Methanol oxidation on the PtPd(111) alloy surface: A density functional theory study

The mechanisms of methanol (CH₃OH) oxidation on the PtPd(111) alloy surface were systematically investigated by using density functional theory calculations. The energies of all the involved species were analyzed. The results indicated that with the removal of H atoms from adsorbates on PtPd(111) surface, the adsorption energies of (i) CH₃OH, CH₂OH, CHOH, and COH increased linearly, while those of (ii) CH₃OH, CH₃O, CH₂O, CHO, and CO exhibited odd‐even oscillation. On PtPd(111) surface, CH₃OH underwent the preferred initial C H bond scission followed by successive dehydrogenation and then CHO oxidation, that is, CH₃OH → CH₂OH → CHOH → CHO → CHOOH → COOH → CO₂. Importantly, the rate‐determining step of CH₃OH oxidation was found to switch from CO → CO₂ on Pt(111) to COOH → CO₂ + H on PtPd(111) with a lower energy barrier of 0.96 eV. Moreover, water also decomposed into OH more easily on PtPd(111) than on Pt(111). The calculated results indicate that alloying Pt with Pd could efficiently improve its catalytic performance for CH₃OH oxidation through altering the primary pathways from the CO path on pure Pt to the non‐CO path on PtPd(111).     

A First-Principles Study of CO2 Hydrogenation on a Niobium-Terminated NbC (111) Surface

As promising materials for the reduction of greenhouse gases, transition-metal carbides, which are highly active in the hydrogenation of CO₂, are mainly considered. In this regard, the reaction mechanism of CO₂ hydrogenation to useful products on the Nb-terminated NbC (111) surface is investigated by applying density functional theory calculations. The computational results display that the formation of CH₄, CH₃OH, and CO are more favored than other compounds, where CH₄ is the dominant product. In addition, the findings from reaction energies reveal that the preferred mechanism for CO₂ hydrogenation is thorough HCOOH^*, where the largest exothermic reaction energy releases during the HCOOH^* dissociation reaction (2.004 eV). The preferred mechanism of CO₂ hydrogenation towards CH₄ production is CO₂^*→t,c-COOH^*→HCOOH^*→HCO^*→CH₂O^*→CH₂OH^*→CH₂^*→CH₃^*→CH₄^*, where CO₂^*→t,c-COOH^*→HCOOH^*→HCO^*→CH₂O^*→CH₂OH^*→CH₃OH^* and CO₂^*→t,c-COOH^*→CO^* are also found as the favored mechanisms for CH₃OH and CO productions thermodynamically, respectively. During the mentioned mechanisms, the hydrogenation of CH₂O^* to CH₂OH^* has the largest endothermic reaction energy of 1.344 eV.     

CO2 Hydrogenation on Cu/Al2O3: Role of the Metal/Support Interface in Driving Activity and Selectivity of a Bifunctional Catalyst

Selective hydrogenation of CO₂ into methanol is a key sustainable technology, where Cu/Al₂O₃ prepared by surface organometallic chemistry displays high activity towards CO₂ hydrogenation compared to Cu/SiO₂, yielding CH₃OH, dimethyl ether (DME), and CO. CH₃OH formation rate increases due to the metal–oxide interface and involves formate intermediates according to advanced spectroscopy and DFT calculations. Al₂O₃ promotes the subsequent conversion of CH₃OH to DME, showing bifunctional catalysis, but also increases the rate of CO formation. The latter takes place 1) directly by activation of CO₂ at the metal–oxide interface, and 2) indirectly by the conversion of formate surface species and CH₃OH to methyl formate, which is further decomposed into CH₃OH and CO. This study shows how Al₂O₃, a Lewis acidic and non‐reducible support, can promote CO₂ hydrogenation by enabling multiple competitive reaction pathways on the oxide and metal–oxide interface.     

Proton Shuttling by Polyaniline of High Brønsted Basicity for Improved Electrocatalytic Ethylene Production from CO2

Hybrid organic/inorganic composites with the organic phase tailored to modulate local chemical environment at the Cu surface arise as an enchanting category of catalysts for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). A fundamental understanding on how the organics of different functionality, polarity, and hydrophobicity affect the reaction path is, however, still lacking to guide rational catalyst design. Herein, polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PANI) manifesting different Brønsted basicity are compared for their regulatory roles on the CO₂RR pathways regarding *CO coverage, proton source and interfacial polarity. Concerted efforts from in situ IR, Raman and operando modelling unveil that at the PPy/Cu interface with limited *CO coverage, hydridic *H produced by the Volmer step favors the carbon hydrogenation of *CO to form *CHO through a Tafel process; Whereas at the PANI/Cu interface with concentrated CO₂ and high *CO coverage, protonic H⁺ shuttled through the benzenoid -NH- protonates the oxygen of *CO, yielding *COH for asymmetric coupling with nearby *CO to form *OCCOH under favored energetics. As a result of the tailored chemical environment, the restructured PANI/Cu composite demonstrates a high partial current density of 0.41 A cm⁻² at a maximal Faraday efficiency of 67.5 % for ethylene production, ranking among states of the art.     

Electron spectroscopic studies of the adsorption and decomposition of methanol on transition metals. A review

Results of investigations of the adsorption and decomposition of methanol on the surface of transition metals such as Fe, Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Mo, W and Pt byuv and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy and thermal desorption spectroscopy have been reviewed. The first step in the decomposition of CH₃OH on these metal surfaces is the formation of the methoxy species, OCH₃ radical. In the case of Fe, Mo and W, complete decomposition of CH₃OH occurs leaving CO(β), H₂ and CH₄ on the surface. Dissociation proceeds upto CO(α) and H₂ on the surface of Ni, Pd and Pt whereas on Ag and Cu, selective oxidation of CH₃OH to H₂CO is preferred. The difference in the reactivity of metals towards CH₃OH is rationalised from the heats of adsorption of O₂, CO and H₂ on these metals. Contribution No. 253 from the Solid State and Structural Chemistry Unit.     

H2-induced CO adsorption and dissociation over Co/Al2O3 catalyst

The activation of adsorbed CO is an important step in CO hydrogenation. The results from TPSR of pre-adsorbed CO with H2 and syngas suggested that the presence of H2 increased the amount of CO adsorption and accelerated CO dissociation. The H2 was adsorbed first, and activated to form H＊ over metal sites, then reacted with carbonaceous species. The oxygen species for CO2 formation in the presence of hydrogen was mostly OH^＊, which reacted with adsorbed CO subsequently via CO^＊＋OH^＊ → CO2^＊＋H^＊; however, the direct CO dissociation was not excluded in CO hydrogenation. The dissociation of C-O bond in the presence of H2 proceeded by a concerted mechanism, which assisted the Boudourd reaction of adsorbed CO on the surface via CO^＊＋2H^＊ → CH^＊＋OH^＊. The formation of the surface species （CH） from adsorbed CO proceeded as indicated with the participation of surface hydrogen, was favored in the initial step of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.     

Surface Water as an Initial Proton Source for the Electrochemical CO Reduction Reaction on Copper Surfaces

We have employed in situ electrochemical shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the CO reduction reaction (CORR) on Cu single-crystal surfaces under various conditions. Coadsorbed and structure-/potential-dependent surface species, including *CO, Cu−O_ad, and Cu−OH_ad, were identified using electrochemical spectroscopy and isotope labeling. The relative abundance of *OH follows a “volcano” trend with applied potentials in aqueous solutions, which is yet absent in absolute alcoholic solutions. Combined with DFT calculations, we propose that the surface H₂O can serve as a strong proton donor for the first protonation step in both the C₁ and C₂ pathways of CORR at various applied potentials in alkaline electrolytes, leaving adsorbed *OH on the surface. This work provides fresh insights into the initial protonation steps and identity of key interfacial intermediates formed during CORR on Cu surfaces.     

Shock‐tube and modeling study of acetaldehyde pyrolysis and oxidation

Pyrolysis and oxidation of acetaldehyde were studied behind reflected shock waves in the temperature range 1000–1700 K at total pressures between 1.2 and 2.8 atm. The study was carried out using the following methods, (1) time‐resolved IR‐laser absorption at 3.39 μm for acetaldehyde decay and CH‐compound formation rates, (2) time‐resolved UV absorption at 200 nm for CH₂CO and C₂H₄ product formation rates, (3) time‐resolved UV absorption at 216 nm for CH₃ formation rates, (4) time‐resolved UV absorption at 306.7 nm for OH radical formation rate, (5) time‐resolved IR emission at 4.24 μm for the CO₂ formation rate, (6) time‐resolved IR emission at 4.68 μm for the CO and CH₂CO formation rate, and (7) a single‐pulse technique for product yields. From a computer‐simulation study, a 178‐reaction mechanism that could satisfactorily model all of our data was constructed using new reactions, CH₃CHO (+M) → CH₄ + CO (+M), CH₃CHO (+M) → CH₂CO + H₂(+M), H + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + H₂, CH₃ + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + CH₄, O₂ + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + HO₂, O + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + OH, OH + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + H₂O, HO₂ + CH₃CHO → CH₂CHO + H₂O₂, having assumed or evaluated rate constants. The submechanisms of methane, ethylene, ethane, formaldehyde, and ketene were found to play an important role in acetaldehyde oxidation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 40: 73–102, 2008     

H2S splitting on Cu(110): Insight from combined periodic density functional theory calculations and microkinetic simulation

Practical copper (Cu)‐based catalysts for the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction was long believed to expose a large proportion of Cu(110) planes. In this work, as an important first step toward addressing sulfur poisoning of these catalysts, the detailed mechanism for the splitting of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the open Cu(110) facet has been investigated in the framework of periodic, self‐consistent density functional theory (DFT‐GGA). The microkinetic model based on the first‐principles calculations has also been developed to quantitatively evaluate the two considered decomposition routes for yielding surface atomic sulfur (S*): (1) H₂S → H₂S* → SH* → S* and (2) 2H₂S → 2H₂S* → 2SH* → S* + H₂S* → S* + H₂S. The first pathway proceeding through unimolecular SH* dissociation was identified to be feasible, whereas the second pathway involving bimolecular SH* disproportionation made no contribution to S* formation. The molecular adsorption of H₂S is the slowest elementary step of its full decomposition, being related with the large entropy term of the gas‐phase reactant under realistic reaction conditions. A comparison of thermodynamic and kinetic reactivity between the substrate and the close‐packed Cu(111) surface further shows that a loosely packed facet can promote the S* formation from H₂S on Cu, thus revealing that the reaction process is structure sensitive. The present DFT and microkinetic modeling results provide a reasonably complete picture for the chemistry of H₂S on the Cu(110) surface, which is a necessary basis for the design of new sulfur‐tolerant WGS catalysts. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Room‐Temperature Activation of H2 by a Surface Frustrated Lewis Pair

Surface frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) have been implicated in the gas‐phase heterogeneous (photo)catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to CO and CH₃OH by In₂O_3?x(OH)_y. A key step in the reaction pathway is envisioned to be the heterolysis of H₂ on a proximal Lewis acid–Lewis base pair, the SFLP, the chemistry of which is described as In???In‐OH + H₂ → In‐OH₂⁺???In‐H^?. The product of the heterolysis, thought to be a protonated hydroxide Lewis base In‐OH₂⁺ and a hydride coordinated Lewis acid In‐H^?, can react with CO₂ to form either CO or CH₃OH. While the experimental and theoretical evidence is compelling for heterolysis of H₂ on the SFLP, all conclusions derive from indirect proof, and direct observation remains lacking. Unexpectedly, we have discovered rhombohedral In₂O_3?x(OH)_y can enable dissociation of H₂ at room temperature, which allows its direct observation by several analytical techniques. The collected analytical results lean towards the heterolysis rather than the homolysis reaction pathway.     

Kinetic energy release distributions (KERDs) for the dissociation of metastable enol ions

Bimodal kinetic energy release distributions (KERDs) were obtained for the metastable ion reactions: CH₃C(OH) = ^*CH₂?⁺ → CH₃ + ^*CH₃CO⁺ and CH₃CH₂C(OH)=CH₂?⁺ → C₂H₅ + CH₃CO⁺. The bimodality is attributed to incomplete intramolecular energy redistribution in the short-lived intermediate keto ions, CH₃COCH₃?⁺ and CH₃CH₂COCH₃?⁺, respectivley, formed en route to the dissociation products.     

Electroreduction of CO2 on Au(310)@Cu High-index Facets

The chemical selectivity and faradaic efficiency of high-index Cu facets for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is investigated. More specifically, shape-controlled nanoparticles enclosed by Cu {hk0} facets are fabricated using Cu multilayer deposition at three distinct layer thicknesses on the surface facets of Au truncated ditetragonal nanoprisms (Au DTPs). Au DTPs are shapes enclosed by 12 high-index {310} facets. Facet angle analysis confirms DTP geometry. Elemental mapping analysis shows Cu surface layers are uniformly distributed on the Au {310} facets of the DTPs. The 7 nm Au@Cu DTPs high-index {hk0} facets exhibit a CH₄ : CO product ratio of almost 10 : 1 compared to a 1 : 1 ratio for the reference 7 nm Au@Cu nanoparticles (NPs). Operando Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra disclose reactive adsorbed *CO as the main intermediate, whereas CO stripping experiments reveal the high-index facets enhance the *CO formation followed by rapid desorption or hydrogenation.     

Structure and reactivity of intermediates. N-overlayer on Pd(100), Rh(100) and Pt-Rh(110) and its reaction with H2

Rh(100), Pt(100), and Pt-Rh(100) surfaces are inert for the dissociative adsorption of N₂, but they are active for the catalytic reaction of NO with H₂ During the reaction on Rh(100) and Pt-Rh(100) surfaces, N atoms are accumulated by making a c(2x2)-N overlayer, but no accumulation of N atoms occurs on Pt(100) surface. The fact that N atoms on the Pt-Rh(100) surface gives the c(2x2) structure indicates that the N atoms have equal affinity to Pt and Rh on the alloy surface. When the c(2x2)-N surface was exposed to H₂ of 10^-7 to 10^-8 Torr, a prominent loss peak being assignable to NH_x appeared at 3200 – 3240 cm^-1 at around 400 K. The in-situ HREELS study proved that NH are prominent species which are formed during the hydrogenation of the c(2x2)-N, that is, a quasi-equilibrium of N + 1/2 H₂ - NH is established. When a clean Pt-Rh(100) (Pt/Rh = 1/3) alloy surface is exposed to NO at about 440 K, the LEED pattern changes sequentially as (1x1) → c(2x2) → c(2x2) + p(3x1) → p(3x1), where the c(2x2) pattern appears instantaneously on the alloy surface of any Pt/Rh ratio but the p(3x1) pattern accompanies a certain characteristic interval times being responsible to the segregation of Rh. The p(3x1) surface reflects the formation of an intermediate of Rh-O complex overlayer and it reacts rapidly with H₂.     

Cu Atomic Chain Supported on Graphene Nanoribbon for Effective Conversion of CO2 to Ethanol

Cu catalysts are well-known for their good performance in CO₂ conversion. Compared to CO and CH₄ production, C₂ products have higher volumetric energy densities and are more valuable in industrial applications. In this work, we screened the catalytic ability of C₂ production on several 1D Cu atomic chain structures and find that Cu edge-decorated zigzag graphene nanoribbons (Cu−ZGNR) are capable of catalyzing CO₂ conversion to ethanol, and CH₃CH₂OH is the main C₂ product with a maximum free energy change of 0.60 eV. The planar tetracoordinate carbon structures in Cu-ZGNR provide unique chemical bonding features for catalytic reaction on the Cu atoms. Detailed mechanism analyses with transition states search show that CO* dimerization is favored against CHO* formation in the reaction. By adjusting the CO* coverage, the selectivity of the C₂ product can be enhanced owing to less pronounced steric effects for COCHO*, which is feasible under experimental conditions. This study expands the catalyst family for C₂ products from CO₂ based on nano carbon structures with new features.     

Photo-Induced Switching of CO2 Hydrogenation Pathway towards CH3OH Production over Pt@UiO-66-NH2(Co)

It is highly desired to achieve controllable product selectivity in CO₂ hydrogenation. Herein, we report light-induced switching of reaction pathways of CO₂ hydrogenation towards CH₃OH production over actomically dispersed Co decorated Pt@UiO-66-NH₂. CO, being the main product in the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) pathway under thermocatalysis condition, is switched to CH₃OH via the formate pathway with the assistance of light irradiation. Impressively, the space-time yield of CH₃OH in photo-assisted thermocatalysis (1916.3 μmol g_cat⁻¹ h⁻¹) is about 7.8 times higher than that without light at 240 °C and 1.5 MPa. Mechanism investigation indicates that upon light irradiation, excited UiO-66-NH₂ can transfer electrons to Pt nanoparticles and Co sites, which can efficiently catalyze the critical elementary steps (i.e., CO₂-to-*HCOO conversion), thus suppressing the RWGS pathway to achieve a high CH₃OH selectivity.     

Thermokinetic study of Fischer–Tropsch synthesis on Fe2Cu1 and FeCu surfaces with comparison to Fe(110) and Cu(111) catalysts by the UBI-QEP method

The purpose of this study is to predict the activation barriers and enthalpy for elementary steps in the process of Fischer–Tropsch (F-T) on the surfaces of Fe(110), Cu(111) and Fe/Cu alloys catalyst using “Unity Bond Index-Quadratic Exponential Potential” method aimed at predicting the activity and selectivity on the basis of energy criteria. The elementary steps, such as dissociation of CO, hydrogenation of carbidic carbon, C–C chain growth by insertion of CH₂ versus CO into the metal-alkyl bonds, and chain termination, which lead to hydrocarbons (alkanes versus α-olefins) or oxygenates are discussed in detail. The results show that metallic Fe(110) is necessary to produce the carbidic carbon from CO dissociation, but the synthesis of hydrocarbons and oxygenates can effectively proceed on Cu(111) surface. For optimum performance of F-T synthesis catalyst, these conflicting properties must be optimized. In this regard, we studied Fe/Cu alloy catalyst. On all the catalyst surfaces, the energetically preferred path to initiate the alkyl chain growth is via insertion of a CH_2,s group into the carbon–metal bond of a CH_3,s group. On FeCu catalyst surface, the activation barrier for termination of alkyl chain growth by β-elimination of hydrogen is found to be lower than that for α-addition of hydrogen and consequently for this catalyst, olefins are expected to form more readily than paraffins. The results of the model for a single metal surface are in agreement with the experimental data.     

Photocatalytic Dissociation of CH3OH on ZnO(0001) Surface

Photocatalysis of CH₃OH on the ZnO(0001) surface has been investigated by using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) method with a 266 nm laser light. TPD results show that part of the CH₃OH adsorbed on ZnO(0001) surface are in molecular form, while others are dissociated. The thermal reaction products of H₂, CH₃^·, H₂O, CO, CH₂O, CO₂ and CH₃OH have been detected. Experiments with the UV laser light indicate that the irradiation can promote the dissociation of CH₃OH/CH₃O^· to form CH₂O, which can be future converted to HCOO^- during heating or illumination. The reaction between CH₃OH_Znand OH_ad can form the H₂O molecule at the Zn site. Both temperature and illumination promote the desorption of CH₃^· from CH₃O^·. The research provides a new insight into the photocatalytic reaction mechanism of CH3OH on ZnO(0001).     

H2-induced CO adsorption and dissociation over Co/Al2O3 catalyst

The activation of adsorbed CO is an important step in CO hydrogenation. The results from TPSR of pre-adsorbed CO with H2 and syngas suggested that the presence of H2 increased the amount of CO adsorption and accelerated CO dissocia-tion. The H2 was adsorbed first, and activated to form H* over metal sites, then reacted with carbonaceous species. The oxygen species for CO2 formation in the presence of hydrogen was mostly OH*, which reacted with adsorbed CO subsequently via CO*+OH* → CO2*+H*; however, the direct CO dissociation was not excluded in CO hydrogenation. The dissociation of C-O bond in the presence of H2 proceeded by a concerted mechanism, which assisted the Boudourd reaction of adsorbed CO onthe surface via CO*+2H* → CH*+OH*. The formation of the surface species (CH) from adsorbed CO proceeded as indicated with the participation of surface hydrogen, was favored in the initial step of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.     

The Formation of OH*(<Superscript>2</Superscript>Σ<Superscript>+</Superscript>) Radical in the Reaction of Hydrogen with Oxygen behind a Shock Wave in Nonequilibrium Conditions

The mechanism of formation of the electronically excited radical OH*(A²Σ⁺) has been studied by analyzing calculations quantitatively describing the results of shock wave experiments carried out in order to determine the moment of maximum OH* radiation at temperatures T < 1500 K and pressures P ≤ 2 atm in the H₂ + O₂ mixtures diluted by argon when the vibrational nonequilibrium is a factor determining the mechanism and rate of the overall process. In kinetic calculations, the vibrational nonequilibrium of the initial H₂ and O₂ components, the HO₂, OH(X²Π), O₂*(¹Δ) intermediates, and the reaction product H₂O were taken into account. The analysis showed that under these conditions the main contribution to the overall process of OH* formation is caused by the reactions OH + Ar → OH* + Ar, H₂ + HO₂ → OH* + H₂O, H₂ + O*(¹D) → OH* + H, HO² + O → OH* + O² and H + H²O → OH* + H², which occur in the vibrational nonequilibrium mode (their activation barrier is overcome due to the vibrational excitation of reactants), and by H + O₃ → OH* + O₂ and H + H₂O₂ → OH* + H₂O, which are reverse to the reactions of chemical quenching.     

Temperature-programmed desorption/pulse surface reaction (tpd/tpsr) studies of CH4, C2H6, C2H4, and CO over a cobalt/MWNTs catalyst

Summary Temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, and CO and temperature-programmed pulse surface reactions (TPSR) of CH₄, C₂H₆, C₂H₄, CO, and CO/H₂ over a Co/MWNTs catalyst have been investigated. The TPD results indicated that CH₄ and C₂H₆ mainly exist as physisorbed species on the Co/MWNTs catalyst surface, whilst C₂H₄ and CO exist as both physisorbed and chemisorbed species. The TPSR results indicated that CH₄ and C₂H₆ do not undergo reaction between room temperature and 450^oC. Pulsed C₂H₄ can be transformed into CH₄ at 400 ^oC whilst pulsed CO can be transformed into CO₂ at 100 or 150^oC. In gaseous mixtures of CO and H₂ containing excess CO, the products of pulsed reaction were CH₃CHO and CH₃OH. When the ratio of CO and H₂ was 1:2, pulsed CO and H₂ were transformed into CH₃CHO, CH₃OH and CH₄. In H₂ gas flow, pulsed CO was transformed into a mixture of CH₃CHO and CH₄ between 200 and 250^oC and was transformed into CH₄ only above 250^oC.