Density functional study of the interaction of carbon monoxide with small neutral and charged silver clusters

CO adsorption on small neutral, anionic, and cationic silver clusters Ag(n) (n = 1-7) has been studied with use of the PW91PW91 density functional theory (DFT) method. The adsorption of CO on-top site, among various possible sites, is energetically preferred irrespective of the charge state of the silver cluster. The cationic silver clusters generally have a greater tendency to adsorb CO than the anionic and neutral silver ones, except for n = 3 and 4, and the binding energies reach a local minimum at n = 5. The binding energies on the neutral clusters, instead, reach a local maximum at n = 3, which is about 0.87 eV, probably large enough to be captured in the experiments. Binding of CO to the silver clusters is generally weaker than that to the copper and gold counterparts at the same size and charge state. This is due to the weaker orbital interaction between silver and CO, which is caused by the larger atomic radius of the silver atom. In contrast, Au atoms with a larger nuclear charge but a similar atomic radius to silver owing to the lanthanide contraction are able to have a stronger interaction with CO.     

CO oxidation catalyzed by a single gold atom: benchmark calculations and the performance of DFT methods

Quantum chemical calculations were carried out on CO oxidation catalyzed by a single gold atom. To investigate the performance of density functional theory (DFT) methods, 42 DFT functionals have been evaluated and compared with high-level wavefunction based methods. It was found that in order to obtain accurate results the functionals used must treat long range interaction well. The double-hybrid mPW2PLYP and B2PLYP functionals are the two functionals with best overall performance. CAM-B3LYP, a long range corrected hybrid GGA functional, also performs well. On the other hand, the popular B3LYP, PW91, and PBE functionals do not show good performance and the performance of the latter two are even at the bottom of the 42 functionals. Our accurate results calculated at the CCSD(T)/aug-cc-pVTZ//mPW2PLYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level of theory indicate that Au atom is a good catalysis for CO oxidation. The reaction follows the following mechanism where CO and O(2) adsorb on Au atom forming an Au(OCOO) intermediate and subsequently O(2) transfer one oxygen atom to CO to form CO(2) and AuO. Then AuO reacts with CO to form another CO(2) to complete the catalytic cycle. The overall energy barrier at 0 K for the first CO oxidation step (Au + CO + O(2)→ AuO + CO(2)) is just 4.8 kcal mol(-1), and that for the second CO oxidation step (AuO + CO → Au + CO(2)) is just 1.6 kcal mol(-1).     

Adsorption of O2 on tubelike Au24 and Au24- clusters

The nondissociative adsorptions of O(2) on the neutral and anionic Au(24) have been studied using the density functional theory (DFT) in the generalized gradient approximation. Their geometrical structures are optimized by using a combination of the relativistic effective core potential and all-electron potential with scalar relativistic corrections. It is found that the adsorptions of O(2) on the tubelike Au(24) and Au(24) (-) are more stable than it on their space-filled counterparts. Mulliken population analysis shows that the O(2) adsorbed on the tubelike Au(24) and Au(24) (-) got more electrons than on the amorphous ones, which may be a reason why the O(2) can be adsorbed more easily on the former rather than on the latter. Compared with the previous DFT studies of O(2) adsorbed on small Au(n) (n< or =10) clusters, we have shown that the O(2) can also be adsorbed on the neutral even Au(24) with an adsorption energy compatible with that on the small neutral odd gold clusters, but the adsorption energy of O(2) on the anionic Au(24) (-) is lower than that on the small anionic Au(n) with even n. In all the optimized geometrical structures of the O(2)-adsorbed Au(24) and Au(24) (-) clusters, including both tubelike and amorphous ones, we found that O(2) prefers its two O atoms to be attached to two near gold atoms with the least coordination number rather than only one O atom to be attached to one gold atom.     

Structure and energetics of small gold nanoclusters and their positive ions

We performed density functional theory calculations at the PW91PW91/LANL2DZ, PW91PW91/Stuttgart 1997, PW91PW91/CRENBL, B3LYP/LANL2DZ, and SVWN5/LANL2DZ levels of theory to attain the minimum-energy structures of neutral and cationic gold clusters of up to nine gold atoms. We locate the 2D-to-3D (two-dimensional to three-dimensional) transition in cationic clusters as occurring between Au(8) (+) and Au(9) (+). We also demonstrate that we can correlate the 2D-to-3D transition in cationic clusters with a linear extrapolation of the energy differences of the lowest-lying 2D and 3D structures of cluster sizes below the transition. We then use the same approach to predict that the 2D-to-3D transition occurs in neutral clusters at Au(11); this is confirmed by locating 3D Au(11) structures that are lower in energy than the best 2D structures reported to date. We examine the effects of choice of basis sets and exchange-correlation functionals on the relative stabilities and other properties of the calculated structures. Finally we find that there is good agreement between calculated and experimental data for clusters with up to six constituent atoms. For clusters with more than seven atoms, there are significant differences observed between the calculated and experimental properties using SVWN5/LANL2DZ, but there is still good agreement for the other levels of theory used.     

QMX: A versatile environment for hybrid calculations applied to the grafting of Al2Cl3Me3 on a silica surface

We present a new software to easily perform QM:MM and QM:QM' calculations called QMX. It follows the subtraction scheme and it is implemented in the Atomic Simulation Environment (ASE). Special attention is paid to couple molecular calculations with periodic boundaries approaches. QMX inherits the flexibility and versatility of the ASE package: any combination of methods namely force field, semiempirical, first principle, and ab initio, can be used as hybrid potential energy surface (PES). Its ease of use is demonstrated by considering the adsorption of Al₂Cl₃Me₃ on silica surface and by combining different levels of theory (from standard DFT to MP2 calculations) for the so‐called High Level cluster with standard PW91 density functional theory calculations for the Low Level environment. It is shown that the High Level cluster must contain the silanol group close to the aluminum atoms. The bridging adsorption is favored by 58 kJ mol^?1 at the MP2:PW91 level with respect to the terminal position. Using large clusters at the MP2:PW91 level, it is shown that PW91 calculations are sufficient for structure optimization but that embedded methods are required for accurate energy profiles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Structural, electronic, bonding, magnetic, and optical properties of bimetallic [Ru(n)Au(m)](0/+) (n + m ≤ 3) clusters

The structural, electronic, bonding, magnetic, and optical properties of bimetallic [Ru(n)Au(m)](0/+) (n + m ≤ 3; n, m = 0-3) clusters were computed in the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) using the full-range PBE0 non local hybrid GGA functional combined with the Def2-QZVPP basis sets. Several low-lying states have been investigated and the stability of the ground state spinomers was estimated with respect to all possible fragmentation schemes. Molecular orbital and population analysis schemes along with computed electronic parameters illustrated the details of the bonding mechanisms in the [Ru(n)Au(m)](0/+) clusters. The TD-DFT computed UV-visible absorption spectra of the bimetallic clusters have been fully analyzed and compared to those of pure gold and ruthenium clusters. Assignments of all principal electronic transitions are given and interpreted in terms of contribution from specific molecular orbital excitations.     

Au10团簇结构与电性质的理论研究

使用4种流行的泛函(BPW91, B3PW91, PW91和B3LYP)考查了若干Au10团簇结构的稳定结构, 获得了能量最有利的6种异构体(其中2种以前未见报道), 并在此基础上进一步用MP2方法校准了它们的相对稳定性, 分析了它们的电子性质以及最稳定异构体与氧分子的化学反应性能. 计算结果表明Au10团簇异构体的相对稳定性明显依赖所使用的理论方法和泛函, 密度泛函结果显示Au10倾向于采用平面结构, 且不同的泛函给出异构体的相对稳定性次序也不相同, 而MP2计算则显示三维空间结构的Au10团簇更稳定, Au10可能是金团簇从二维结构到三维结构演化的一个临界点.     

Six-dimensional potential energy surface for H2 at Ru(0001)

The six-dimensional (6D) potential energy surface (PES) for the H(2) molecule interacting with a clean Ru(0001) surface has been computed accurately for the first time. Density functional theory (DFT) and a pseudopotential based periodic plane-wave approach have been used to calculate the electronic interactions between the molecule and the surface. Two different generalized gradient approximation (GGA) exchange-correlation functionals, PW91 and RPBE, have been adopted. Based on the DFT/GGA calculated potential energies, an analytical 6D PES has been constructed using the corrugation reducing procedure. A very accurate representation of the DFT/GGA data has been achieved, with an average error in the interpolation of about 3 meV and a maximum error not larger than about 30 meV. The top site is found to be the most reactive site for both functionals used, but PW91 predicts a higher reactivity than RPBE, with lower-energy and earlier-located dissociation barriers. The energetic corrugation displayed by the RPBE PES is larger than the PW91 PES while the geometric corrugation is smaller. The differences between the two PESs increase as the distance of the molecular center of mass to the surface decreases. A direct comparison with experimental investigations on H(2)/Ru(0001) could shed light on the suitability of these XC potentials often used in DFT calculations.     

DFT study of the structural characteristics of the yttrium(3+) aqua ion

Density functional theory (DFT) using SVWN5, B3LYP, B3P86, O3LYP, B3PW91, B1LYP, B971, MPW1PW91, PBE1PBE, BHandH, and BHandHLYP density functionals was employed to study the structural characteristics of the Y(H₂O) ₈ ³⁺ yttrium aqua ion. The nonlocal hybrid GGA functionals show worse predictive ability in structural calculations of the Y(H₂O) ₈ ³⁺ aqua ion compared to the relatively simple combined functional BHandH and to the simplest SVWN5 functional in LSDA theory.     

O与O2在Au团簇上吸附的密度泛函理论研究

采用基于密度泛函理论(DFT)的Dmol³程序系统研究了O原子与O₂在 Au₁₉与Au₂₀团簇上的吸附反应行为. 结果表明: O在Au₁₉团簇顶端洞位上的吸附较Au₂₀强; 在侧桥位吸附强度相近. O与O₂在带负电Au团簇上吸附较强, 在正电团簇吸附较弱. 从O―O键长看, 当金团簇带负电时, O―O键长较长, 中性团簇次之, 正电团簇中O―O键长较短, 因而O₂活化程度依次减弱. 电荷布居分析表明, Au团簇带负电时, O与O₂得电子数较中性团簇多, 而团簇带正电时, 得电子数较少. 差分电荷密度(CDD)表明, O₂与Au团簇作用时, 金团簇失电子, O₂的π^*轨道得电子, 使O―O键活化. O₂在Au₁₉^-团簇上解离反应活化能为1.33 eV, 较中性团簇低0.53 eV; 而在Au₁₉⁺上活化能为2.27 eV, 较中性团簇高0.41 eV, 这与O₂在不同电性Au₁₉团簇O―O键活化规律相一致.     

Theoretical study of nitric oxide adsorption on Au clusters

The adsorption properties of NO molecule on anionic, cationic, and neutral Au(n) clusters (n=1-6) are studied using the density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation, and with the hybrid functional. For anionic and cationic clusters, the charge transfer between the Au clusters and NO molecule and the corresponding weakening and elongation of the N-O bond are essential factors of the adsorption. The neutral Au clusters have also remarkable adsorption ability to NO molecule. The adsorption energies of NO on the cationic clusters are generally greater than those on the neutral and anionic clusters.     

Oxygen adsorption on gold nanofacets and model clusters

We have studied oxygen interaction with Au crystals (field emitter tips) using time-resolved (atom-probe) field desorption mass spectrometry. The results demonstrate no adsorption to take place on clean Au facets under chosen conditions of pressures (p < 10(-4) m/bar) and temperatures (T = 300-350 K). Steady electric fields of 6 V/nm do not allow dissociating the oxygen molecule. The measured O2+ intensities rather reflect ionization of O2 molecules at critical distances above the Au tip surface. Certain amounts of Au-O2 complex ions can be found at the onset of Au field evaporation. Calculations by density functional theory (DFT) show weak oxygen end-on interaction with Au10 clusters (Delta E = 0.023 eV) and comparatively stronger interaction with Au1/Au(100) model surfaces (Delta E = 0.25 eV). No binding is found on {210} facets. Including (positive) electric fields in the DFT calculations leads to an increase of the activation energy for oxygen dissociation thus providing an explanation for the absence of atomic oxygen ions from the field desorption mass spectra.     

Hybrid density functional∕molecular mechanics studies on activated adsorption of oxygen on zeolite supported gold monomer

Density functional theory calculations on oxygen adsorption over gas phase and faujasite supported Au monomer has been studied using hybrid quantum mechanics∕molecular mechanics method, surface integrated molecular orbital molecular mechanics implemented in GAMESS package. Three different oxidation states of Au (0, +1, +3) and three different adsorption modes viz., top, bridge, and dissociative adsorption of oxygen have been considered in our calculations. Redshift in the ν(O-O) value from that in gas phase O(2) indicates activation of O(2) upon adsorption over faujasite supported gold monomer. The activation of O(2) is an important step in the catalytic oxidation of CO. The presence of adsorbed O(2) increases the interaction of the Au monomer with the faujasite support. In faujasite supported cationic Au monomer, O(2) preferably remains bridge bonded to Au rather than being dissociated.     

Adsorption of small molecules on silver clusters

We report investigations of adsorption of N(2) and O(2) molecules on silver cluster cations. We have first revisited structures of small silver clusters based on first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory with hybrid functional. The 2D to 3D transition for the neutral clusters occurs from n = 6 to 7 and for cations, in agreement with experiments, from n = 4 to 5. With the refined structures, adsorption energies of N(2) and O(2) molecules have been calculated. We have identified characteristic drops in the adsorption energies of N(2) that further link our calculations and experiments, and confirm the reported 2D-3D transition for cations. We have found that perturbations caused by physisorbed molecules are small enough that the structures of most Ag clusters remain unchanged, even though physisorption stabilizes the 3D Ag(7)(+) structure slightly more than the 2D counterpart. Results for pure O(2) adsorption indicate that charge transfer from Ag(n)(+) to O(2) occurs when n > 3. Below that size oxygen essentially physisorbes such as nitrogen to the cluster. We interpret the experimentally observed mutually cooperative co-adsorption of oxygen and nitrogen using results from density functional theory with generalized gradient approximations. The key to the enhancement is N(2)-induced increase in charge transfer from Ag(n)(+) cations to O(2).     

Comparison of DFT methods for molecular orbital eigenvalue calculations

We report how closely the Kohn-Sham highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) eigenvalues of 11 density functional theory (DFT) functionals, respectively, correspond to the negative ionization potentials (-IPs) and electron affinities (EAs) of a test set of molecules. We also report how accurately the HOMO-LUMO gaps of these methods predict the lowest excitation energies using both time-independent and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT). The 11 DFT functionals include the local spin density approximation (LSDA), five generalized gradient approximation (GGA) functionals, three hybrid GGA functionals, one hybrid functional, and one hybrid meta GGA functional. We find that the HOMO eigenvalues predicted by KMLYP, BH&HLYP, B3LYP, PW91, PBE, and BLYP predict the -IPs with average absolute errors of 0.73, 1.48, 3.10, 4.27, 4.33, and 4.41 eV, respectively. The LUMOs of all functionals fail to accurately predict the EAs. Although the GGA functionals inaccurately predict both the HOMO and LUMO eigenvalues, they predict the HOMO-LUMO gap relatively accurately (approximately 0.73 eV). On the other hand, the LUMO eigenvalues of the hybrid functionals fail to predict the EA to the extent that they include HF exchange, although increasing HF exchange improves the correspondence between the HOMO eigenvalue and -IP so that the HOMO-LUMO gaps are inaccurately predicted by hybrid DFT functionals. We find that TD-DFT with all functionals accurately predicts the HOMO-LUMO gaps. A linear correlation between the calculated HOMO eigenvalue and the experimental -IP and calculated HOMO-LUMO gap and experimental lowest excitation energy enables us to derive a simple correction formula.     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt, Au)表面的吸附

采用密度泛函理论(DFT), 选取DMol³程序模块, 对噻吩在M(111) (M=Pd, Pt, Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨. 通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken 电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现, 噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大, Pt(111)面次之, Au(111)面最小. 吸附后, 噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变, 最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top 位; 噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形, 环中氢原子向上翘起, 最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow 位. 此外, 噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏, 环中碳原子发生sp³杂化, 同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移, M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道, 这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

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.     

噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面的吸附(英文)

采用密度泛函理论(DFT),选取DMol3程序模块,对噻吩在M(111)(M=Pd,Pt,Au)表面上的吸附行为进行了探讨.通过对噻吩在不同底物金属上的吸附能、吸附构型、Mulliken电荷布居、差分电荷密度以及态密度的分析发现,噻吩在Pd(111)面上的吸附能最大,Pt(111)面次之,Au(111)面最小.吸附后,噻吩在Au(111)面上的构型几乎保持不变,最终通过S端倾斜吸附于top位;噻吩在Pd(111)及Pt(111)面上发生了折叠与变形,环中氢原子向上翘起,最终通过环平面平行吸附于hollow位.此外,噻吩环吸附后芳香性遭到了破坏,环中碳原子发生sp3杂化,同时电子逐渐由噻吩向M(111)面发生转移,M(111)面上的部分电子也反馈给了噻吩环中的空轨道,这种协同作用最终导致了噻吩分子稳定吸附于M(111)面.     

Density functional study of the interaction of chlorine atom with small neutral and charged silver clusters

Chlorine adsorption on small neutral, anionic, and cationic silver clusters Ag(n) (n=2-7) has been studied using the PW91PW91 density functional method. It was found that the adsorption of chlorine on the lowest-energy bare clusters does not always produce the lowest-energy complexes. In addition, the binding of chlorine can greatly change the geometries of the silver clusters in some cases. Among various possible adsorption sites, bridge site is energetically preferred for the neutral Ag(n) while top site is energetically more preferred for the anionic Ag(n) with n< or =6. For cationic clusters, adsorptions on bridge and face sites have similar binding energies, which are much larger than those on top sites. Natural bond orbital analyses show that irrespective of charge state, electrons always transfer from silver atoms to adsorbate and silver acts like alkali metals in the interaction with chlorine atom. Significant odd-even alternation patterns in the properties of the complexes have been observed: Even-electron clusters often have higher ionization energies, lower electron affinities, and higher dissociation energies than their odd-electron neighbors. It was also found that chlorine atoms bind more strongly with odd-electron bare clusters than with even-electron bare clusters. These patterns reveal that even-electron clusters are more stable than odd-electron clusters.     

采用12种密度泛函理论方法表征三种三价铀复合物

比较了BP86、PBE、B3LYP、B3PW91、BHandHLYP、PBE0、X3LYP、CAM-B3LYP、TPSS、M06L、M06和M06-2X等12种采用了广义梯度近似(GGA、hybrid GGA、meta-GGA和hybrid meta-GGA)的密度泛函理论(DFT)方法在三个三价铀复合物表征中的应用. 研究模型采用铀复合物催化CO₂和CS₂官能团化反应中的三个中间体(Tp^*)₂U- η¹-CH₂Ph (Cpd2), (Tp^*)₂U- κ²-O₂CCH₂Ph (Cpd3) 和(Tp^*)₂U- κ²-S₂CCH₂Ph (Cpd4). 研究发现, B3LYP 和B3PW91 在几何结构和电子结构方面优于其它方法. 基于分子轨道理论的MP2 方法在Cpd2 和Cpd3 的表征中给出与DFT方法相近的结果, 而在Cpd4 的表征中表现出较大的差异. 这可能是由于同样是单参考态方法的MP2捕捉到了与DFT方法不同的电子结构. 同时, 通过对比分别采用小核赝势(5f-in-valence)和大核赝势(5f-in-core)基组处理铀原子的计算结果, 发现对测试的模型体系, 两种处理方法可获得相近的热力学能量. 与以往主要关注高价态锕系复合物的处理方法的评估工作不同, 本项工作适应逐渐增加的对低价态锕系分子体系的研究的需求, 对12 种常用的密度泛函理论方法在低价态锕系复合物研究中的应用进行了评估, 期望为处理类似体系的研究工作提供参考.