Importance of Madelung potential in quantum chemical modeling of ionic surfaces

The importance of the inclusion of the Madelung potential in cluster models of ionic surfaces is the subject of this work. We have determined Hartree-Fock all electron wave functions for a series of MgO clusters with and without a large array of surrounding point charges (PC) chosen to reproduce the Madelung potential. The phenomena investigated include: the reactivity of surface oxygens toward CO₂, atomic hydrogen, and H⁺; the geometry and adsorption energy of water and the vibrational shift of CO adsorbed at Mg²⁺ sites; the electronic structure and the hyperfine coupling constants of oxygen vacancies, the paramagnetic F_s⁺ centers. While some clusters give results which are virtually independent of the presence of the PCs, other clusters, typically of small size, give physically incorrect results when the PCs are not included. The embedding of the cluster in PCs guarantees a similar response for clusters of different size, at variance with the bare clusters, where the long range coulombic interactions are not included. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Nucleation of CuGa Phases on the MgO(100) Surface

MSINDO calculations are presented for the coadsorption of Cu and Ga atoms as clusters and islands on the MgO(100) surface. The surface is simulated by a (8 × 8 × 3) Mg₉₆O₉₆ cyclic cluster. The relative number of Cu and Ga atoms was varied in order to understand the influence of copper rich and gallium rich phases. It was found that the copper atoms have a dominating influence on the structural arrangement in mixed phases. The adsorption sites of Cu and Ga atoms are preferably O atoms, but in mixed phases these sites are usually occupied by Cu atoms.     

Ab initio modeling of the endohedral reactivity of polyoxometalates. 2. Electrostatic potential distributions in electronically inverse hosts

Ab initio Hartree-Fock calculations have been carried out on the octadecavanadate ion (V₁₈O₄₂)¹²⁻ 1, on its protonated derivative (H₄V₁₈O₄₂)⁸⁻ 2, and on the vanadophosphate cluster [V₇O₁₂(O₃PH)₆]⁻ 3, taken as a model for [V₇O₁₂(O₃PPh)₆]⁻ 3′. The spheroidal clusters 2 and 3′ have recently been characterized as ‘electronically inverse hosts’ in the encapsulation complexes Cs₉[X@H₄V₁₈O₄₂]· 12H₂O (X = Br, I) and (Ph₄P)₂[Cl@V₇O₁₂(O₃PPh)₆]. An estimate of the electrostatic potential distribution including the contribution of the lattice potential yields highly positive values of the potential inside the host cavities for 2 and 3 Those values are larger than the electrostatic potential computed at a vacant chloride site of the CsCl crystal, thus explaining the thermodynamic stability of the encapsulated anions.     

Striking Size and Doping Effects of Ti−Si−O Clusters on Methane Conversion Reactions

The size and doping effects in methane activation by Ti−Si−O clusters have been explored by using a combination of gas-phase experiments and quantum chemical calculations. All [Ti_mSi_nO_2(m+n)]^.+ (m+n=2, 3, 8, 10, 12, 14) clusters can extract a hydrogen from methane. The associated energies and structures have been revealed in detail. Moreover, the doping and size effects have been discussed involving generalized Kohn-Sham energy decomposition analysis, natural population analysis, Wiberg bond indexes (WBI), molecular polarity index (MPI) and ionization potential (IP). It suggested that Ti−Si−O clusters with a low Ti : Si ratio is beneficial to adsorbing methane and inclination to the hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process, while the clusters with a high Ti : Si ratio favors the generation of a terminal oxygen radical and results in high reactivity and turnover frequency. On the other hand, a cluster size of m+n=12 is recommended considering both the ionization potential and the turnover frequency of the reaction. Hopefully, these finding will be instructive for the design of high-performance Ti−Si−O catalyst toward methane conversion.     

Charge transfer at oxide surfaces; the adsorption of chlorine and oxygen on MgO

The adsorption of chlorine on MgO in-vacuo is found to lead to an ESR signal with g-factors of 2.008 and 2.002, and to the appearance of a peak in the reflectance spectrum at 440 nm. This reflectance peak is attributed to donor sites, which are probably pairs of O⁻ ions, close to the surface of the MgO. It is shown that γ-irradiation of the O₂/MgO system leads to the formation of similar signals.     

Iron-Iridium Mixed-Metal Carbonyl Clusters: A Mössbauer Study of the Structure and of the Adsorption of [Fe2Ir2(CO)12]2− on MgO

¹⁹³Ir and ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy was used to investigate the structure of the [Fe₂Ir₂(CO)₁₂]^2- cluster compound and the adsorption of this cluster on hydrated MgO. Supported samples were prepared by impregnation of the magnesia with solutions of [Et₄N]₂[Fe₂Ir₂(CO)₁₂] in acetone. The Mössbauer and FT-IR spectra of the MgO-supported cluster confirm that the bimetallic carbonyl is molecularly physisorbed onto MgO without undergoing any transformation or decomposition. The easy solvent extraction of the intact cluster from the oxide surface excludes ion pairing between the cluster anion and the Mg²⁺ surface sites. Mössbauer spectra are in agreement with the refined structure of the molecular cluster and the temperature dependence of the ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectra above 80 K is consistent with the low degree of interaction of the cluster with the support. This technique, therefore, appears to be promising in order to infer structural information when X-ray determination fails.     

Water-Tolerant Superbase Polyoxometalate [H2(Nb6O19)]6− for Homogeneous Catalysis

Here, doubly protonated Lindqvist-type niobium oxide cluster [H₂(Nb₆O₁₉)]^6–, fabricated by microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, exhibited superbase catalysis for Knoevenagel and crossed aldol condensation reactions accompanied by activating C−H bond with pK_a >26 and proton abstraction from a base indicator with pK_a=26.5. Surprisingly, [H₂(Nb₆O₁₉)]⁶⁻ exhibited water-tolerant superbase properties for Knoevenagel and crossed aldol condensation reactions in the presence of water, although it is well known that the strong basicity of metal oxides and organic superbase is typically lost by the adsorption of water. Density functional theory calculation revealed that the basic surface oxygens that share the corner of NbO₆ units in [H₂(Nb₆O₁₉)]⁸⁻ maintained the negative charges even after proton adsorption. This proton capacity and the presence of un-protonated basic sites led to the water tolerance of the superbase catalysis.     

Pd Loaded NiCo Hydroxides for Biomass Electrooxidation: Understanding the Synergistic Effect of Proton Deintercalation and Adsorption Kinetics

The key issue in the 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) is to understand the synergistic mechanism involving the protons deintercalation of catalyst and the adsorption of the substrate. In this study, a Pd/NiCo catalyst was fabricated by modifying Pd clusters onto a Co-doped Ni(OH)₂ support, in which the introduction of Co induced lattice distortion and optimized the energy band structure of Ni sites, while the Pd clusters with an average size of 1.96 nm exhibited electronic interactions with NiCo support, resulting in electron transfer from Pd to Ni sites. The resulting Pd/NiCo exhibited low onset potential of 1.32 V and achieved a current density of 50 mA/cm² at only 1.38 V. Compared to unmodified Ni(OH)₂, the Pd/NiCo achieved an 8.3-fold increase in peak current density. DFT calculations and in situ XAFS revealed that the Co sites affected the conformation and band structure of neighboring Ni sites through CoO₆ octahedral distortion, reducing the proton deintercalation potential of Pd/NiCo and promoting the production of Ni³⁺−O active species accordingly. The involvement of Pd decreased the electronic transfer impedance, and thereby accelerated Ni³⁺−O formation. Moreover, the Pd clusters enhanced the adsorption of HMF through orbital hybridization, kinetically promoting the contact and reaction of HMF with Ni³⁺−O.     

The solvation of iodine anions in water clusters: PES studies

We have measured the photoelectron-spectra of I^? (H₂O)_n clusters in the size range n=1–60. We have found that the first six water molecules form a solvation layer with an average 0.35 eV electrostatic stabilization of the anion. At larger cluster sizes the electrostatic stabilization of water does not fit a continuous dielectric solvent. The most stable structures of the clusters consist of internally solvated anions. In the size range n=34–40 we have found evidence for existence of cluster structures with surface solvated anions.     

Optical and chemical studies of II–VI compound clusters

Recent experimental results on the structural, chemical, and optical properties of II–VI compound clusters containing between 2 and 24 molecules are presented. Stability patterns in the mass spectra of MgO clusters correlate with stable structures predicted for ionic clusters. The time dependence of H₂O adsorption onto MgO clusters is measured and found to vary strongly as a function of the number of adsorbed molecules. A sharp peak in the photodissociation probability is observed for metal-excess SrO and CaO cluster ions near 2.0 eV.     

A DFT Study on the Structure and Properties of Cu/Cr2O3 Catalyst

Using DFT method, the stable adsorption configurations of Cu₄ cluster on Cr₂O₃ (0001) surface were investigated. The regular tetrahedron structure and the planar structures were considered as the initial adsorption configuration of Cu₄ cluster, respectively. The adsorption energies of the two structures were also calculated. The simulation result indicated that the adsorption energy of the regular tetrahedron structure was higher than that of the planar structure, and thus the regular tetrahedron structure was confirmed to be the stable adsorption configuration for Cu₄ cluster on Cr₂O₃ (0001) surface. Moreover, it was observed that the Cu₄ cluster showed the definite stable adsorption sites on Cr₂O₃ (0001) surface, namely 3‐fold O sites. During the adsorption process of Cu₄ cluster onto Cr₂O₃ (0001) surface, the Cu₄ cluster could bond with more Cr or O atoms on the surface, and the apparent charge transfer also occurred correspondingly. Meanwhile, the Cu₄ cluster and Cr₂O₃ (0001) surface would bond in the form of local polarization to enhance the stability of adsorption configuration.     

Enhanced Interfacial Electron Transfer by Asymmetric Cu-Ov-In Sites on In2O3 for Efficient Peroxymonosulfate Activation

Enhancing the peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation efficiency to generate more radicals is vital to promote the Fenton-like reaction activity, however, how to promote the PMS adsorption and accelerate the interfacial electron transfer to boost its activation kinetics remains a great challenge. Herein, we prepared Cu-doped defect-rich In₂O₃ (Cu-In₂O₃/O_v) catalysts containing asymmetric Cu−O_v−In sites for PMS activation in water purification. The intrinsic catalytic activity is that the side-on adsorption configuration of the O−O bond (Cu−O−O−In) at the Cu-O_v-In sites significantly stretches the O−O bond length. Meanwhile, the Cu-O_v-In sites increase the electron density near the Fermi energy level, promoting more and faster electron transfer to the O−O bond for generating more SO₄⋅⁻ and ⋅OH. The degradation rate constant of tetracycline achieved by Cu-In₂O₃/O_v is 31.8 times faster than In₂O₃/O_v, and it shows the possibility of membrane reactor for practical wastewater treatment.     

Synthesis of high surface area nanometer magnesia by solid-state chemical reaction

Nanometer MgO samples with high surface area, small crystal size and mesoporous texture were synthesized by thermal decomposition of MgC₂O₄ · 2H₂O prepared from solid-state chemical reaction between H₂C₂O₄ · 2H₂O and Mg (CH₃COO)₂ · 4H₂O. Steam produced during the decomposition process accelerated the sintering of MgO, and MgO with surface area as high as 412 m² · g⁻¹ was obtained through calcining its precursor in flowing dry nitrogen at 520°C for 4 h. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, N₂ adsorption, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetry, and differential thermal analysis. The as-prepared MgO was composed of nanocrystals with a size of about 4–5 nm and formed a wormhole-like porous structure. The MgO also had good thermal stability, and its surface areas remained at 357 and 153 m²·g⁻¹ after calcination at 600 and 800°C for 2 h, respectively. Compared with the MgO sample prepared by the precipitation method, MgO prepared by solid-state chemical reaction has uniform pore size distribution, surface area, and crystal size. The solid-state chemical method has the advantages of low cost, low pollution, and high yield, therefore it appears to be a promising method in the industrial manufacture of nanometer MgO. Translated from Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2006, 27(9): 793–798 (in Chinese)     

Adsorption of CO on oxygen preadsorbed neutral and charged gas phase Pd4 clusters: A density functional study

We present the results of a density functional calculation on adsorption of O₂, CO, and their coadsorption at various sites of neutral, cationic, and anionic Pd₄ clusters. For all the clusters, the dissociative adsorption of oxygen sitting on Pd bridge sites is found to be preferable. Both O₂ and CO binding energies are found to be higher for the anionic Pd₄ cluster followed by cationic and neutral cluster. However, binding energies of O₂ or CO in the coadsorption complexes follow the trend: anionic > neutral > cationic. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Highly Ordered and Thermally Stable FeRh Cluster Superlattice on Graphene for Low-Temperature Catalytic CO Oxidation

We report on bimetallic FeRh clusters with a narrow size-distribution grown on graphene on Ir(111) as a carbon-supported model catalyst to promote low-temperature catalytic CO oxidation. By combining scanning tunneling microscopy with catalytic performance measurements, we reveal that Fe−Rh interfaces are active sites for oxygen activation and CO oxidation, especially at low temperatures. Rh core Fe shell clusters not only provide the active sites for the reaction, but also thermally stabilize surface Fe atoms towards coarsening compared with pure Fe clusters. Alternate isotope-labelled CO/O₂ pulse experiments show opposite trends on preferential oxidation (PROX) performance because of surface hydroxyl species formation and competitive adsorption between CO and O₂. The present results introduce a general strategy to stabilize metallic clusters and to reveal the reaction mechanisms on bimetallic structures for low-temperature catalytic CO oxidation as well as preferential oxidation.     

A theoretical study of adsorption of CO2 on the (100) face of sodium chloride

The adsorption energy of a CO₂ molecule on various sites of the (100) face of NACl is determined (i) by considering the molecule in the electrostatic field created by the substrate, and (ii) by treating the cluster (CO₂Cl₂)^2? in the field created by the rest of the substrate. The electrostatic and polarization contributions are obtained by means of the SCF method. The dispersion-repulsion term is successively estimated by means of the hard-sphere model and an adapted potential model. Whatever the model used, the calculated adsorption energy is in the range 6–10 kcal/mole; this is in acceptable agreement with experiment. However, only the cluster model gives the correct splitting of the ν₂ frequency of CO₂.     

H2-D2 exchange reaction induced by interaction of Nb monomers with the SiO2 surface and the origins of catalytic activity studied by the DV-Xα cluster calculation

The SIO₂-attached Nb monomer catalyst was found to show catalytic activity for the H₂-D₂ exchange reaction, though almost no significant - or much less - activity was observed with the usual impregnated Nb₂O₅/SiO₂ catalyst or bulk Nb₂O₅. The catalysis activity of the Nb monomers with d^o states is contrary to the common rule that H₂ adsorption on transition metals or mononuclear metal complexes needs the back donation of electrons from metal d orbitals to hydrogen. To explain the unusual reactivity of the Nb monomers, the electronic structure of active Nb sites was calculated using the DV (discrete variational)-Xα cluster method. The calculated level structure for the attached Nb monomers showed a narrower band gap than that of unsupported Nbo₄³⁻ species or Si₃O₁₀⁸⁻ cluster. Furthermore, the component of Nb 4d orbitals in the SiO₂-attached Nb monomers was hybridized with the higher occupied O 2p levels, enabling the formation of Nb hydride species. On the other hand, in unsupported NbO₄³⁻, the Nb 4d in the lower unoccupied levels and the O 2p in the higher occupied levels were separate, with no mixing. The electronic change in Nb sites is discussed in relation to a metal-support interaction.     

Understanding and controlling the efficiency of Au24M(SR)18 nanoclusters as singlet-oxygen photosensitizers

Singlet oxygen, ¹O₂, can be generated by molecules that upon photoexcitation enable the ³O₂ → ¹O₂ transition. We used a series of atomically precise Au₂₄M(SR)₁₈ clusters, with different R groups and doping metal atoms M. Upon nanosecond photoexcitation of the cluster, ¹O₂ was efficiently generated. Detection was carried out by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) spectroscopy. The resulting TREPR transient yielded the ¹O₂ lifetime as a function of the nature of the cluster. We found that: these clusters indeed generate ¹O₂ by forming a triplet state; a more positive oxidation potential of the molecular cluster corresponds to a longer ¹O₂ lifetime; proper design of the cluster yields results analogous to those of a well-known reference photosensitizer, although more effectively. Comprehensive kinetic analysis provided important insights into the mechanism and driving-force dependence of the quenching of ¹O₂ by gold nanoclusters. Understanding on a molecular basis why these molecules may perform so well in ¹O₂ photosensitization is instrumental to controlling their performance.

Atomically precise Au₂₄M(SR)₁₈ clusters were used as singlet-oxygen photosensitizers. Comprehensive kinetic analysis provided insights into the mechanism and driving-force dependence of the quenching of ¹O₂ by gold nanoclusters.