Vanadium oxides on aluminum oxide supports. 2. Structure, vibrational properties, and reducibility of V2O5 clusters on alpha-Al2O3(0001)

The structure, stability, and vibrational properties of isolated V2O5 clusters on the Al2O3(0001) surface have been studied by density functional theory and statistical thermodynamics. The most stable structure does not possess vanadyl oxygen atoms. The positions of the oxygen atoms are in registry with those of the alumina support, and both vanadium atoms occupy octahedral sites. Another structure with one vanadyl oxygen atom is only 0.12 eV less stable. Infrared spectra are calculated for the two structures. The highest frequency at 922 cm(-1) belongs to a V-O stretch in the V-O-Al interface bonds, which supports the assignment of such a mode to the band observed around 941 cm(-1) for vanadia particles on alumina. Removal of a bridging oxygen atom from the most stable cluster at the V-O-Al interface bond costs 2.79 eV. Removal of a (vanadyl) oxygen atom from a thin vanadia film on alpha-Al2O3 costs 1.3 eV more, but removal from a V2O5(001) single-crystal surface costs 0.9 eV less. Similar to the V2O5(001) surface, the facile reduction is due to substantial structure relaxations that involve formation of an additional V-O-V bond and yield a pair of V(IV)(d1) sites instead of a V(III)(d2)/V(V)(d0) pair.     

Vanadium oxides on aluminum oxide supports. 1. Surface termination and reducibility of vanadia films on alpha-Al2O3(0001)

Using density functional theory and statistical thermodynamics, we obtained the phase diagram of thin VnOm films of varying thickness (approximately 2-6 A, 1-6 vanadium layers) supported on alpha-Al2O3(0001). Depending on the temperature, oxygen pressure, and vanadium concentration, films with different thickness and termination may form. In ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), at room temperature and for low vanadium concentrations, an ultrathin (1 x 1) O=V-terminated film is most stable. As more vanadium is supplied, the thickest possible films form. Their structures and terminations correspond to previous findings for the (0001) surface of bulk V2O3 [Kresse et al., Surf. Sci. 2004, 555, 118]. The presence of surface vanadyl (O=V) groups is a prevalent feature. They are stable up to at least 800 K in UHV. Vanadyl oxygen atoms induce a V(2p) core-level shift of about 2 eV on the surface V atoms. The reducibility of the supported films is characterized by the energy of oxygen defect formation. For the stable structures, the results vary between 4.11 and 3.59 eV per 1/2O2. In contrast, oxygen removal from the V2O5(001) surface is much easier (1.93 eV). This provides a possible explanation for the lower catalytic activity of vanadium oxides supported on alumina compared to that of crystalline vanadia particles.     

First-principles study of the adsorption of cesium on Si(001)(2 x 1) surface

First-principles calculations based on density functional theory-generalized gradient approximation method have been performed on cesium adsorption on Si(001)(2 x 1) surface. The optimized geometries and adsorption energies have been obtained and the preferred binding sites have been determined for the coverage (Theta) of one monolayer and half a monolayer. At Theta = 0.5 ML the most stable adsorption site is shown to be T3 site. At Theta = 1 ML two Cs atoms are adsorbed at HH and T3 sites, respectively. It was found that the saturation coverage of Cs for the Si(001)(2 x 1)-Cs surface is one monolayer instead of half a monolayer. This finding supports the majority of experimental observations but does not support recent coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy investigations [Surf. Sci. 531, L340 (2003)] and He(+) Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy studies [Phys. Rev. B 62, 4545 (2000)]. Mulliken charge and overlap population analysis showed that the Cs-Si bond is indeed ionic rather than polarized covalent as generally assumed for alkali metal (AM) on Si(001)(2 x 1) surface. Geometrical structure analysis seems to have limitations in determining the nature of AM-substrate bond. We also found that the silicon surface is metallic and semiconducting for the coverages of 0.5 and 1 ML, respectively.     

Periodic density functional theory study of methane activation over La(2)O(3): activity of O(2-), O(-), O(2)(2-), oxygen point defect,and Sr(2+)-doped surface sites

Results of gradient-corrected periodic density functional theory calculations are reported for hydrogen abstraction from methane at O(s)(2-), O(s)(-), O(2)(s)(2-) point defect, and Sr(2+)-doped surface sites on La(2)O(3)(001). The results show that the anionic O(s)(-) species is the most active surface oxygen site. The overall reaction energy to activate methane at an O(s)(-) site to form a surface hydroxyl group and gas-phase (*)CH(3) radical is 8.2 kcal/mol, with an activation barrier of 10.1 kcal/mol. The binding energy of hydrogen at an site O(s)(-) is -102 kcal/mol. An oxygen site with similar activity can be generated by doping strontium into the oxide by a direct Sr(2+)/La(3+) exchange at the surface. The O(-)-like nature of the surface site is reflected in a calculated hydrogen binding energy of -109.7 kcal/mol. Calculations indicate that surface peroxide (O(2(s))(2-)) sites can be generated by adsorption of O(2) at surface oxygen vacancies, as well as by dissociative adsorption of O(2) across the closed-shell oxide surface of La(2)O(3)(001). The overall reaction energy and apparent activation barrier for the latter pathway are calculated to be only 12.1 and 33.0 kcal/mol, respectively. Irrespective of the route to peroxide formation, the O(2)(s)(2-) intermediate is characterized by a bent orientation with respect to the surface and an O-O bond length of 1.47 A; both attributes are consistent with structural features characteristic of classical peroxides. We found surface peroxide sites to be slightly less favorable for H-abstraction from methane than the O(s)(-) species, with DeltaE(rxn)(CH(4)) = 39.3 kcal/mol, E(act) = 47.3 kcal/mol, and DeltaE(ads)(H) = -71.5 kcal/mol. A possible mechanism for oxidative coupling of methane over La(2)O(3)(001) involving surface peroxides as the active oxygen source is suggested.     

Theoretical study of adsorption of O((3)P) and H(2)O on the rutile TiO(2)(110) surface

The adsorption of oxygen atoms O(3P) on both ideal and hydrated rutile TiO(2)(110) surfaces is investigated by periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations within the revised Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (RPBE) generalized gradient approximation and a four Ti-layer slab, with (2 x 1) and (3 x 1) surface unit cells. It is shown that upon adsorption on the TiO(2) surface the spin of the O atom is completely lost, leading to stable surface peroxide species on both in-plane and bridging oxygen sites with O-binding energies of about 1.0-1.5 eV, rather than to the kinetically unstable terminal Ti-O and terminal O-O species with smaller binding energies of 0.1-0.7 eV. Changes in O-atom coverage ratios between 1/3 and 1 molecular layer (ML) and coadsorption of H(2)O have only minor effects on the O-binding energies of the stable peroxide configurations. High O-atom diffusion barriers of about 1 eV are found, suggesting a slow recombination rate of adsorbed O atoms on TiO(2)(110). Our results suggest that the TiOOTi peroxide intermediate experimentally observed in photoelectrolysis of water should be interpreted as a single spinless O adatom on TiO(2) surface rather than as two Ti-O* radicals coupled together.     

V2O5/SiO2催化剂的异丁烷选择氧化反应性能

 采用溶胶－凝胶法和浸渍法制备了V2O5／SiO2催化剂,并用XRD,IR,TPD和活性评价等手段对催化剂的表面构造、化学吸附性能和异丁烷选择氧化反应性能进行了研究．结果表明：催化剂表面由Lewis碱位V＝O双键的端氧和Lewis酸位V5＋构成,异丁烷分子主要通过甲基中的H双位吸附在催化剂表面的Lewis碱位上,异丁烯分子可通过甲基的H吸附在催化剂表面的Lewis碱位,也可通过C＝C双键吸附在催化剂表面的Lewis酸位上．在常压条件下,异丁烷选择氧化产物主要有异丁烯、甲基丙烯醛和甲基丙烯酸,其中深度氧化产物CO2主要由通过C＝C吸附的异丁烯继续反应生成．     

First principles analysis of H2O adsorption on the (110) surfaces of SnO2, TiO2 and their solid solutions

Both associative and dissociative H(2)O adsorption on SnO(2)(110), TiO(2)(110), and Ti-enriched Sn(1-x)Ti(x)O(2)(110) surfaces have been investigated at low ((1)/(12) monolayer (ML)) and high coverage (1 ML) by density functional theory calculations using the Gaussian and plane waves formalism. The use of a large supercell allowed the simulation at low symmetry levels. On SnO(2)(110), dissociative adsorption was favored at all coverages and was accompanied by stable associative H(2)O configurations. Increasing the coverage from (1)/(12) to 1 ML stabilized the (associatively or dissociatively) adsorbed H(2)O on SnO(2)(110) because of the formation of intermolecular H bonds. In contrast, on TiO(2)(110), the adsorption of isolated H(2)O groups ((1)/(12) ML) was more stable than at high coverage, and the favored adsorption changed from dissociative to associative with increasing coverage. For dissociative H(2)O adsorption on Ti-enriched Sn(1-x)Ti(x)O(2)(110) surfaces with Ti atoms preferably located on 6-fold-coordinated surface sites, the analysis of the Wannier centers showed a polarization of electrons surrounding bridging O atoms that were bound simultaneously to 6-fold-coordinated Sn and Ti surface atoms. This polarization suggested the formation of an additional bond between the 6-fold-coordinated Ti(6c) and bridging O atoms that had to be broken upon H(2)O adsorption. As a result, the H(2)O adsorption energy initially decreased, with increasing surface Ti content reaching a minimum at 25% Ti for (1)/(12) ML. This behavior was even more accentuated at high H(2)O coverage (1 ML) with the adsorption energy decreasing rapidly from 145.2 to 101.6 kJ/mol with the surface Ti content increasing from 0 to 33%. A global minimum of binding energies at both low and high coverage was found between 25 and 33% surface Ti content, which may explain the minimal cross-sensitivity to humidity previously reported for Sn(1-x)Ti(x)O(2) gas sensors. Above 12.5% surface Ti content, the binding energy decreased with increasing coverage, suggesting that the partial desorption of H(2)O is facilitated at a high fractional coverage.     

Adsorption of CO2 on oxidized, defected, hydrogen and oxygen covered rutile (1 x 1)-TiO2(110)

Presented are initial, S(0) and coverage, Theta, dependent S(Theta), adsorption probability measurements of CO(2) as a function of impact energy, E(i) = 0.12-1.3 eV, adsorption temperature, T(s) = 85-300 K, hydrogen and oxygen pre-exposure, as well as density of defects, Gamma, as varied by annealing (T = 600-900 K) and Ar(+) ion sputtering (dose chi(Ar) at 600 eV at 85 K) of a rutile (1 x 1) TiO(2)(110) surface. The defect densities were qualitatively characterized by thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) of CO(2). The CO(2) TDS curves consisted of two structures that can be assigned to adsorption on pristine and oxygen vacancy sites, in agreement with earlier studies. S(0) decreased linearly with E(i) and was independent of T(s). The adsorption dynamics were dominated by the effect of precursor states leading to Kisliuk-like shapes over the E(i) and T(s) range studied. Oxygen vacancy sites reduced S(0) of CO(2). Preadsorbed oxygen blocked preferentially defect sites, which led to an increase in S(0). Hydrogen preadsorption results in physical site blocking with decreased S(0) as H-preexposure increased, while the shape of S(Theta) curves was conserved. In contrast to oxygen, hydrogen does not adsorb preferentially on defect sites. The adsorption probability data were parameterized by analytic functions (Kisliuk model) and by Monte Carlo simulations (MCSs).     

Synthesis and characterization of a twin Cubane-type molybdenum-rhodium-sulfur cluster, [{Mo3RhCp*S4(H2O)7(O)}2]8+. X-ray structure of [{Mo3RhCpS4(H2O7O}2](CH3C6H4SO3)(8).14H2O

The reaction of [Mo(3)S(4)(H(2)O)(9)](4+) (1) with [(CpRhCl(2))(2)] afforded a novel rhodium-molybdenum cluster, [{Mo(3)RhCpS(4)(H(2)O)(7)(O)}(2)](8+) (2). X-ray structure analysis of [2](pts)(8).14H(2)O (pts(-) = CH(3)C(6)H(4)SO(3)(-)) has revealed the existence of a new oxo-bridged twin cubane-type core, (Mo(3)RhCpS(4))(2)(O)(2). The high affinity of the CpRh group for sulfur atoms in 1 seems to be the main driving force for this reaction. The strong Lewis acidity of the CpRh group in intermediate A, [Mo(3)RhCpS(4)(H(2)O)(9)](6+), caused a release of proton from one of the water molecules attached to the molybdenum atoms to give intermediate B, [Mo(3)RhCpS(4)(H(2)O)(8)(OH)](5+). The elimination of two water molecules from two intermediate B molecules, followed by the deprotonation reaction of hydroxo bridges, generated the twin cubane-type cluster 2. The formal oxidation states of rhodium and molybdenum atoms are the same before and after the reaction (i.e., Mo(IV)(3), Rh(III)). The Mo-O-Mo moieties in [2](pts)(8).14H(2)O are nearly linear with a bond angle of 164.3(3) degrees, and the basicity of the bridging oxygen atoms seems to be weak. For this reason, protonation at the bridging oxygen atoms does not occur even in a strongly acidic aqueous solution. The binding energy values of Mo 3d(5/2), Rh 3d(5/2), and C 1s obtained from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements for [2](pts)(8).14H(2)O are 229.8, 309.3, and 285 eV, respectively. The XPS measurements on the Rh 3d(5/2) binding energy indicate that the oxidation state of Rh is 3+. The binding energy of Mo 3d(5/2) (229.8 eV) compares with that observed for [1](pts)(4).7H(2)O (230.7 eV, Mo 3d(5/2)). A lower energy shift (0.9 eV) is observed in the binding energy of Mo 3d(5/2) for [2](pts)(8).14H(2)O. This energy shift may correspond to the coordination of an oxygen atom having a negative charge to the molybdenum atom.     

Protonation of phosphovanadomolybdates H(3+x)PV(x)Mo(12-x)O40: computational insight into reactivity

Protonated phosphovanadomolybdates of the Keggin structure, H(3+x)PV(x)Mo(12-x)O(40) where x = 0, 1, 2, and derivatives with surface defects formed by loss of constitutional water were studied using high-level DFT calculations toward determination of the most stable species and possible active forms in oxidation catalysis in both the gas phase and in polar solutions. The calculations demonstrate that protonation at bridging positions is energetically much more favorable than protonation of terminal oxygen atoms. The preferential protonation site is determined by the stability of the metal-oxygen bond rather than the negative charge on the oxygen atom. In H(3)PMo(12)O(40), maximum distances between protons at bridging oxygen atoms are energetically favored. In contrast, for H(4)PVMo(11)O(40) and H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) protons prefer nucleophilic sites adjacent to vanadium atoms. Up to three protons are bound to the nucleophilic sites around the same vanadium atom in the stable isomeric forms of H(5)PV(2)Mo(10)O(40) that result in strong destabilization of oxo-vanadium(V) bonding to the Keggin unit. Such behavior arises from the different nature of the Mo-O and V-O bonds that can be traced to the different sizes of the valence d orbitals of the metals. Coordination of two protons at the same site yields water and an oxygen defect as a result of its dissociation. The energetic cost for the formation of surface defects decreases in the order: O(t) ? O(c) ? O(e) and is lower for the sites adjacent to vanadium atoms. Vanadium atoms near defects also have a significant contribution to the LUMO. Thus, vanadium-substituted polyoxometalates with defects near and, especially, between vanadium atoms present a plausible active form of polyoxometalates in oxidation reactions.     

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of[Ni(C5H2N2O4)(2, 2'-bipy)(H2O)2]·2H2O

The crystal structure of [Ni(C5H2N2O4)(2, 2?-bipy)(H2O)2]·2H2O 1 has been determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystal data: triclinic system, space group P ī with a = 7.9424(3), b = 9.9417(3), c = 12.1867(3) (A。）, α = 84.771(1), β = 77.375(2), γ = 68.993(2)°, C15H18N4O8Ni, Mr = 440.7, V = 876.16(5) (A。）3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.672 g/cm3, F(000) = 456, ((MoK() = 1.162 mm-1, the final R = 0.0464 and wR = 0.1055 for 3026 observed reflections with I > 2((I). In the title compound, the nickel ion is coordinated by a nitrogen atom and an oxygen atom from the orotate ligand, two nitrogen atoms from 2, 2'-bipy and two oxygen atoms from the coordinated water molecules in a distorted octahedral geometry. The presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and (-( stacking interaction of aromatic rings from 2, 2'-bipy results in a 3D structure.     

Surface dependence of CO2 adsorption on Zn2GeO4

An understanding of the interaction between Zn(2)GeO(4) and the CO(2) molecule is vital for developing its role in the photocatalytic reduction of CO(2). In this study, we present the structure and energetics of CO(2) adsorbed onto the stoichiometric perfectly and the oxygen vacancy defect of Zn(2)GeO(4) (010) and (001) surfaces using density functional theory slab calculations. The major finding is that the surface structure of the Zn(2)GeO(4) is important for CO(2) adsorption and activation, i.e., the interaction of CO(2) with Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces is structure-dependent. The ability of CO(2) adsorption on (001) is higher than that of CO(2) adsorption on (010). For the (010) surface, the active sites O(2c)···Ge(3c) and Ge(3c)-O(3c) interact with the CO(2) molecule leading to a bidentate carbonate species. The presence of Ge(3c)-O(2c)···Ge(3c) bonds on the (001) surface strengthens the interaction of CO(2) with the (001) surface, and results in a bridged carbonate-like species. Furthermore, a comparison of the calculated adsorption energies of CO(2) adsorption on perfect and defective Zn(2)GeO(4) (010) and (001) surfaces shows that CO(2) has the strongest adsorption near a surface oxygen vacancy site, with an adsorption energy -1.05 to -2.17 eV, stronger than adsorption of CO(2) on perfect Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces (E(ads) = -0.91 to -1.12 eV) or adsorption of CO(2) on a surface oxygen defect site (E(ads) = -0.24 to -0.95 eV). Additionally, for the defective Zn(2)GeO(4) surfaces, the oxygen vacancies are the active sites. CO(2) that adsorbs directly at the Vo site can be dissociated into CO and O and the Vo defect can be healed by the oxygen atom released during the dissociation process. On further analysis of the dissociative adsorption mechanism of CO(2) on the surface oxygen defect site, we concluded that dissociative adsorption of CO(2) favors the stepwise dissociation mechanism and the dissociation process can be described as CO(2) + Vo → CO(2)(δ-)/Vo → CO(adsorbed) + O(surface). This result has an important implication for understanding the photoreduction of CO(2) by using Zn(2)GeO(4) nanoribbons.     

Dispersion state and catalytic properties of vanadia species on the surface of V_2O_5/TiO_2 catalysts

The dispersion state and catalytic properties of anatase-supported vanadia species are studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and the selective oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride. The almost identical values of the experimental dispersion capacity of V2O5 on anatase and the surface vacant sites available on the preferentially exposed (001) plane of anatase suggest that the highly dispersed vanadium cations are bonded to the vacant sites on the surface of anatase as derived by the incorporation model. When the loading amount of V2O5 is far below its dispersion capacity, the dispersed vanadia species might mainly consist of isolated VOx species bridging to the surface through V-O-Ti bonds. With the increase of V2O5 loading the isolated vanadia species interact with their nearest neighbors (either isolated or polymerized vanadia) through bridging V-O-V at the expenses of V-O-Ti bonds, resulting in the increase of the ra     

Racemic monoperoxovanadium(V) complexes with achiral OO and ON donor set heteroligands: synthesis, crystal structure and stereochemistry of [NH3(CH2)2NH3][VO(O2)(ox)(pic)].2H2O and [NH3(CH2)2NH3][VO(O2)(ox)(pca)

Monoperoxovanadium(V) complexes, [NH3(CH2)2NH3][VO(O2)(ox)(pic)].2H2O (1) and [NH3(CH2)2NH3][VO(O2)(ox)(pca)] (2) [NH3(CH2)2NH3 = ethane-1,2-diammonium(2+), ox=oxalate(2-), pic=pyridine-2-carboxylate(1-), pca=pyrazine-2-carboxylate(1-)], were synthesized and characterized by X-ray analysis, IR and Raman spectroscopies. The five equatorial positions of the pentagonal bipyramid around the vanadium atoms are occupied by the eta2-peroxo ligand, two oxygen atoms of the ox, and the nitrogen atom of the pic or pca ligands, respectively. The oxo ligand and the oxygen atom of pic or pca are in the axial positions. Networks of X-HO (X=C, N or O) hydrogen bonds, and pi-pi interactions between aromatic rings in and anion-pi interactions in , determine the molecular packings and build up the supramolecular architecture. Three stereochemical rules for occupation of the donor sites in two-heteroligand [VO(O2)(L1)(L2)] complexes (L1, L2 are bidentate neutral or differently charged anionic heteroligands providing an OO, NN or ON donor set) are discussed. and crystallize as racemic compounds. The 51V NMR spectra proved that the parent complex anions of and partially decompose on dissolution in water to the monoperoxo-ox, -pic or -pca complexes.     

Synthesis, Crystal Structure and Properties of Complex VO（C12H12N2O2） （C13H10NO2）

IntroductionAsthevanadate dependentenzyme ,ahaloperox idase,andvanadiumnitrogenasehavebeenfoundinsuccession ,somescientistsareinterestedinthecoor dinationchemistryandthebiochemistryofvanadi um[1] .Thereactivecenterofvanadiumbromoperoxi dasecontainstheoxovanadiumVO3+ coordinatedbyoxygenandnitrogenatoms[2 ] .However,thestudiesaboutoxovanadiumVO3+ coordinationcompoundscontainingbioactiveligandsarerarelyfound[3— 8] .Hydroximicacidthatcanbeconsideredtobethederivativeofthecarboxylicacid ,theamide…     

Structure and reactivity of V(2)O(5): bulk solid, nanosized clusters, species supported on silica and alumina, cluster cations and anions

Vanadyl bond dissociation energies are calculated by density functional theory (DFT). While the hybrid (B3LYP) functional results are close to the available reference data, gradient corrected functionals (BP86, PBE) yield large errors (about 50 to 100 kJ mol(-1)), but reproduce trends correctly. PBE calculations on a V(20)O(62)H(24) cluster model for the (001) surface of V(2)O(5) crystals virtually reproduce periodic slab calculations. The low bond dissociation energy (formation of oxygen surface defect) of 113 kJ mol(-1)(B3LYP) is due to substantial structure relaxations leading to formation of V-O-V bonds between the V(2)O(5) layers of the crystal. This relaxation cannot occur in polyhedral (V(2)O(5))(n) clusters and also not for V(2)O(5) species supported on silica or alumina (represented by cage-type models) for which bond dissociation energies of 250-300 kJ mol(-1) are calculated. The OV(OCH(3))(3) molecule and its dimer are also considered. Radical cations V(2)O(5)(+) and V(4)O(10)(+) have very low bond dissociation energies (22 and 14 kJ mol(-1), respectively), while the corresponding radical anions have higher dissociation energies (about 330 kJ mol(-1)) than the neutral clusters. The bond dissociation energies of the closed shell V(3)O(7)(+) cation (165 kJ mol(-1)) and the closed shell V(3)O(8)(-) anion (283 kJ mol(-1)) are closest to the values of the neutral clusters. This makes them suitable for gas phase studies which aim at comparisons with V(2)O(5) species on supporting oxides.     

Interaction of water with ordered theta-Al(2)O(3) ultrathin films grown on NiAl(100)

The structure of an ordered, ultrathin theta-Al(2)O(3) film grown on a NiAl(100) single-crystal surface was studied by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), and its interaction with water was investigated with temperature programmed desorption (TPD) and XPS. Our results indicate that H(2)O adsorption on the theta-Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) surface is predominantly molecular rather than dissociative. For theta(H)()2(O) < 1 ML (ML = monolayer), H(2)O molecules were found to populate Al(3+) cation sites to form isolated H(2)O species aligned in a row along the cation sites on the oxide surface with a repulsive interaction between them. For theta(H)()2(O) > 1 ML, three-dimensional ice multilayers were observed to form, which then desorb during TPD with approximate zero-order kinetics as expected. A small extent of H(2)O dissociation was observed to occur on the theta-Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) surface, which was attributed to the presence of a low concentration of oxygen atom vacancies. Titration of these defect sites with adsorbed H(2)O molecules revealed an estimated defect density of 0.05 ML for the theta-Al(2)O(3)/NiAl(100) system consistent with the ordered nature of the synthesized oxide film.     

Insights into the H_2O/V_2O_5 Interface Structure for Optimizing Water-splitting

The interaction of water(H2O) with metal oxide surfaces is of fundamental importance to various fields of science, ranging from batteries to catalysis. In particular, vanadium pentoxide(V2O5) has been widely used as electrode materials for aqueous-battery and catalysts. Herein, theoretical(density functional theory) study gives atomic-scale insights into water monolayers in V2O5 and single-molecule adsorption and dissociation at three low-index surfaces and oxygen-vacancy V2O5(001) surface. The H2O/V2O5 interface structure was identified. The results show that H2O is adsorbed on the stoichiometric V2O5(001) surface with physisorption mechanism, and the dissociation hardly occurs. Water adsorbs as an intact monomer with a computed binding energy of 0.75 eV. The formation of ordered water overlayers has been observed on V2O5(001) surface, suggesting a locally ordered superstructure of molecular water. The molecular H2O adsorption on oxygen-vacancy V2O5(001) surface is stronger than that on the stoichiometric V2O5(001) surface, and H2O can undergo dissociative chemisorption to form a surface hydroxyl group and a H adatom. V2O5 can take the oxygen from H2O, which is consistent with the experimental results.     

Two mixed-valence vanadium(III,IV) phosphonoacetates with 16-ring channels: H2(DABCO)[V(IV)O(H2O)V(III)(OH)(O3PCH2CO2)2].2.5H2O and H2(PIP)[V(IVO)(H2O)V(III)(OH)(O3PCH2CO2)2].2.5H2O

Two isostructural mixed-valence vanadium phosphonoacetates H2(DABCO)[V(IV)O(H2O)V(III)(OH)(O3PCH2CO2)2].2.5H2O (1) and H2(PIP)[V(IV)O(H2O)V(III)(OH)(O3PCH2CO2)2].2.5H2O (2) have been synthesized. They crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Pnna with a = 7.0479(10) A, b = 15.307(2) A, and c = 17.537(3) A for 1 and a = 7.0465(9) A, b = 15.646(2) A, and c = 17.396(2) A for 2. X-ray single-crystal diffraction reveals that 1 and 2 have a three-dimensional open framework featuring 16-ring ellipsoid channels that are filled with doubly protonated 1,4-diazabicyclo[2,2,2]octanium/piperazinium cations and water molecules. According to the classification in metal-organic frameworks, 1 and 2 contain infinite (-O-V-)(infinity) chains that are cross-linked by "metalloligand" [VO(H2O)(O3PCH2CO2)2](4-) into a 3-D net of the sra topology. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of 1 shows that the chi(m)T value in the range of 60-320 K is constant of 1.105 cm3 K mol(-1)/V2 unit, and upon further cooling, the chi(m)T value rapidly increases to 1.81 cm3 K mol(-1) at 2 K. The corresponding effective magnetic moment (mu(eff))/V2 unit varies from 2.97 mu(B) at 320 K to 3.80 mu(B) at 2 K. The magnetic data in the range of 2-320 K follow the Curie-Weiss law with C = 1.074 cm3 K mol(-1) and Theta= -1.34 K.     

Reactivity of V2O3(0001) surfaces: molecular vs dissociative adsorption of water

The adsorption of water on V2O3(0001) surfaces has been investigated by thermal desorption spectroscopy, high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with use of synchrotron radiation. The V2O3(0001) surfaces have been generated in epitaxial thin film form on a Rh(111) substrate with three different surface terminations according to the particular preparation conditions. The stable surface in thermodynamic equilibrium with the bulk is formed by a vanadyl (VO) (1x1) surface layer, but an oxygen-rich (radical3xradical3)R30 degrees reconstruction can be prepared under a higher chemical potential of oxygen (microO), whereas a V-terminated surface consisting of a vanadium surface layer requires a low microO, which can be achieved experimentally by the deposition of V atoms onto the (1x1) VO surface. The latter two surfaces have been used to model, in a controlled way, oxygen and vanadium containing defect centres on V2O3. On the (1x1) V=O and (radical3xradical3)R30 degrees surfaces, which expose only oxygen surface sites, the experimental results indicate consistently that the molecular adsorption of water provides the predominant adsorption channel. In contrast, on the V-terminated (1/radical3x1/radical3)R30 degrees surface the dissociation of water and the formation of surface hydroxyl species at 100 K is readily observed. Besides the dissociative adsorption a molecular adsorption channel exists also on the V-terminated V2O3(0001) surface, so that the water monolayer consists of both OH and molecular H2O species. The V surface layer on V2O3 is very reactive and is reoxidised by adsorbed water at 250 K, yielding surface vanadyl species. The results of this study indicate that V surface centres are necessary for the dissociation of water on V2O3 surfaces.