Metal‐Functionalized Silicene for Efficient Hydrogen Storage

First‐principles calculations based on density functional theory are used to investigate the electronic structure along with the stability, bonding mechanism, band gap, and charge transfer of metal‐functionalized silicene to envisage its hydrogen‐storage capacity. Various metal atoms including Li, Na, K, Be, Mg, and Ca are doped into the most stable configuration of silicene. The corresponding binding energies and charge‐transfer mechanisms are discussed from the perspective of hydrogen‐storage compatibility. The Li and Na metal dopants are found to be ideally suitable, not only for strong metal‐to‐substrate binding and uniform distribution over the substrate, but also for the high‐capacity storage of hydrogen. The stabilities of both Li‐ and Na‐functionalized silicene are also confirmed through molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that both of the alkali metals, Li⁺ and Na⁺, can adsorb five hydrogen molecules, attaining reasonably high storage capacities of 7.75 and 6.9 wt %, respectively, with average adsorption energies within the range suitable for practical hydrogen‐storage applications.     

First-principles study of K and Cs adsorbed on Pd(111)

The adsorptions of K and Cs on Pd(111) were studied by the density functional calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. The site preference, bonding character, work function, and electron structure of the system were analyzed. For K and Cs adsorption, the hcp hollow site was found to be preferred for all the coverages investigated. The calculated adsorption geometries for (2 x 2) and (square root 3 x square root 3)R30 degrees phases are both in reasonable agreement with the observed results. The decrease of the work function upon the adsorption of K and Cs can be attributed to a dipole moment associated with the polarized adsorbate atom, which is characterized by depletion of the electron charge in the alkali metal layer and a charge accumulation in the interface region. Our results indicate that the bonding of alkali metal with the Pd(111) surface has a mixed ionic and metallic bond character at low coverage and a metallic bond of covalent character at high coverage.     

Density Functional Study of the C Atom Adsorption on the α-Fe2O3 （001） Surface

The adsorption of C atoms on the α-Fe2O3(001) surface was studied based on density function theory(DFT) ,in which the exchange-correlation potential was chosen as the PBE(Perdew,Burke and Ernzerhof) generalized gradient approximation(GGA) with a plane wave basis set. Upon the optimization on different adsorption sites with coverage of 1/20 and 1/5 ML,it was found that the adsorption of C atoms on the α-Fe2O3(001) surface was chemical adsorption. The coverage can affect the adsorption behavior greatly. Under low coverage,the most stable adsorption geometry lied on the bridged site with the adsorption energy of about 3.22 eV;however,under high coverage,it located at the top site with the energy change of 8.79 eV. Strong chemical reaction has occurred between the C and O atoms at this site. The density of states and population analysis showed that the s,p orbitals of C and p orbital of O give the most contribution to the adsorption bonding. During the adsorption process,O atom shares the electrons with C,and C can only affect the outermost and subsurface layers of α-Fe2O3;the third layer can not be affected obviously.     

Structure Sensitivity in the Decomposition of Ethylene Carbonate on Si Anodes

The interaction of ethylene carbonate (EC) with Si surfaces is studied by density functional theory. The results show a strong structure sensitivity in the adsorption of EC on Si surfaces. While the adsorbed EC molecule readily decomposes on the Li/Si(111) surface, it does not dissociate on the Li/Si(100) and Li/Si(110) surfaces. On Si(111), the O atom at the top of EC is detached from the EC molecule and binds to the Li adatom, forming Li?O molecules. The mechanism of EC decomposition is the transfer of 2.4 electrons from the surface to the EC molecule, as well as the formation of a covalent bond between the Li adatom and the EC molecule. This result shows that in lithium‐ion batteries with Si anodes, dissociation of the solvent and formation of a solid electrolyte interphase layer start as soon as the Li atoms cover the anode surface.     

Stability of atomic oxygen chemisorption on Pt‐alloy surfaces

A density functional theory calculation is used to investigate the atomic oxygen (O) stability over platinum (Pt) and Pt‐based alloy surfaces. Here, the stability is connected with the preferential adsorption sites for O chemisorptions and the adsorption energy. Thus, the interaction mechanism between atomic O and metal surfaces is studied by using charge transfer analysis. In this present paper, atomic structure and binding energy of oxygen adsorption on the Pt(111) are in a very good agreement with experiment and previous density functional theory calculations. Furthermore, we obtained that the addition of ruthenium (Ru) and molybdenum (Mo) on the pure Pt surface enhances the adsorption energy. Our charge transfer analysis shows that the largest charge transfer contributing to the metal‐O bonding formation is observed in the case of O/PtRuMo surface followed by O/PtRu surface. This is in consistency with metal d‐orbital characteristic, where Mo has much more empty d‐orbital than Ru in correspondence to accept electrons from atomic oxygen. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phenanthrenequinone adsorbed on Si(001): geometries, electronic properties, and optical response

As a prototypical case of a pi-conjugated organic overlayer on a semiconductor surface the adsorption of phenanthrenequinone (C14O2H8) on the Si(001) surface is studied by means of first principles calculations, using gradient-corrected density functional theory together with ultrasoft pseudopotentials and the projector augmented wave method. A thermodynamic phase diagram gives adsorption geometries depending on experimental conditions, the microscopically most favorable bonding configuration representing a "[4+2]-cycloaddition product". The surface electronic structure depends strongly on the respective adsorption configuration. Calculations of the surface optical signature show its sensitivity to molecular adsorption and are in agreement with experimental results. A detailed analysis illustrates that the bonding to the surface has to be taken into account accurately to unveil the molecule's contribution to the surface optical response.     

激光促进甲醇氧化偶联表面反应的规律

用沉淀法制备了Ｌｉ３ＰＯ４、ＢｉＰＯ４和Ｌｉ３ＰＯ４、ＢｉＰＯ４三种固体表面材料,并用ＸＲＤ、ＩＲ、ＴＰＤ和激光促进表面反应（ＬＳＳＲ）等技术研究了这些固体表面上甲醇氧化偶联生成乙二醇的反应规律。实验结果表明：甲醇在固体材料表面的Ｐ＝９键上产生Ｃ－Ｈ端的分子态吸附,在表面的Ｌｅｗｉｓ酸位（金属离子）上产生解离态吸附。Ｌｉ３ＰＯ４和ＢｉＰＯ４的相互作用可促进甲醇在固体表面上的分子态吸附而抑制解离态吸     

Si(001)-(2×2×1):H表面O2吸附的密度泛函理论研究

A novel model was developed to theoretically evaluate the O2 adsorption on H-terminated Si(001)-(2*2*1) surface. The periodic boundary condition, the ultrasoft pseudopotentials technique based on density functional theory (DFT) with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functional were applied in our ab initio calculations. By analyzing bonding energy on site, the favourable adsorption site was determined. The calculations also predicted that the adsorption products should be Si=O and H2O. This theoretical study supported the reaction mechanism provided by Kovalev et al. The results were also a base for further investigation of some more complex systems such as the oxidation on porous silicon surface.     

NO在氧化铝负载的Pd催化剂上吸附的TPD-MS研究

消除汽车尾气中的氮氧化物(NOx)对保护大气环境有着重要意义.为了除去NOx,已经进行了许多卓有成效的研究,例如NOx在分子筛上的直接分解和催化还原,在贵金属三效催化剂上的还原等.     

Na^+/CaO催化剂上的甲烷氧化偶联

研究了不同碱金属离子对CaO的促进作用,发现以Na~+的添加效果最好。在此基础上,研究了不同含钠化合物对CaO的促进作用,并用脉冲反应技术研究Na~+/CaO催化剂表面氧物种的特性及其作用。CaO表面上存在非选择性氧化的氧物种。Na~+对CaO的修饰作用是抑制非选择性氧化。当表面上的非选择性氧化的氧物种消耗后,体相的晶格氧会向表面迁移,以补充消耗掉的表面氧物种。消耗掉的表面氧物种也可由气相氧补充。CH_4脉冲和混合气脉冲说明仅靠[Na~+O~-]中心不足以使甲烷转化成C_2产物,必须有气相氧的参与才能使甲烷转化成C_2产物。     

Tetrahydrofuran-induced K and Li doping onto poly(furfuryl alcohol)-derived activated carbon (PFAC): influence on microstructure and H2 sorption properties

We have doped poly(furfuryl alcohol)-derived activated carbon (PFAC) with two alkali metals, potassium (K) and lithium (Li), by previously reacting the metals with naphthalene in the presence of tetrahydrofuran (THF), followed by introducing them to pristine PFAC. The THF molecule causes a minor alteration of the microstructure of PFAC as confirmed by Raman spectra, X-ray diffraction, and pore textural analysis. Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction indicated a slight localized ordering toward the stacking defects of disordered carbon, as in PFAC, which can be attributed to the movement of THF molecules within the internal planes of graphene sheets. Pore textural analysis confirmed the lowering of the specific surface area and pore volume of both K- and Li-doped PFACs (BET SSA, 1378 m(2)/g (PFAC); 1252 m(2)/g (K-PFAC), 1081 m(2)/g (Li-PFAC)). Volumetric hydrogen adsorption measurements at temperatures of 298, 288, 273, and 77 K and pressures of up to 1 bar indicated the enhanced adsorption potential imposed by the presence of alkali metals, which can be reconfirmed by the elevated heats of adsorption of metal-doped PFACs (Li-PFAC, -(10-11) kJ/mol; K-PFAC, -(16-19) kJ/mol) compared to that of pristine PFAC (-9.6 kJ/mol).     

The electronic structure of alkali aurides. A four-component Dirac-Kohn-Sham study

Spectroscopic constants, including dissociation energies, harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies, and dipole moments, are calculated for the complete alkali auride series (LiAu, NaAu, KAu, RbAu, CsAu). The four-component formulation of relativistic density functional theory has been employed in this study, using the G-spinor basis sets implemented recently in the program BERTHA. The performance of four standard nonrelativistic density functionals employed is investigated by comparing the results with the best available theoretical and experimental data. The present work provides the first theoretical predictions on the molecular properties of RbAu. The intermetallic bond that occurs in the alkali auride series is highly polar and is characterized by a large charge transfer from the alkali metals to gold. The extent of this electron transfer has been investigated using several different charge analysis methods, enabling us to reach some general conclusions on their relative performance. We further report a detailed analysis of the topological properties of relativistic electron density in the bonding region, discussing the features of this approach which characterize the nature of the chemical bond. We have also computed the fully relativistic density for the alkali halides MBr and MI (M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs). The comparative study shows that, on the basis of several topological properties and the variation in bond lengths, the gold atom behaves similarly to a halogen intermediate between Br and I.     

Surface,Size and Thermal Effects in Alkali Metal with Core-Electron Binding-Energy Shifts

Consistency between density functional theory calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements confirms our predications on the undercoordination-induced local bond relaxation and core level shift of alkali metal, which determine the surface, size and thermal properties of materials. Zone-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy analysis method and bond order-length-strength theory can be utilized to quantify the physical parameters regarding bonding identities and electronic property of metal surfaces, which allows for the study of the core-electron binding-energy shifts in alkali metals. By employing these methods and first principle calculation in this work, we can obtain the information of bond and atomic cohesive energy of under-coordinated atoms at the alkali metal surface. In addition, the effect of size and temperature towards the binding-energy in the surface region can be seen from the view point of Hamiltonian perturbation by atomic relaxation with atomic bonding.     

Enhancement of hydrogen physisorption on graphene and carbon nanotubes by Li doping

Density-functional calculations of the adsorption of molecular hydrogen on a planar graphene layer and on the external surface of a (4,4) carbon nanotube, undoped and doped with lithium, have been carried out. Hydrogen molecules are physisorbed on pure graphene and on the nanotube with binding energies about 80-90 meV/molecule. However, the binding energies increase to 160-180 meV/molecule for many adsorption configurations of the molecule near a Li atom in the doped systems. A charge-density analysis shows that the origin of the increase in binding energy is the electronic charge transfer from the Li atom to graphene and the nanotube. The results support and explain qualitatively the enhancement of the hydrogen storage capacity observed in some experiments of hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes doped with alkali atoms.     

First-principles Periodic Density Functional Study of CO Adsorption on Spinel-type CuCr2O4 (100) Surface

The catalytic properties of CuCr2O4 with the cubic normal spinel-type structure were discussed by means of studying CO adsorption on the CuCr2O4 (100) surface in the framework of density functional theory. The results of geometry optimization show that CO prefers to adsorb at a Cu site with the adsorption energy of 133.2 kJ/mol. The adsorptions at all sites lead to a decrease in C-O stretching frequency, an increase in C-O bond length and a net positive Mulliken charge for the CO molecule. Population analysis indicates that the charges transfer from the CO molecule to substrate. The density of states for CO molecule before and after adsorption are also computed to discuss the bonding mechanism of CO.     

Monolayer boron-arsenide as a perfect anode for alkali-based batteries with large storage capacities and fast mobilities

We investigate, by means of first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the possibility of using hexagonal boron-arsenide (h-BAs) as an anode material for alkali-based batteries. We show that the adsorption strength of alkali atoms (Li, Na, and K) on h-BAs in comparison with graphene and other related materials changes a little as a function of alkali atom concentration. When the separation between alkali atoms and h-BAs is less than the critical distance of ~5 Å, the adsorption energy abruptly increases showing fast adsorption without an energy barrier. Furthermore, the low energy barriers of 0.322, 0.187, and 0.0.095 eV for Li, Na, and K, respectively, ensure the fast ionic diffusivities for all the three alkali atoms. Additionally, the addition of these alkali atoms transforms the electronic properties of h-BAs from semiconducting to metallic, resulting in improved electronic conductivities. Most interestingly, the excellent storage capacities of h-BAs (~626 mAh/g) for alkali atoms make it a material of similar caliber to that of other popular anode materials. Finally, the average open circuit voltages are calculated and found to be in the desired range. In short, h-BAs possess every quality that is crucial for an anode material and thus it is interesting to see h-BAs in alkali-based battery technologies.     

Water monomer interaction with gold nanoclusters from van der Waals density functional theory

We investigate the interaction between water molecules and gold nanoclusters Au(n) through a systematic density functional theory study within both the generalized gradient approximation and the nonlocal van der Waals (vdW) density functional theory. Both planar (n = 6-12) and three-dimensional (3D) clusters (n = 17-20) are studied. We find that applying vdW density functional theory leads to an increase in the Au-Au bond length and a decrease in the cohesive energy for all clusters studied. We classify water adsorption on nanoclusters according to the corner, edge, and surface adsorption geometries. In both corner and edge adsorptions, water molecule approaches the cluster through the O atom. For planar clusters, surface adsorption occurs in a O-up/H-down geometry with water plane oriented nearly perpendicular to the cluster. For 3D clusters, water instead favors a near-flat surface adsorption geometry with the water O atom sitting nearly atop a surface Au atom, in agreement with previous study on bulk surfaces. Including vdW interaction increases the adsorption energy for the weak surface adsorption but reduces the adsorption energy for the strong corner adsorption due to increased water-cluster bond length. By analyzing the adsorption induced charge rearrangement through Bader's charge partitioning and electron density difference and the orbital interaction through the projected density of states, we conclude that the bonding between water and gold nanocluster is determined by an interplay between electrostatic interaction and covalent interaction involving both the water lone-pair and in-plane orbitals and the gold 5d and 6s orbitals. Including vdW interaction does not change qualitatively the physical picture but does change quantitatively the adsorption structure due to the fluxionality of gold nanoclusters.     

First‐principles calculations of oxygen adsorption on the Ti3Al (0001) surface

Adsorption energies and density of states for O atoms adsorption on the Ti₃Al (0001) surface have been calculated using first‐principles calculations based on density functional theory. It is found that the order of O atom adsorption on the Ti₃Al (0001) surface is associated with the adsorption energy as well as the distance of O atoms because of the interaction. The adsorption energy mainly depends on the bond number and bond strength between O and Ti atoms, and the adsorption site with rich‐Ti surface (H_I and HCP_Al) is first priority. The adsorption energy decreases with the increase of the oxygen coverage because of the characteristics of the valence d‐orbitals of transition metals surface. Furthermore, the density of states indicates that the hybridization peak of O and Ti atoms is mainly from the contribution of Ti 3d‐ and O 2p‐orbitals, and the hybridization peak of O and Al atoms from the contribution of Al 2p‐ and O 2p‐orbitals. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development of porosity in carbons from yeast grains by activation with alkali metal carbonates

Cellular structured activated carbon samples were prepared with the aid of alkali carbonates X2CO3 (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, or Cs) from dry bread yeast with a milling procedure. The resultant carbon possesses a very large adsorption amount even for supercritical methane. The activation with Cs2CO3 gave the greatest surface area of 2420 m2 g(-1) from the subtracting pore effect method. The activation efficiency of X2CO3 (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) was associated with the order of Gibbs free energy of X2O (X = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs) which should play an important role in the gasification. The carbon activated with Rb2CO3 gave the greatest adsorption amount of supercritical methane of 90 mg g(-1) at 0.9 MPa at 303 K.     

Alkali metal cation doping of metal-organic framework for enhancing carbon dioxide adsorption capacity

Metal-organic frameworks （MOFs） have attracted much attention as adsorbents for the separation of CO2 from flue gas or natural gas. Here, a typical metal-organic framework HKUST-I（also named Cu-BTC or MOF-199） was chemically reduced by doping it with alkali metals （Li, Na and K） and they were further used to investigate their CO2 adsorption capacities. The structural information, surface chemistry and thermal behavior of the prepared adsorbent samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, thermo-gravimetric analysis （TGA） and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm analysis. The results showed that the CO2 storage capacity of HKUST-1 doped with moderate quantities of Li＋, Na＋ and K＋, individually, was greater than that of unmodified HKUST-1. The highest CO2 adsorption uptake of 8.64 mmol/g was obtained with 1K-HKUST-1, and it was ca. 11% increase in adsorption capacity at 298 K and 18 bar as compared with HKUST- 1. Moreover, adsorption tests showed that HKUST-1 and 1K-HKUST-1 displayed much higher adsorption capacities of CO2 than those of N2. Finally, the adsorption/desorption cycle experiment revealed that the adsorption performance of 1K-HKUST-1 was fairly stable, without obvious deterioration in the adsorption capacity of CO2 after 10 cycles.