Adsorption of atomic and molecular oxygen on the LaMnO3(001) surface: ab initio supercell calculations and thermodynamics

We present and discuss the results of ab initio DFT plane-wave supercell calculations of the atomic and molecular oxygen adsorption and diffusion on the LaMnO(3) (001) surface which serves as a model material for a cathode of solid oxide fuel cells. The dissociative adsorption of O(2) molecules from the gas phase is energetically favorable on surface Mn ions even on a defect-free surface. The surface migration energy for adsorbed O ions is found to be quite high, 2.0 eV. We predict that the adsorbed O atoms could penetrate the electrode first plane when much more mobile surface oxygen vacancies (migration energy of 0.69 eV) approach the O ions strongly bound to the surface Mn ions. The formation of the O vacancy near the O atom adsorbed atop surface Mn ion leads to an increase of the O-Mn binding energy by 0.74 eV whereas the drop of this adsorbed O atom into a vacancy possesses no energy barrier. Ab initio thermodynamics predicts that at typical SOFC operation temperatures (approximately 1200 K) the MnO(2) (001) surface with adsorbed O atoms is the most stable in a very wide range of oxygen gas pressures (above 10(-2) atm).     

Coverage dependence and hydroperoxyl-mediated pathway of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface

Hydrogen oxidation on Pt (111) surface is modeled by density functional theory (DFT). Previous DFT calculations showed too large O2 dissociation barriers, but we find them highly coverage dependent: when the coverage is low, dissociation barriers close to experimental values (approximately 0.3 eV) are obtained. For the whole reaction, a new pathway involving hydroperoxyl (OOH) intermediate is found, with the highest reaction barrier of only approximately 0.4 eV. This may explain the experimental observation of catalytic water formation on Pt (111) surface above the H2O desorption temperature of 170 K, despite that the direct reaction between chemisorbed O and H atoms is a highly activated process with barrier approximately 1 eV as previous calculations showed.     

Pt原子在γ-Al2O3(001)表面的吸附及迁移

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)中广义梯度近似(GGA)方法, 对Pt原子与γ-Al₂O₃(001)面的相互作用及迁移性能进行了研究. 分析了各种可能吸附位及吸附构型的松弛和变形现象, 吸附能和迁移能垒的计算结果表明: Pt团簇能够稳定吸附在该表面. Pt原子在表面O位的吸附能明显较高, 这主要是由Pt向基底O原子转移了电子所致. 电荷布居分析表明, Pt原子显电正性, Pt和Al原子之间存在排斥作用, 导致与Al原子产生较弱相互作用. 计算的平均吸附能大小依赖于Pt团簇的大小和形状, 总体趋势是随着Pt原子数增多, 吸附能降低. Pt原子在γ-Al₂O₃(001)表面迁移过程所需克服的迁移能垒最高值为0.51 eV. 随着吸附的Pt原子数增多,更倾向于形成Pt团簇. 因此, Pt原子在γ-Al₂O₃(001)表面的吸附演变不可能形成光滑、均匀平铺的吸附构型, 而在一定条件下容易出现团聚.     

Pt/Cu(001)-p(2×2)-O表面吸附结构的总能计算

采用密度泛函理论(DFT)研究了氧吸附后Pt/Cu(001)表面合金的原子结构和表面性质. 计算结果表明, 在Pt/Cu(001)-p(2×2)-O表面最稳定结构中, 衬底表面原子层不发生再构, 氧原子吸附于4重对称的Pt原子谷位, 每个氧原子吸附能约为2.303 eV. 吸附结构的Cu—O和Pt—O键键长分别为0.202和0.298 nm, 氧原子的吸附高度ZCu—O约为0.092 nm. 吸附前后Pt/Cu(001)-1ML(monolayer)表面合金的表面功函数分别为4.678和5.355 eV. 吸附表面氧原子和衬底的结合主要来自氧原子2p轨道和衬底金属原子d轨道的杂化作用, 氧原子吸附形成的表面电子态主要位于费米能级以下约-2.7 eV 处.     

The mechanism of N2O formation via the (NO)2 dimer: a density functional theory study

Catalytic formation of N(2)O via a (NO)(2) intermediate was studied employing density functional theory with generalized gradient approximations. Dimer formation was not favored on Pt(111), in agreement with previous reports. On Pt(211) a variety of dimer structures were studied, including trans-(NO)(2) and cis-(NO)(2) configurations. A possible pathway involving (NO)(2) formation at the terrace near to a Pt step is identified as the possible mechanism for low-temperature N(2)O formation. The dimer is stabilized by bond formation between one O atom of the dimer and two Pt step atoms. The overall mechanism has a low barrier of approximately 0.32 eV. The mechanism is also put into the context of the overall NO + H(2) reaction. A consideration of the step-wise hydrogenation of O(ads) from the step is also presented. Removal of O(ads) from the step is significantly different from O(ads) hydrogenation on Pt(111). The energetically favored structure at the transition state for OH(ads) formation has an activation energy of 0.63 eV. Further hydrogenation of OH(ads) has an activation energy of 0.80 eV.     

贵金属原子在CeO2(111)表面吸附的密度泛函理论研究

利用密度泛函理论系统研究了贵金属原子(Au、Pd、Pt和Rh)在CeO₂(111)表面的吸附行为。结果表明,Au吸附在氧顶位最稳定,Pd、Pt倾向吸附于氧桥位,而Rh在洞位最稳定。当金属原子吸附在氧顶位时,吸附强度依次为Pt > Rh > Pd > Au。Pd、Pt与Rh吸附后在Ce 4f、O 2p电子峰间出现掺杂峰;Au未出现掺杂电子峰,其d电子峰与表面O 2p峰在-4～-1 eV重叠。态密度分析表明,Au吸附在氧顶位、Pd与Pt吸附在桥位、Rh吸附在洞位时,金属与CeO₂(111)表面氧原子作用较强,这与Bader电荷分析结果相一致。     

Interaction of Pt clusters with the anatase TiO(2)(101) surface: a first principles study

The adsorption of Pt(n)() (n = 1-3) clusters on the defect-free anatase TiO(2)(101) surface has been studied using total energy pseudopotential calculations based on density functional theory. The defect-free anatase TiO(2)(101) surface has a stepped structure with a step width of two O-Ti bond distances in the (100) plane along the [10] direction and the edge of the step is formed by 2-fold-coordinated oxygen atoms along the [010] direction. For a single Pt adatom, three adsorption sites were found to be stable. Energetically, the Pt adatom prefers the bridge site formed by 2 2-fold-coordinated oxygen atoms with an adsorption energy of 2.84 eV. Electronic structure analysis showed that the Pt-O bonds formed upon Pt adsorption are covalent. Among six stable Pt(2) adsorption configurations examined, Pt(2) was found to energetically favor the O-O bridge sites on the step edge along [010] with the Pt-Pt bond axis perpendicular to [010]. In these configurations, one of the Pt atoms occupies the same O-O bridge site as for a single Pt adatom and the other one either binds a different 2-fold-coordinated oxygen atom on the upper step or a 5-fold-coordinated Ti atom on the lower terrace. Three triangular and three open Pt(3) structures were determined as minima for Pt(3) adsorption on the surface. Platinum trimers adsorbed in triangular structures are more stable than in open structures. In the most stable configuration, Pt(3) occupies the edge O-O site with the Pt(3) plane being upright and almost perpendicular to the [001] terrace. The preference of Pt(n)() to the coordinately unsaturated 2-fold-coordinated oxygen sites indicates that these sites may serve as nucleation centers for the growth of metal clusters on the oxide surface. The increase in clustering energy with increasing size of the adsorbed Pt clusters indicates that the growth of Pt on this surface will lead to the formation of three-dimensional particles.     

Adsorption Energetics of NO and CO on Pt(111)

The adsorption energetics of NO and CO on Pt(111) are studied using an ab initio embedding theory. The Pt(111) surface is modeled as a three-layer, 28-atom cluster with the Pt atoms fixed at bulk lattice sites. Molecular NO is adsorbed at high symmetry sites on Pt(111), with the fcc threefold site energetically more favorable than the hcp threefold and bridge sites. The calculated adsorption energy at the fcc threefold site is 1.90 eV, with an N-surface distance of 1.23 Å. The NO molecular axis is perpendicular to the Pt(111) surface. Tilting the O atom away from the surface normal destablizes adsorbed NO at all adsorption sites considered. On-top Pt adsorption has been ruled out. The Pt(111) potential surface is very flat for CO adsorption, and the diffusion barriers from hcp to fcc sites are 0.03 eV and less than 0.06 eV across the bridge and the atop sites, respectively. Calculated adsorption energies are 1.67, 1.54, 1.51, and 1.60 eV at the fcc threefold, hcp threefold, bridge, and atop sites, respectively. Calculated C-surface distances are 1.24 Å at the fcc threefold site and 1.83 Å at the atop site. It is concluded that NO and CO adsorption energetics and geometries are different on Pt(111).     

Adsorption of hydrogen molecules on the platinum-doped boron nitride nanotubes

Adsorption of hydrogen molecules on platinum-doped single-walled zigzag (8,0) boron nitride (BN) nanotube is investigated using the density-functional theory. The Pt atom tends to occupy the axial bridge site of the BN tube with the highest binding energy of -0.91 eV. Upon Pt doping, several occupied and unoccupied impurity states are induced, which reduces the band gap of the pristine BN nanotube. Upon hydrogen adsorption on Pt-doped BN nanotube, the first hydrogen molecule can be chemically adsorbed on the Pt-doped BN nanotube without crossing any energy barrier, whereas the second hydrogen molecule has to overcome a small energy barrier of 0.019 eV. At least up to two hydrogen molecules can be chemically adsorbed on a single Pt atom supported by the BN nanotube, with the average adsorption energy of -0.365 eV. Upon hydrogen adsorption on a Pt-dimer-doped BN nanotube, the formation of the Pt dimer not only weakens the interaction between the Pt cluster and the BN nanotube but also reduces the average adsorption energy of hydrogen molecules. These calculation results can be useful in the assessment of metal-doped BN nanotubes as potential hydrogen storage media.     

Effects of deposited Pt particles on the reducibility of CeO2(111)

The interaction of Pt particles with the regular CeO(2)(111) surface has been studied using Pt(8) clusters as representative examples. The atomic and electronic structure of the resulting model systems have been obtained through periodic spin-polarized density functional calculations using the PW91 exchange-correlation potential corrected with the inclusion of a Hubbard U parameter. The focus is on the effect of the metal-support interaction on the surface reducibility of ceria. Several initial geometries and orientations of Pt(8) with respect to the ceria substrate have been explored. It has been found that deposition of Pt(8) over the ceria surface results in spontaneous oxidation of the supported particle with a concomitant reduction of up to two Ce(4+) cations to Ce(3+). Oxygen vacancy formation on the CeO(2)(111) surface and oxygen spillover to the adsorbed particle have also been considered. The presence of the supported Pt(8) particles has a rather small effect (～0.2 eV) on the O vacancy formation energy. However, it is predicted that the spillover of atomic oxygen from the substrate to the metal particle greatly facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancies: the calculated energy required to transfer an oxygen atom from the CeO(2)(111) surface to the supported Pt(8) particle is only 1.00 eV, i.e. considerably smaller than 2.25 eV necessary to form an oxygen vacancy on the bare regular ceria surface. This strongly suggests that the propensity of ceria systems to store and release oxygen is directly affected by the presence of supported Pt particles.     

Mechanistic study of the electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction on Pt(111) using density functional theory

Density functional theory (DFT) was used to study the electrolyte solution effects on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on Pt(111). To model the acid electrolyte, an H(5)O(2)(+) cluster was used. The vibrational proton oscillation modes for adsorbed H(5)O(2)(+) computed at 1711 and 1010 cm(-1), in addition to OH stretching and H(2)O scissoring modes, agree with experimental vibrational spectra for proton formation on Pt surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum. Using the H(5)O(2)(+) model, protonation of adsorbed species was found to be facile and consistent with the activation barrier of proton transfer in solution. After protonation, OOH dissociates with an activation barrier of 0.22 eV, similar to the barrier for O(2) dissociation. Comparison of the two pathways suggests that O(2) protonation precedes dissociation in the oxygen reduction reaction. Additionally, an OH diffusion step following O protonation inhibits the reaction, which may lead to accumulation of oxygen on the electrode surface.     

Impact of Surface Dipole on Resonant Electron Injection in Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy

Resonant electron injection and first-principles calculations are utilized to study single-adsorbed selenium (Se) atom on a Si(111)-7×7 surface. Theoretical calculations indicate that a negative dipole of 0.61 eV forms toward the adsorbed Se atom due to electron trans-fer from the associated Si atoms. The formation of surface dipole modifies the effective tunneling barrier height and causes a shift in the energy of the resonant state formed in the vacuum gap between the tip and the sample surface. The experimental data imply that an outward negative surface dipole of 0.61 eV causes a resonant electron injection bias shift to high voltage of about 0.45 V.     

Adsorption and dissociation of H2O2 on Pt and Pt-alloy clusters and surfaces

The adsorption of H(2)O(2) on Pt and Pt-M alloys, where M is Cr, Co, or Ni, is investigated using density functional theory. Binding energies calculated with a hybrid DFT functional (B3PW91) are in the range of -0.71 to -0.88 eV for H(2)O(2) adsorbed with one of the oxygen atoms on top Pt positions of Pt(3), Pt(2)M, and PtM(2), and enhanced values in the range of -0.81 to -1.09 eV are found on top Ni and Co sites of the Pt(2)M clusters. Adsorption on top sites of Pt(10) yields a weaker binding of -0.48 eV, whereas on periodic Pt(111) and Pt(3)Co(111) surfaces, H(2)O(2) generally dissociates into two OH radicals. On the other hand, attempts to attach H(2)O(2) on bridge sites cause spontaneous dissociation of H(2)O(2) into two adsorbed OH radicals, suggesting that stable adsorptions on bridge sites are not possible for any of the clusters or extended surfaces that are being studied. We also found that the water-H(2)O(2) interaction reduces the strength of the adsorption of H(2)O(2) on these clusters and surfaces.     

Intercalation-etching of graphene on Pt(111) in H_2 and O_2 observed by in-situ low energy electron microscopy

Graphene layers are often exposed to gaseous environments in their synthesis and application processes, and interactions of graphene surfaces with molecules particularly H_2 and O_2 are of great importance in their physico-chemical properties. In this work, etching of graphene overlayers on Pt(111) in H_2 and O_2 atmospheres were investigated by in-situ low energy electron microscopy. Significant graphene etching was observed in 10~(-5) Torr H_2 above 1023 K, which occurs simultaneously at graphene island edges and interiors with a determined reaction barrier at 5.7 eV. The similar etching phenomena were found in 10.7 Torr O_2 above 973 K, while only island edges were reacted between 823 and 923 K. We suggest that etching of graphene edges is facilitated by Pt-aided hydrogenation or oxidation of edge carbon atoms while intercalation-etching is attributed to etching at the interiors at high temperatures. The different findings with etching in O_2 and H_2 depend on competitive adsorption, desorption, and diffusion processes of O and H atoms on Pt surface, as well as intercalation at the graphene/Pt interface.     

Reversible hydrogenation of surface N atoms to form NH on Pt(111)

The formation and dissociation chemistry of the NH species on Pt(111) was characterized with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption. Irradiation of a chemisorbed bilayer of ammonia with a 100 eV electron beam at 85 K leads to a mixture of NH, N, and H on the surface. Annealing to temperatures in the range of 200-300 K leads to reaction of N and H to form additional NH. The NH species has an intense and narrow NH stretch peak at 3320 cm(-1), while no peak due to the PtNH bend is observed above 800 cm(-1). The NH species is stable up to a temperature of approximately 400 K. The surface N atoms produced from NH dissociation are readily hydrogenated back to NH by exposure of the surface to H2. However, NH cannot be further hydrogenated to generate adsorbed NH2 or to NH3 under the conditions used here. Exposure of the NH/Pt(111) surface to D2 at 380 K produces the ND species. Comparison with the results of density functional theory calculations based on small Pt clusters indicates that NH occupies three-fold hollow sites with the molecular axis perpendicular to the surface.     

Catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 surfaces and thin films

The catalytic oxidation activity of platinum particles in automobile catalysts is thought to originate from the presence of highly reactive superficial oxide phases which form under oxygen-rich reaction conditions. Here we study the thermodynamic stability of platinum oxide surfaces and thin films and their reactivities toward oxidation of carbon compounds by means of first-principles atomistic thermodynamics calculations and molecular dynamics simulations based on density functional theory. On the Pt(111) surface the most stable superficial oxide phase is found to be a thin layer of alpha-PtO2, which appears not to be reactive toward either methane dissociation or carbon monoxide oxidation. A PtO-like structure is most stable on the Pt(100) surface at oxygen coverages of one monolayer, while the formation of a coherent and stress-free Pt3O4 film is favored at higher coverages. Bulk Pt3O4 is found to be thermodynamically stable in a region around 900 K at atmospheric pressure. The computed net driving force for the dissociation of methane on the Pt3O4(100) surface is much larger than that on all other metallic and oxide surfaces investigated. Moreover, the enthalpy barrier for the adsorption of CO molecules on oxygen atoms of this surface is as low as 0.34 eV, and desorption of CO2 is observed to occur without any appreciable energy barrier in molecular dynamics simulations. These results, combined, indicate a high catalytic oxidation activity of Pt3O4 phases that can be relevant in the contexts of Pt-based automobile catalysts and gas sensors.     

Probe microscope observation of platinum atoms deposited on the TiO2(110)-(1 x 1) surface

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) (110) surfaces with Pt adatoms were examined using a noncontact atomic force microscope (NC-AFM) and a Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM). Topographic images with NC-AFM identify Pt atoms adsorbed at three different sites. These sites are on the Ti atom rows, on the O atom rows, and in O atom vacancies. Most Pt adatoms were observed on Ti atom rows. Successively recorded images show that the Pt adatoms on Ti atom rows (adatoms A) and O atom rows (adatoms C) are mobile while the adatoms in the O atom vacancies (adatoms B) are not. Adatoms A and adatoms B were identified in KPFM images. However, adatoms C were not visualized in KPFM images because they moved quickly or were swept out by the tip. The KPFM measurements reveal that the work function on adatoms A are lower than that on the surrounding (1 x 1) surface by 0.24 eV whereas adatoms B reduced the work function by 0.26 eV. The work function decrease is interpreted with an electric dipole moment directed toward the vacuum, as a result of electron transfer from the adatoms to the TiO2 substrate. In an O atom vacancy, the adatom B is in contact with two Ti atoms and therefore the electron transfer can be enhanced.     

Surface chemistry of CN bond formation from carbon and nitrogen atoms on Pt(111)

The mechanism of CN bond formation from CH3 and NH3 fragments adsorbed on Pt(111) was investigated with reflection absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), temperature-programmed desorption (TPD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface chemistry of carbon-nitrogen coupling is of fundamental importance to catalytic processes such as the industrial-scale synthesis of HCN from CH4 and NH3 over Pt. Since neither CH4 nor NH3 thermally dissociate on Pt(111) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions, the relevant surface intermediates were generated through the thermal decomposition of CH3I and the electron-induced dissociation of NH3. The presence of surface CN is detected with TPD through HCN desorption as well as with RAIRS through the appearance of the vibrational features characteristic of the aminocarbyne (CNH2) species, which is formed upon hydrogenation of surface CN at 300 K. The RAIRS results show that HCN desorption at approximately 500 K is kinetically limited by the formation of the CN bond at this temperature. High coverages of Cads suppress CN formation, but the results are not influenced by the coadsorbed I atoms. Cyanide formation is also observed from the reaction of adsorbed N atoms and carbon produced from the dissociation of ethylene.     

NbC固体表面能带和电子结构的理论研究

采用DFT/BLYP方法对NbC(001)和(111)面的电子结构进行研究。计算结果表明,对于NbC(001)表面,其表面态主要集中于费米能级(EF)下方约4.5eV附近区域,并以表面Nb原子和C原子为主要成分。O2分子在该表面吸附时,趋向于吸附在表面Nb原子上。对于NbC(111)表面,其表面态集中在EF下方0.02.0eV区域,靠近EF的态具有较高的表面活性,其主要成分为表面Nb原子的4dxz/dyz成分。上述结论与光电子能谱实验结果基本一致;但由于金属原子d电子数的差异导致NbC(111)表面态成分与类似的TiC化合物并不相同。     

A First‐Principle Calculation of Sulfur Oxidation on Metallic Ni(111) and Pt(111), and Bimetallic Ni@Pt(111) and Pt@Ni(111) Surfaces

Sulfur, a pollutant known to poison fuel‐cell electrodes, generally comes from S‐containing species such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). The S‐containing species become adsorbed on a metal electrode and leave atomic S strongly bound to the metal surface. This surface sulfur is completely removed typically by oxidation with O₂ into gaseous SO₂. According to our DFT calculations, the oxidation of sulfur at 0.25 ML surface sulfur coverage on pure Pt(111) and Ni(111) metal surfaces is exothermic. The barriers to the formation of SO₂ are 0.41 and 1.07 eV, respectively. Various metals combined to form bimetallic surfaces are reported to tune the catalytic capabilities toward some reactions. Our results show that it is more difficult to remove surface sulfur from a Ni@Pt(111) surface with reaction barrier 1.86 eV for SO₂ formation than from a Pt@Ni(111) surface (0.13 eV). This result is in good agreement with the statement that bimetallic surfaces could demonstrate more or less activity than to pure metal surfaces by comparing electronic and structural effects. Furthermore, by calculating the reaction free energies we found that the sulfur oxidation reaction on the Pt@Ni(111) surface exhibits the best spontaneity of SO₂ desorption at either room temperature or high temperatures.