Theoretical study on adsorption of thiophenethiolate molecule on Au(1 1 1) surface

We have theoretically studied the adsorption of a thiophenethiolate (C₄H₃S-S) molecule on the Au(1 1 1) surface by first-principles calculations. It is found that the bridge site is the most stable adsorption site with the adsorption energy of 1.02 eV. In the optimized adsorption geometry, the bond between the head S atom and the connected C atom in the tail thiophene molecule is tilted by 57.2° from the surface normal. In addition, the adsorption of thiophenethiolate induces large relaxations of the surface Au atoms around it. Furthermore, weak interactions between the S atom in the tail thiophene ring and the Au atoms also contribute to the adsorption on the Au surface.     

Density functional theory study of selenium adsorption on Fe(1 1 0)

The adsorption of atomic Se on a Fe(1 1 0) surface is examined using the density functional theory (DFT). Selenium is adsorbed in high-symmetry adsorption sites: the -short and long-bridge, and atop sites at 1/2, 1/4, and 1 monolayer (ML) coverages. The long bridge (LB) site is found to be the most stable, followed by the short bridge (SB) and top sites (T). The following overlayer structures were examined, p(2 × 2), c(2 × 2), and p(1 × 1), which correspond to 1/4 ML, 1/2 ML, and 1 ML respectively. Adsorption energy is −5.23 eV at 1/4 ML. Se adsorption results in surface reconstruction, being more extensive for adsorption in the long bridge site at 1/2 ML, with vertical displacements between +8.63 and −6.69% -with regard to the original Fe position-, affecting the 1st and 2nd neighbours. The largest displacement in x or y-directions was determined to be 0.011, 0.030, and 0.021 Å for atop and bridge sites. Comparisons between Se-adsorbed and pure Fe surfaces revealed reductions in the magnetic moments of surface-layer Fe atoms in the vicinity of the Se. At the long bridge site, the presence of Se causes a decrease in the surface Fe d-orbital density of states between 4 and 5 eV below Fermi level. The density of states present a contribution of Se states at −3.1 eV and −12.9 eV. stabilized after adsorption. The Fe-Fe overlap population decrease and a Fe-Se bond are formed at the expense of the metallic bond.     

First-principles calculations of hydrogen molecule adsorption on Ti (0 0 0 1)-(2 × 1) surface

Adsorption of H₂ molecule on the Ti (0 0 0 1)-(2 × 1) surface was studied by density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The parallel and vertical absorption cases were investigated in detail by adsorption energy and electronic structure analysis, we obtained three stable configurations of FCC-FCC (the two H atoms adsorption on the two adjacent fcc sites of Ti (0 0 0 1) surface, respectively), HCP-HCP (the two H atoms adsorption on the two adjacent hcp sites of Ti (0 0 0 1) surface, respectively) and FCC-HCP (the one H atom adsorption on the fcc site and the other adsorption on the near hcp site) based on the six different parallel adsorption sites after the H₂ molecule dissociates. However, all the end configurations of four vertical adsorption sites were unstable, H₂ molecule was very easy to desorb from Ti surface. The H-H bond breaking and Ti-H bond forming result from the H₂ molecule dissociation. H-H bond breaking length ranges from 1.9 Å to 2.3 Å for different adsorption configurations due to the strong Ti-H bond forming. The H₂ dissociative approach and the end stable configurations formation in parallel adsorption processes are attributed to the quantum mechanics steering effects.     

Density functional theory study of hydrogenation mechanism in Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surface

Using density functional theory (DFT) in combination with nudged elastic band (NEB) method, the dissociative chemisorptions and diffusion processes of hydrogen on both pure and Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surfaces are studied. Firstly, the dissociation pathway of H₂ and the relative barrier were investigated. The calculated dissociation barrier (1.08 eV) of hydrogen molecule on a pure Mg(0 0 0 1) surface is in good agreement with comparable experimental and theoretical studies. For the Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) surface, the activated barrier decreases to 0.101 eV due to the strong interaction between the s orbital of H and the d orbital of Fe. Then, the diffusion processes of atomic hydrogen on pure and Fe-doped Mg(0 0 0 1) are presented. The obtained diffusion barrier to the first subsurface is 0.45 eV and 0.98 eV, respectively. Finally, Chou method was used to investigate the hydrogen sorption kinetic mechanism of pure MgH₂ and Mg mixed with 5 at.% Fe atoms composites. The obtained activation energies are 0.87 ± 0.02 and 0.31 ± 0.01 eV for H₂ dissociation on the pure surface and H atom diffusion in Fe-doped Mg surfaces, respectively. It suggests that the rate-controlling step is dissociation of H₂ on the pure Mg surface while it is diffusion of H atom in the Fe-doped Mg surface. And both of fitting data are matching well with our calculation results.     

First-principles study on the catalytic role of Ag in the oxygen adsorption of LaMnO3(0 0 1) surface

In the present paper, the catalytic role of Ag in the oxygen adsorption of LaMnO₃(0 0 1) surface has been theoretically investigated using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) and pseudopotential method. The O₂ adsorption energy is larger for the vertical adsorption and the covalent bond was formed between O₂ molecule and surface Mn. The calculation of electronic properties of interaction between Ag atom and LaMnO₃(0 0 1) surface demonstrates that the most stable position for Ag adsorption is hollow site. The O₂ adsorption energy dramatically increased from 0.298 eV to 1.108 eV due to Ag pre-adsorbed. It is Ag pre-adsorbed that facilitates O₂ adsorption on surface. The bond length and bond population of O₂ molecule indicate that Ag atom facilitates O₂ molecule dissociative adsorption. The Ag atom strengthens LaMnO₃(0 0 1) substrate activity and activity center was formed on surface, which enhances the electrocatalytic activity of LaMnO₃ as solid oxide fuel cells cathode material at low temperature.     

Adsorption of water on TiN (1 0 0), (1 1 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces: A first-principles study

We use first-principles density functional theory-based calculations in the analysis of the interaction of H₂O with (1 0 0), (1 1 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces of TiN, and develop understanding in terms of surface energies, polarity of the surface and chemistry of the cation, through comparison with H₂O adsorption on ZrN. While water molecule physisorbs preferentially at Ti site of (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces, it adsorbs dissociatively on (1 1 0) surface of TiN with binding stronger than almost 1.32 eV/molecule. Our analysis reveals the following general trends: (a) surfaces with higher energies typically lead to stronger adsorption, (b) dissociative adsorption of H₂O necessarily occurs on a charge neutral high energy surface and (c) lower symmetry of the (1 1 0) plane results in many configurations of comparable stability, as opposed to the higher symmetry (1 0 0) and (1 1 1) surfaces, which also consistently explain the results of H₂O adsorption on MgO available in literature. Finally, weaker adsorption of H₂O on TiN than on ZrN can be rationalized in terms of greater chemical stability of Ti arising from its ability to be in mixed valence.     

Study of the adsorption, electronic structure and bonding of C2H4 on the FeNi(1 1 1) surface

The adsorption of C₂H₄ on the FeNi(1 1 1) alloy surface has been studied by ASED-MO tight binding calculations. The C₂H₄ molecule presents its most stable geometry with the CC bond axis parallel to the surface along the [1, −1, 0] direction, bonded on top Fe atom and bonded along a Fe-Fe bridge site. As a consequence, the strength of the local Fe-Fe bond decreases between 37 and 62% of its original bulk value. This bond weakening is mainly due to the new C-Fe interactions however no Fe₃C carbide formation is evidenced on surface. The Fe-Ni and Ni-Ni superficial bonds are only slightly modified.     

Ruthenium adsorption and diffusion on the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface

We report first principles calculations to analyze the ruthenium adsorption and diffusion on GaN(0 0 0 1) surface in a 2×2geometry. The calculations were performed using the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) with ultrasoft pseudopotential within the density functional theory (DFT). The surface is modeled using the repeated slabs approach. To study the most favorable ruthenium adsorption model we considered T₁, T₄ and H₃ special sites. We find that the most energetically favorable structure corresponds to the Ru- T₄ model or the ruthenium adatom located at the T₄ site, while the ruthenium adsorption on top of a gallium atom (T₁ position) is totally unfavorable. The ruthenium diffusion on surface shows an energy barrier of 0.612 eV. The resultant reconstruction of the ruthenium adsorption on GaN(0 0 0 1)- 2×2 surface presents a lateral relaxation of some hundredth of Å in the most stable site. The comparison of the density of states and band structure of the GaN(0 0 0 1) surface without ruthenium adatom and with ruthenium adatom is analyzed in detail.     

A density functional study of atomic oxygen and water molecule adsorption on Ni(1 1 1) and chromium-substituted Ni(1 1 1) surfaces

Density functional theory (DFT) for generalized gradient approximation calculations has been used to study the adsorption of atomic oxygen and water molecules on Ni(1 1 1) and different kind of Ni-Cr(1 1 1) surfaces. The fcc hollow site is energetically the most favorable for atomic oxygen adsorption and on top site is favorable for water adsorption. The Ni-Cr surface has the highest absorption energy for oxygen at 6.86 eV, followed by the hcp site, whereas the absorption energy is 5.56 eV for the Ni surface. The Ni-O bond distance is 1.85 Å for the Ni surface. On the other hand, the result concerning the Ni-Cr surface implies that the bond distances are 1.93-1.95 Å and 1.75 Å for Ni-O and Cr-O, respectively. The surface adsorption energy for water on top site for two Cr atom substituted Ni-Cr surface is 0.85 eV. Oxygen atoms prefer to bond with Cr rather than Ni atoms. Atomic charge analysis demonstrates that charge transfer increases due to the addition of Cr. Moreover, a local density of states (LDOS) study examines the hybridization occurring between the metal d orbital and the oxygen p orbital; the bonding is mainly ionic, and water bonds weakly in both cases.     

DFT study of NH3 dissociation on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7. The role of intermolecular interactions

The adsorption of NH₃ molecule on the Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 surface modelled with a cluster has been studied using density functional theory (DFT). The results indicate the existence of a precursor state for the non-dissociative chemisorption. The active site for the molecular chemisorption is the adatom; while the NH₃ molecule adsorbs on the Si restatom via this preadsorbed state, the adsorption on the Si adatom is produced practically without an energy barrier. The ammonia adsorption on the adatom induces an electron transfer from the dangling bond of this atom to the dangling bond of the adjacent Si restatom, hindering this site for the adsorption of a second NH₃ incoming molecule. However, this second molecule links strongly by means of two H-bonds. The dissociative chemisorption process was studied considering one and two ammonia molecules. For the dissociation of a lonely NH₃ molecule an energy barrier of ∼0.3 eV was calculated, yielding NH₂ on the adatom and H on the restatom. When two molecules are adsorbed, the NH₃-NH₃ interaction yields the weakening of a N-H bond of the ammonia molecule adsorbed closer the Si surface. As a consequence, the dissociation barrier practically disappears. Thus, the presence of a second NH₃ molecule at the adatom-restatom pair of the Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 surface makes the dissociative reaction self-assisted, the total adsorption process elapsing with a negligible activation barrier (less than 0.01 eV).     

A density-functional study on the atomic geometry and adsorption of the Cu(1 0 0) c(2 × 2)/N Surface

In this work we have performed total-energy calculations on the geometric structure and adsorption properties of Cu(1 0 0) c(2 × 2)/N surface by using the density-functional theory and the projector-augmented wave method. It is concluded that nitrogen atom was adsorbed on a FFH site with a vertical distance of 0.2 Å towards from surface Cu layer. The bond length of the shortest Cu-N bonding is calculated to be 1.83 Å. Geometry optimization calculations exclude out the possibilities of adsorbate induced reconstruction mode suggested by Driver and Woodruff and the atop structural model. The calculated workfunction for this absorbate-adsorbent system is 4.63 eV which is quite close to that of a clean Cu(1 0 0) surface. The total-energy calculations showed that the average adsorption energy per nitrogen in the case of Cu(1 0 0) c(2 × 2)-N is about 4.88 eV with respect to an isolated N atom. The absorption of nitrogen on Cu(1 0 0) surface yields the hybridization between surface Cu atoms and N, and generates the localized surface states at −1.0 eV relative to Fermi energy E_F. The stretch mode of the adsorbed nitrogen at FFH site is about 30.8 meV. The present study provides a strong criterion to account for the local surface geometry in Cu(1 0 0) c(2 × 2)/N surface.     

Adsorption and thermal reaction of short-chain alkanethiols on GaAs(1 0 0)

By means of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) with synchrotron radiation, we investigated the adsorption and thermal decomposition of alkanethiols (RSH, R = CH₃, C₂H₅, and C₄H₉) on a GaAs(1 0 0) surface. All chemisorbed alkanethiols can deprotonate to form thiolates below 300 K via dissociation of the sulfhydryl hydrogen (-SH). Two types of thiolates species are observed on GaAs(1 0 0), according to adsorption on surface Ga and As sites. The thiolates adsorbed on a Ga site preferentially recombine with surface hydrogen to desorb as a molecular thiol at 350-385 K. The thiolate on the As site exhibits greater thermal stability and undergoes mainly dissociation of the C-S bond at ∼520 K, independent of the alkyl chain length. The decomposition of CH₃S either directly desorbs CH₃ or transfers the CH₃ moiety onto the surface. The surface CH₃ further evolves directly from the surface at 665 K. The dissociations of C₂H₅S and C₄H₉S yield surface C₂H₅ and C₄H₉, which further decompose to desorb C₂H₄ and C₄H₈, respectively, via β-hydride elimination. The complete decomposition of alkanethiol leads to the formation of surface S without deposition of carbon. Adsorption of CH₃SSCH₃ results in the formation of surface CH₃S at initial exposures via scission of the S−S bond. Compared with the adsorption of CH₃SH, the CH₃S on the Ga site exhibits greater thermal stability because surface hydrogen is absent. At a high exposure, CH₃SSCH₃ can absorb molecularly on the surface and decompose to desorb CH₃SCH₃ via formation of a CH₃SS intermediate.     

Chemical reactions of water molecules on Ru(0 0 0 1) induced by selective excitation of vibrational modes

Tunneling electrons in a scanning tunneling microscope were used to excite specific vibrational quantum states of adsorbed water and hydroxyl molecules on a Ru(0 0 0 1) surface. The excited molecules relaxed by transfer of energy to lower energy modes, resulting in diffusion, dissociation, desorption, and surface-tip transfer processes. Diffusion of H₂O molecules could be induced by excitation of the O-H stretch vibration mode at 445 meV. Isolated molecules required excitation of one single quantum while molecules bonded to a C atom required at least two quanta. Dissociation of single H₂O molecules into H and OH required electron energies of 1 eV or higher while dissociation of OH required at least 2 eV electrons. In contrast, water molecules forming part of a cluster could be dissociated with electron energies of 0.5 eV.     

First principle calculations of benzotriazole adsorption onto clean Cu(1 1 1)

The adsorption of benzotriazole (BTAH or C₆N₃H₅) on a Cu(1 1 1) surface is investigated by using first principle density functional theory calculations (VASP). It is found that BTAH can be physisorbed (<0.1 eV) or weakly chemisorbed (∼0.43 eV) onto Cu(1 1 1), and the chemical bond is formed through nitrogen sp² lone pairs. The weak chemisorption can be stabilized by reaction with neighboring protonphilic radicals, like OH⁻. Furthermore, the geometries and associated energies of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between adsorbates on Cu(1 1 1) are also calculated. A model of the first layer of BTAH/BTA⁻ on Cu(1 1 1) surface is developed based on a hydrogen bond network structure.     

Theoretical studies on the adsorption and decomposition of H2O on Pd(1 1 1) surface

To provide information about the chemistry of water on Pd surfaces, we performed density functional slab model studies on water adsorption and decomposition at Pd(1 1 1) surface. We located transition states of a series of elementary steps and calculated activation energies and rate constants with and without quantum tunneling effect included. Water was found to weakly bind to the Pd surface. Co-adsorbed species OH and O that are derivable from H₂O stabilize the adsorbed water molecules via formation of hydrogen bonds. On the clean surface, the favorable sites are top and bridge for H₂O and OH, respectively. Calculated kinetic parameters indicate that dehydrogenation of water is unlikely on the clean regular Pd(1 1 1) surface. The barrier for the hydrogen abstraction of H₂O at the OH covered surface is approximately 0.2-0.3 eV higher than the value at the clean surface. Similar trend is computed for the hydroxyl group dissociation at H₂O or O covered surfaces. In contrast, the O-H bond breaking of water on oxygen covered Pd surfaces, H₂O_ad + O_ad → 2OH_ad, is predicted to be likely with a barrier of ∼0.3 eV. The reverse reaction, 2OH_ad → H₂O_ad + O_ad, is also found to be very feasible with a barrier of ∼0.1 eV. These results show that on oxygen-covered surfaces production of hydroxyl species is highly likely, supporting previous experimental findings.     

Formation of Ag2, Au2 and AgAu particles on MgO(1 0 0): DFT study on the role of support-induced charge transfer in metal-metal interactions

The formation of Ag₂, Au₂ and AgAu particles oriented perpendicularly to the MgO(1 0 0) surface was studied using the density functional theory. While the support induces a slight enhancement of the Ag-Ag bond (by 0.3-0.4 eV), the Au-Au bond is strongly enhanced (by 0.8-1.1 eV). Concerning the bimetallic particle, the Ag-Au bond stabilization depends on the relative position of each atom. Thus, in general terms, the strength of the metal-metal bond is determined by the nature of the terminal atom; the bond is stronger in Au-terminal particles. The partial electronic charge transfer to the terminal Au atom and its ability to polarize this charge are responsible for this energetic stabilization.     

Density functional study of hypophosphite adsorption on Ni (1 1 1) and Cu (1 1 1) surfaces

Surface structures and electronic properties of hypophosphite, H₂PO₂⁻, molecularly adsorbed on Ni(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 1) surfaces are investigated in this work by density functional theory at B3LYP/6-31++g(d, p) level. We employ a four-metal-atom cluster as the simplified model for the surface and have fully optimized the geometry and orientation of H₂PO₂⁻ on the metal cluster. Six stable orientations have been discovered on both Ni (1 1 1) and Cu (1 1 1) surfaces. The most stable orientation of H₂PO₂⁻ was found to have its two oxygen atoms interact the surface with two PO bonds pointing downward. Results of the Mulliken population analysis showed that the back donation from 3d orbitals of the transition metal substrate to the unfilled 3d orbital of the phosphorus atom in H₂PO₂⁻ and 4s orbital's acceptance of electron donation from one lone pair of the oxygen atom in H₂PO₂⁻ play very important roles in the H₂PO₂⁻ adsorption on the transition metals. The averaged electron configuration of Ni in Ni₄ cluster is 4s^0.634p^0.023d^9.35 and that of Cu in Cu₄ cluster is 4s^1.004p^0.033d^9.97. Because of this subtle difference of electron configuration, the adsorption energy is larger on the Ni surface than on the Cu surface. The amount of charge transfers due to above two donations is larger from H₂PO₂⁻ to the Ni surface than to the Cu surface, leading to a more positively charged P atom in Ni_nH₂PO₂⁻ than in Cu_nH₂PO₂⁻. These results indicate that the phosphorus atom in Ni_nH₂PO₂⁻ complex is easier to be attacked by a nucleophile such as OH⁻ and subsequent oxidation of H₂PO₂⁻ can take place more favorably on Ni substrate than on Cu substrate.     

Formamide reactions on rutile TiO2(0 1 1) surface

The reaction of formamide over the (0 1 1) faceted TiO₂(0 0 1) surface has been studied by Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Two main reactions were observed: dehydration to HCN and H₂O and decomposition to NH₃ and CO. The dehydration reaction was found to be three to four times larger than the decomposition at all coverages. Each of these reactions is found to occur in two temperature domains which are dependent upon surface coverage. The low temperature pathway (at about 400 K) is largely insensitive to surface coverage while the high temperature pathway (at about 500 K) shifts to lower temperatures with increasing surface coverage. These two temperature pathways may indicate two adsorption modes of formamide: molecular (via an η¹(O) mode of adsorption) and dissociative (via an η²(O,N) mode of adsorption). C1s and N1s XPS scans indicated the presence of multiple species after formamide absorption at 300 K. These occurred at ca. 288.5 eV (-CONH-) and 285 eV (sp³/sp² C) for the C1s and 400 eV-(NH₂), 398 eV (-NH) and 396 eV (N) for the N1s and result from further reaction of formamide with the surface.     

Initial stages of H2O adsorption and hydroxylation of Fe-terminated α-Fe2O3(0 0 0 1) surface

The adsorption modes of H₂O on a Fe-terminated hematite(0 0 0 1) surface have been investigated by first principles Density Functional theory within a periodic slab model and the generalized gradient approximation. Molecular adsorption and dissociative adsorption in monolayer coverage, one H₂O per surface Fe, were both considered. Five plausible orientations were studied to determine the most favorable adsorption position. Molecular adsorption is shown to have a small effect on the underlying surface structure, while hydroxylation has a strong effect on the surface geometry. Electronic densities of state calculations reveal details of these different interactions. The heterolytic dissociation, which produces two types of surface hydroxyls, is the preferable adsorption mode, being slightly favored energetically over the molecular adsorption. Homolytic dissociative adsorption, forming a single hydroxyl on surface Fe, is energetically unfavored, even though strong binding interaction (∼3 eV) is found between the OH radical and surface. Dissociative adsorption on an oxidized ferryl site was also studied to investigate suggested local reactivity enhancement.     

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on Pd(3 1 1) and (2 1 1) surfaces

Adsorption of carbon monoxide on Pd(3 1 1) and (2 1 1) stepped surfaces has been investigated by the extended London-Eyring-Polyani-Sato (LEPS) method constructed using a 5-parameter Morse potential. The calculated results show that there exist common characteristics of CO adsorption on the two surfaces. At low coverage, CO occupies threefold hollow site of the (1 1 1) terrace and is tilted with respect to the surface normal. Among the threefold hollow sites on the (1 1 1) terrace, the nearer the site is to the step, the greater is the influence of the step. The twofold bridge site on the (1 0 0) step is also a stable adsorption site at high coverage. Because of the different lengths of the (1 1 1) terraces, the (3 1 1) and (2 1 1) stepped surfaces have different characteristics. A number of new sites are exposed on the boundary regions, including the fourfold hollow site (H₄) of the (3 1 1) surface and the fivefold hollow site (H₅) of the (2 1 1) surface. At high coverage, CO resides in the H₅ site of the (2 1 1) surface, but the H₄ site of the (3 1 1) surface is not a stable adsorption site. This study further shows that the on-top site on the (1 0 0) step of Pd(3 1 1) is a stable adsorption site, but the same type of site on Pd(2 1 1) is not.