Au particles with respect to the substrate vacancies. Rather stable binding configurations are found for the O2 adsorbed either at the trough Ti atoms or leaning against the Au particles. The presence of a supported Au particle strongly stabilizes the adsorption of O2. A sizable electronic charge transfer from the Au to the O2 is found together with a concomitant electronic polarization of the support meaning that the substrate is mediating the charge transfer. The O2 attains two different charge states, with either one or two surplus electrons depending on the precise O2 adsorption site at or in front of the Au particle. From the least charged state, the O2 can react with CO adsorbed at the edge sites of the Au particles leading to the formation of CO2 with very low (approximately 0.15 eV) energy barriers.     

The role of weakly bound on-top oxygen in the catalytic CO oxidation reaction over RuO2(110)

RuO(2)-based catalysts are much more active in the oxidation of CO than related metallic Ru catalysts. This high catalytic activity (or low activation barrier) is attributed to the weak oxygen surface bonding of bridging O atoms on RuO(2)(110) in comparison with the strongly chemisorbed oxygen on Ru(0001). Since the RuO(2)(110) surface is able to stabilize an even more weakly bound on-top oxygen species, one would anticipate that the catalytic activity will increase further under oxidizing conditions. We will show that this view is far too simple to explain our temperature-programmed reaction experiments, employing isotope labeling of the potentially active surface oxygen species on RuO(2)(110). Rather, both surface O species on RuO(2)(110) reveal similar activities in oxidizing CO.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy of CO adsorbed on tungsten (110)

UV and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements of the adsorption of CO on W (110) are described. It is shown how the techniques can provide useful information on adsorption systems, without recourse to detailed theories of chemisorption.     

Catalytic oxidation of ammonia on RuO2(110) surfaces: mechanism and selectivity

The selective oxidation of ammonia to either N2 or NO on RuO2(110) single-crystal surfaces was investigated by a combination of vibrational spectroscopy (HREELS), thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and steady-state rate measurements under continuous flow conditions. The stoichiometric RuO2(110) surface exposes coordinatively unsaturated (cus) Ru atoms onto which adsorption of NH3 (NH3-cus) or dissociative adsorption of oxygen (O-cus) may occur. In the absence of O-cus, ammonia desorbs completely thermally without any reaction. However, interaction between NH3-cus and O-cus starts already at 90 K by hydrogen abstraction and hydrogenation to OH-cus, leading eventually to N-cus and H2O. The N-cus species recombine either with each other to N2 or with neighboring O-cus leading to strongly held NO-cus which desorbs around 500 K. The latter reaction is favored by higher concentrations of O-cus. Under steady-state flow condition with constant NH3 partial pressure and varying O2 pressure, the rate for N2 formation takes off first, passes through a maximum and then decreases again, whereas that for NO production exhibits an S-shape and rises continuously. In this way at 530 K almost 100% selectivity for NO formation (with fairly high reaction probability for NH3) is reached.     

O2-coverage-dependent CO oxidation on reduced TiO2(110): A first principles study

First principles periodic slab calculations based on gradient-corrected density functional theory have been performed to investigate CO oxidation on rutile TiO2(110) at varying O2 coverages (theta = 1, 2, and 3, where theta is defined as the number of O2 per oxygen vacancy). For each coverage we only present the reaction of CO with oxygen species in the most stable configuration. Our results show a significant variation in the oxidation activation energy with O2 coverage.     

Non-innocent Dissociation of H(2)O on GaP(110): Implications for Electrochemical Reduction of CO(2)

The structural and electronic properties of the GaP(110)/H(2)O interface have been investigated by first-principles density functional theory calculations. Our results suggest that hydride-like H atoms are present on the surface as a consequence of the dissociation of water in contact with the GaP surface. This feature opens up a new feasible reduction pathway for CO(2) where the GaP(110) surface is the electrochemically active entity.     

Promotion of formaldehyde production from adsorbed methoxy by oxidation of Mo(110) with NO2

The reaction of methoxy (OCH3) in the presence of NO2 is studied on a thin-film oxide of Mo(110) for its relevance to the alkane-assisted reduction of NO(x). Temperature-programmed reaction indicates that oxygen deposited by NO2 dissociation promotes formaldehyde evolution. This pathway is not observed in any appreciable amount for methoxy on the thin-film oxide of Mo(110), nor for the reaction of methoxy in the presence of NO or O2. No new intermediates, in particular those containing C-N bonds, are detected after NO2 is exposed to the surface containing methoxy. Furthermore, infrared spectra provide evidence that the presence of NO2 does not significantly perturb the methoxy intermediate. These results indicate that surface oxidation rather than intermolecular complexation is the most likely mechanism by which NO2 promotes the evolution of oxygenates. In addition, the presence of methoxy decreases the capacity of the Mo surface to reduce NO2. No N2 is produced, and molecular desorption predominates. There are also no NO(x) species present after heating to 500 K when NO2 reacts in the presence of methoxy, whereas monomeric NO and dinitrosyl are present when NO2 reacts alone. These results are discussed in the context of CH4-assisted NO(x) reduction.     

Coadsorption properties of CO(2) and H(2)O on TiO(2) rutile (110): A dispersion-corrected DFT study

Adsorption and reactions of CO(2) in the presence of H(2)O and OH species on the TiO(2) rutile (110)-(1×1) surface were investigated using dispersion-corrected density functional theory and scanning tunneling microscopy. The coadsorbed H(2)O (OH) species slightly increase the CO(2) adsorption energies, primarily through formation of hydrogen bonds, and create new binding configurations that are not present on the anhydrous surface. Proton transfer reactions to CO(2) with formation of bicarbonate and carbonic acid species were investigated and found to have barriers in the range 6.1-12.8 kcal∕mol, with reactions involving participation of two or more water molecules or OH groups having lower barriers than reactions involving a single adsorbed water molecule or OH group. The reactions to form the most stable adsorbed formate and bicarbonate species are exothermic relative to the unreacted adsorbed CO(2) and H(2)O (OH) species, with formation of the bicarbonate species being favored. These results are consistent with single crystal measurements which have identified formation of bicarbonate-type species following coadsorption of CO(2) and water on rutile (110).     

Single crystal RuO2 (110): Surface structure

The surface structure of RuO₂ (110) has been studied with LEED, AES and XPS. The “as-grown” surface shows no LEED patterns and both AES and XPS indicate that the surface is depleted in oxygen in high vacuum. After extensive annealing in an O₂ atmosphere reproducible LEED patterns characteristic of the (110) surface were obtained. For the well-ordered surface the oxygen XPS results revealed oxygen associated with the bulk RuO₂, the presence of RuO₃ and oxygen bound to surface atoms.     

Adsorption and interaction of ethylene on RuO2(110) surfaces

Ethylene (C2H4) adsorbed on the stoichiometric and oxygen-rich RuO2(110) surfaces, exposing coordinatively unsaturated Ru-cus and O-cus atoms, is investigated by applying high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy in combination with isotope labeling experiments. On the stoichiometric RuO2(110) surface C2H4 adsorbs and desorbs molecularly. In contrast, on the oxygen-rich RuO2(110) surface ethylene adsorbs molecularly at 85 K and is completely oxidized through interaction with O-cus and O-bridge upon annealing to 500 K. The first couple of reactions are observed at 200 K taking place on Ru-cus: A change from pi- to sigma-bonding, formation of -C=O and -C-O groups, and dehydrogenation giving rise to H2O adsorbed at Ru-cus. Maximum reaction rate is reached for C2H4 chemisorbed at Ru-cus with O-cus neighbors on each side. A model for the first couple of reactions is sketched. For the final combustion, C2H4 reacts both with O-cus and O-bridge. Ethylene oxide is not detected under any circumstance.     

Adlayer inhomogeneity without lateral interactions: rationalizing correlation effects in CO oxidation at RuO2(110) with first-principles kinetic Monte Carlo

Microkinetic modeling of surface chemical reactions still relies heavily on the mean-field based rate equation approach. This approach is expected to be most accurate for systems without appreciable lateral interactions among the adsorbed chemicals, and there in particular for the uniform adlayers resulting in poisoned regimes with predominant coverage of one species. Using first-principles kinetic Monte Carlo simulations and the CO oxidation at RuO(2)(110) as a showcase, we demonstrate that even in this limit mean-field rate equations fail to predict the catalytic activity by orders of magnitude. This deficiency is traced back to the inability to account for the vacancy pair formation that is kinetically driven by the ongoing reactions.     

Adsorption of platinum on the stoichiometric RuO2(110) surface

Density functional theory was used to calculate the geometries and electronic structures of Pt adsorption on the stoichiometric RuO(2)(110) surface at different coverages. The calculated results revealed that the Pt atoms strongly adsorb on RuO(2), and two-dimensional growth up to 1.25 ML deposition is energetically favorable. At low coverage, the binding between Pt and RuO(2) is very strong, accompanied by a significant transfer of electron density from Pt to the support and a large downshift of the d-band compared to that of the unsupported Pt. At high coverage, a weak interaction of RuO(2) with the Pt cluster is observed, and the electronic structure of Pt is only slightly modified with respect to that of the unsupported material. Our results suggest that among the systems investigated, the RuO(2)-supported Pt at a coverage of 1 ML may become one of the best alternatives to pure Pt as a catalyst because it combines a high stability and a moderate activity similar to Pt.     

吸附氢气后的钯团簇在氧化亚铜表面上的稳定性研究

为了探究吸附H2后的Pdn团簇在Cu2O（111）完整表面和铜缺陷表面上的稳定性,计算了负载在Cu2O（111）完整表面和铜缺陷表面上的Pdn（n=1-4）对H2分子的最稳定吸附结构;利用在给定H2压力和温度下Pdn / Cu2O表面吸附H2的相图揭示了Pdn团簇在Cu2O（111）两个表面的变化情况。结果表明,在吸附了H2分子以后,Pdn团簇更倾向于保持原有的结构,且随着Pd团簇的增大,吸附H2的数量也逐渐增长。     

The role of low-coordinate oxygen on Co3O4(110) in catalytic CO oxidation

A complete catalytic cycle for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation to carbon dioxide (CO(2)) by molecular oxygen on the Co(3)O(4)(110) surface was obtained by density functional theory plus the on-site Coulomb repulsion (DFT + U). Previously observed high activity of Co(3)O(4) to catalytically oxidize CO at very low temperatures is explained by a unique twofold-coordinate oxygen site on Co(3)O(4)(110). The CO molecule extracts this oxygen with a computed barrier of 27 kJ/mol. The extraction leads to CO(2) formation and an oxygen vacancy on Co(3)O(4)(110). Then, the O(2) molecule dissociates without a barrier between two neighboring oxygen vacancies (which are shown to have high surface mobility), thereby replenishing the twofold-coordinate oxygen sites on the surface and enabling the catalytic cycle. In contrast, extracting the threefold-coordinate oxygen site on Co(3)O(4)(110) has a higher barrier. Our work furnishes a molecular-level mechanism of Co(3)O(4)'s catalytic power, which may help understand previous experimental results and oxidation catalysis by transition metal oxides.     

Inclined N2 desorption in N2O reduction by D2 and CO on Pd(110)

Inclined N2 desorption was examined in the course of a catalyzed N2O + D2 (or CO) reaction on Pd(110) by angle-resolved mass spectroscopy combined with cross-correlation time-of-flight techniques. N2 desorption collimated at around 45 degrees off the normal toward the [001] direction in the temperature range of 400-800 K. Its collimation angle and kinetic energy were insensitive to both the surface temperature and surface conditions throughout the kinetic transition. It is proposed that this peculiar N2 desorption is induced by the decomposition of N2O oriented along the [001] direction.     

Self-oscillations in the rate of CO oxidation on Pt(110)

The surface of Pt(110) was found to be metastable under the reaction conditions. The necessary condition for the appearance of self-oscillations in the system is the change of platinum surface properties under the action of reaction medium. Self-oscillations in the rate are maintained due to reversibility of these changes.

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, Pt(110) . .

     

Edge-on bonding of benzene molecules in the second adsorbed layer on Cu(110)

The bilayer of benzene on Cu(110) was studied with temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), time-of-flight electron stimulated desorption ion angular distribution (TOF-ESDIAD), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). TPD spectra show that three well-defined adsorption states exist. The alpha layer corresponds to the first layer containing flat-lying benzene molecules. As coverage increases, the beta layer forms on top of the alpha layer, and eventually, a multilayer, gamma, forms. TPD measurements show that the number of benzene molecules in the beta layer is equal to the number of benzene molecules in the alpha layer. ESDIAD measurements establish that the orientation of the benzene molecules in the beta layer is edge-on, with two C-H bonds directed toward the surface. STM images of the beta layer reveal closely spaced edge-on benzene molecules arranged in repeating hexagons, as well as loosely spaced benzene molecules with greater apparent height, which are also edge-on species. Correlation between the different measurements suggests a structural model for the benzene bilayer.     

Angular dependence of rotational and vibrational energies of product CO2 in CO oxidation on Pd(110)

The rotational and vibrational energies of product CO(2) in the CO oxidation on Pd(110) surfaces were measured as functions of desorption angles. The antisymmetric vibrational temperature (T(a)) was separately determined from the other vibrational modes from the normalized chemiluminescence intensity. The rotational temperature (T(rot)) and vibrational temperature averaged over the symmetric and bending modes (T(sb)) were then determined by the position and width of spectra by comparison with simulated spectra. On Pd(110)-(1x1), with increases in the desorption angle, T(a), T(sb) and T(rot) decreased in the [001] direction but remained constant in [11[combining macron]0]. However, such anisotropy disappeared when the ratio of exposure of O(2) to that of CO decreased, resulting in a gradual decrease of the three temperatures with increases in the desorption angle. On Pd(110) with missing rows, the three temperatures increased in [001] but decreased in [11[combining macron]0], indicating that the transition state changes with the geometry of the substrate. On Pd(110) with missing rows, T(a) was significantly lower than T(sb), although T(a) was close to or higher than T(sb) on Pd(110)-(1x1). However, there was no significant difference in the angular dependence between T(a), T(sb) and T(rot).