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At least 1,747 records · Page 97

Modeling Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering of Au-Pyrazine and Au-Pyrazine-Au Nanorod Dimer Systems with the TD-DFTB Method

This study investigates Raman scattering from a pyrazine molecule adsorbed on gold nanorod surfaces using the time-dependent density functional tight-binding (TD-DFTB) method. We analyze surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of the molecule for two configurations: one where the molecule is adsorbed on a single gold nanorod forming Au-pyrazine complex, and another where it forms a nano-junction Au-pyrazine-Au dimer system. These two configurations offer distinct chemical environments for the molecule and different local field enhancements, with the dimer systems generating enhanced hotspot regions at the junctions. We present results for nanojunction, Au-pyrazine-Au dimer structures, for variable nanogap sizes that lead to shift in the plasmon energy. The study identifies contributions to the SERS enhancements from chemical, electromagnetic, and resonance charge transfer mechanisms. Our results show that the chemical mechanism provides enhancement factors in the range of 10 2 –10 3 , while the electromagnetic enhancements are on the order of 10 3 –10 5 for monomer systems and 10 6 –10 8 for dimer structures. We present results for a nanorod with a length of 5.3 nm and a width of 0.52 nm, consisting of 121 gold atoms.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Computational Optimization of Room Temperature Usable Capacity for Hydrogen Storage in MFU-4-Type Metal–Organic Frameworks via Pairwise Metal Substitutions

The efficient storage of hydrogen is a critical challenge in the quest for sustainable energy solutions. Current adsorbent-based methods achieve satisfactory storage densities predominantly under cryogenic temperatures and/or high pressures, which imposes problems with cost-efficient and safe implementation of this technology. Materials that can bind hydrogen gas reversibly at ambient temperatures and more moderate pressures could play a pivotal role in enabling hydrogen-powered technologies. In this study, we use reliable computational modeling to investigate two synthetically feasible paths for tuning the enthalpy of H2 binding in MFU-4-type metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), aiming to maximize usable capacity. This study examines MIM4 IICl3(bta)6 (bta– = benzotriazolate) Kuratowski-type clusters as a model for strong binding sites in MFU-4l frameworks. We systematically evaluate the impact of separately tuning the central MII metal ion (which plays a structural role) and the peripheral MI metal ion (which binds the substrate) on the energetics of H2 binding. Our computational study reveals that H2 binding at an MI site mostly follows the trend AgI < CuI < NiI < CoI < AuI while a larger central MII site generally weakens the H2 binding at a MI site. Importantly, we have identified three new combinations of MI and MII to achieve high fractional usable capacities of the total H2 adsorbed under a pressure swing from 5 to 100 bar at room temperature. Additionally, we examine the nature of the binding interaction between the peripheral metal atom and the hydrogen molecule. While charge transfer predominantly induces this interaction, for several atom combinations, a change in the polarization (associated with variations in the ionic radius of the MI binding atom) is another important factor for adjusting the strength of the interaction. We suggest that the proposed compositions of Kuratowski-type clusters are highly desirable synthetic targets for future laboratory study.

Tkachenko, Nikolay V↗

Insights into Acetone Photochemistry on Rutile TiO2(110). 1. Off-Normal CH3 Ejection from Acetone Diolate.

Thermal- and photon-stimulated reactions of acetone co-adsorbed with oxygen on rutile TiO2(110) surface are studied with infrared reflection-adsorption spectroscopy (IRAS) combined with temperature programmed desorption and angle-resolved photon stimulated desorption. IRAS results show that n2-acetone diolate ((CH3)2COO) is produced via thermally-activated reactions between the chemisorbed oxygen with co-adsorbed acetone. Formation of acetone diolate is also consistent with 18O / 16O isotopic exchange experiments. During UV irradiation at 30 K, CH3 radicals are ejected from the acetone diolate with a distribution that is peaked at .-. +- 66 degrees from the surface normal along the azimuth (i.e. perpendicular to the rows of bridging oxygen and Ti5c ions). This distribution is also consistent with the orientation of the C–CH3 bonds in the n2-acetone diolate on TiO2(110). The acetone diolate peaks disappear from the IRAS spectra after UV irradiation and new peaks are observed and associated with n2-acetate. The data presented here demonstrate direct signatures of the proposed earlier 2-step mechanism for acetone photooxidation on TiO2(110)

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

Molecular simulation of structure and diffusion at smectite-water interfaces: Using expanded clay interlayers as model nanopores

In geologic settings relevant to a number of extraction and potential sequestration processes, nanopores bounded by clay mineral surfaces play a critical role in the transport of aqueous species. Solution structure and dynamics at clay–water interfaces are quite different from their bulk values, and the spatial extent of this disruption remains a topic of current interest. We have used molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the structure and diffusion of aqueous solutions in clay nanopores approximately 6 nm thick, comparing the effect of clay composition with model Na-hectorite and Na-montmorillonite surfaces. In addition to structural properties at the interface, water and ion diffusion coefficients were calculated within each aqueous layer at the interface, as well as in the central bulk-like region of the nanopore. The results show similar solution structure and diffusion properties at each surface, with subtle differences in sodium adsorption complexes and water structure in the first adsorbed layer due to different arrangements of layer hydroxyl groups in the two clay models. Interestingly, the extent of surface disruption on bulk-like solution structure and diffusion extends to only a few water layers. Additionally, a comparison of sodium ion residence times confirms similar behavior of inner-sphere and outer-sphere surface complexes at each clay surface, but ~1% of sodium ions adsorb in ditrigonal cavities on the hectorite surface. Thus, the presence of these anhydrous ions is consistent with highly immobile anhydrous ions seen in previous nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic measurements of hectorite pastes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Structural Changes in Self-Catalyzed Adsorption of Carbon Monoxide on 1,4-Phenylene Diisocyanide Modified Au(111)

The self-accelerated adsorption of CO on 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide (PDI)-derived oligomers on Au(111) is explored by reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. PDI incorporates gold adatoms from the Au(111) surface to form one-dimensional —(Au–PDI) n — chains that can also connect between gold nanoparticles on mica to form a conductive pathway between them. CO adsorption occurs in two stages; it first adsorbs adjacent to the oligomers that move to optimize CO adsorption. Further CO exposure induces PDI decoordination to form Au–PDI adatom complexes thereby causing the conductivity of a PDI-linked gold nanoparticle array on mica to decrease to act as a chemically drive molecular switch. This simple system enables the adsorption process to be explored in detail. DFT calculations reveal that both the —(Au–PDI) n — oligomer chain and the Au–PDI adatom complex are stabilized by coadsorbed CO. A kinetic “foot-in-the-door” model is proposed in which fluctuations in PDI coordination allow CO to diffuse into the gap between gold adatoms to prevent the PDI from reattaching, thereby allowing additional CO to adsorb, to provide kinetic model for allosteric CO adsorption on PDI-covered gold.

1,4-phenylene diisocyanide (PDI)↗

Surface Structure Dependence of SO 2 Interaction with Ceria Nanocrystals with Well-defined Surface Facets

The effects of the surface structure of ceria (CeO 2 ) on the nature, strength, and amount of species resulting from SO 2 adsorption were studied using in situ IR and Raman spectroscopies coupled with mass spectrometry, along with first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). CeO 2 nanocrystals with different morphologies, namely, rods (representing a defective structure), cubes (100 facet), and octahedra (111 facet), were used to represent different CeO 2 surface structures. IR and Raman spectroscopic studies showed that the structure and binding strength of adsorbed species from SO 2 depend on the shape of the CeO 2 nanocrystals. SO 2 adsorbs mainly as surface sulfites and sulfates at room temperature on CeO 2 rods, cubes, and octahedra that were either oxidatively or reductively pretreated. The formation of sulfites is more evident on CeO 2 octahedra, whereas surface sulfates are more prominent on CeO 2 rods and cubes. This is explained by the increasing reducibility of the surface oxygen in the order octahedra < cubes < rods. Bulk sulfites are also formed during SO 2 adsorption on reduced CeO 2 rods. The formation of surface sulfites and sulfates on CeO 2 cubes is in good agreement with our DFT results of SO 2 interactions with the CeO 2 (100) surface. CeO 2 rods desorb SO2 at higher temperatures than cubes and octahedra nanocrystals, but bulk sulfates are formed on CeO 2 rods and cubes after high-temperature desorption whereas only some surface sulfates/sulfites are left on octahedra. This difference is rationalized by the fact that CeO 2 rods have the highest surface basicity and largest amount of defects among the three nanocrystals, so they bind and react with SO 2 strongly and are the most degraded after SO 2 adsorption cycles. The fundamental understanding obtained in this work on the effects of the surface structure and defects on the interaction of SO 2 with CeO 2 provides insights for the design of more sulfur-resistant CeO 2 -based catalysts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Identifying the Interactions That Allow Separation of O 2 from N 2 on the Open Iron Sites of Fe 2 (dobdc)

The presence of open metal sites along with a high porosity makes the Fe 2 (dobdc) metal–organic framework, also called Fe-MOF-74, particularly well suited for separating gaseous mixtures. For instance, since Fe 2 (dobdc) adsorbs O 2 more strongly than N 2 , it can, in principle, be used to separate O 2 from air [Bloch et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 14814]. Here, in the present work, we investigate the reversible differential adsorption of N 2 and O 2 on Fe 2 (dobdc) with Kohn-Sham density functional theory applied to an 88-atom cluster model of the MOF. The cluster is chosen such that it is large enough to allow an accurate description of the most important contributions to the binding enthalpies and small enough to perform high-level quantum mechanical calculations. For the quantum mechanical calculations, we use well-validated exchange–correlation functionals to study the ground-state structures of the Fe–N 2 and Fe–O 2 interacting systems. The calculations agree with experiment in that O 2 binds more strongly than N 2 , and they reveal that the ground-state structure of the Fe–O 2 subsystem has the dioxygen unit in a triplet spin state ferromagnetically coupled to the high-spin state (quintet state) of the iron center. Charge Model 5 (CM5) calculations have been performed to determine the partial atomic charges on the adsorbate molecules and the iron atom, and they show that charge transfer from the open iron(II) site is more important in the case of O 2 than in the case of N 2 . Furthermore, bond orders, vibrational frequencies, and orbital energies were calculated to rationalize the stronger binding of O 2 compared to N 2 on Fe 2 (dobdc).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Surface Chemistry of Methanol on TiO 2 (110): Effects of Pressure and Temperature on the Stability of C–O and C–H Bonds

Synchrotron-based ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) was used to study the surface chemistry of methanol on TiO 2 (110), examining the effects of methanol pressure, oxide temperature, and coadsorption with H 2 . At 300 K, the adsorption of methanol on TiO 2 (110) leads to the formation of CH 3 O on the surface with a minor amount of CH 3 OH present. The easy cleavage of the O–H bond in the alcohol agrees with the predictions of theoretical calculations, and most of the adsorbed CH 3 O was not associated with the presence of Ti 3+ sites in the oxide substrate. The adsorbed CH 3 O was removed from the TiO 2 (110) surface by heating to 600 K without the deposition of CH x fragments or C on the oxide. The results of temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) showed the evolution of methanol and formaldehyde at 360 and 490 K as a result of a disproportionation reaction: 2CH 3 O → CH 3 OH + CH 2 O. This surface chemistry, where there is no rupture of the C–O bond, and only selective cleavage of O–H and C–H bonds, is very different from that found on metals used in catalysts for methanol reforming, where massive conversion of the alcohol into CO, CH x and C species is seen. Furthermore, the TPD data indicate that any CH 3 O formed on the oxide surface can be hydrogenated and desorbed as CH 3 OH at temperatures below 550 K. In this respect, titania is an ideal support for catalysts employed to achieve methanol synthesis through CO 2 hydrogenation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Hydrogen Adsorption over Transition Metals in Water

The adsorption free energy of atomic hydrogen on Pt(111), Pd(111), Ni(111), Ru(0001), Cu(111), and Rh(111) in liquid water was computed using a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical free-energy perturbation scheme. The Pt(111) computations indicate that the solvent effect on H adsorption on atop sites (+0.20 eV) is almost twice that on fcc (+0.12 eV), showing it is less likely to find adsorbed hydrogen in atop position in the presence of water than in the gas phase. The solvent effect for the fcc site, which is the most favorable site for adsorbed H on Pt(111), agrees qualitatively with experimental work by Lercher et al., who reported an effect of +0.2 eV. Overall, an endergonic solvent effect for hydrogen adsorption is observed for all metals, indicating a lower hydrogen coverage relative to free site coverage at metal-water interfaces compared to metal-gas interfaces, even when hydrogen transport effects through the fluid phase are negligible; a result with important implications for (de)hydrogenation catalysis.

Zare, Mehdi↗

D 2 O Interaction with Planar ZnO(0001) Bilayer Supported on Au(111): Structures, Energetics and Influence of Hydroxyls

Here, we investigate the interaction between D 2 O and the planar ZnO(0001) bilayer grown on Au(111) with temperature programmed desorption (TPD), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We show that D 2 O molecules adsorbed on this planar surface form two ordered overlayers, a (3 × 3) and a (√3 × √3) R 30°, not seen before on any of the bulk ZnO single crystal surfaces. The apparent activation energies of desorption (Ed) estimated from TPD peaks are 15.2 and 16.7–17.3 kcal/mol for (3 × 3) and (√3 × √3) R 30°, respectively, which agree well with the adsorption energy values calculated from DFT (14.9–15.6 kcal/mol and 16.8–16.9 kcal/mol, respectively). The DFT calculations reveal that the formation of the overlayers takes place at different packing densities and is mediated by extensive hydrogen bonding among the molecules. The hydroxyl groups, which accumulate very slowly on the ZnO(0001) bilayer surface under the standard ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) environment, strongly suppress the formation of the (√3 × √3) R 30° overlayer but have less impact on the (3 × 3) overlayer. These findings are explained based on the difference in packing densities of the overlayers such that only the (3 × 3) overlayer with a more open structure can accommodate small amounts of the adsorbed hydroxyl groups.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

How Does Nanoporous Gold Dissociate Molecular Oxygen?

Nanoporous Au and other dilute AgAu alloys are highly active and selective oxidation catalysts. Their ability to dissociate O 2 is to a large extent unexplained, given that unsupported Au cannot generally dissociate O 2 , while large ensembles of Ag atoms (>4) are generally necessary to lower the O 2 dissociation barrier significantly. In this work, we identify a site on the surface of dilute AgAu alloys that is stable under reaction conditions and has a low O 2 dissociation barrier, in agreement with experimental measurements. Although Ag generally prefers to disperse throughout Au, the presence of adsorbed O near surface steps creates sites of high local Ag concentration, where the Ag atoms sit in the rows next to the step Au atoms. O 2 adsorbs on the Au step atoms, but the transition state involves significant Ag–O interaction, resulting in a barrier lower than expected from the adsorption energies of either the initial or final state.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

The Active State of Supported Ruthenium Oxide Nanoparticles during Carbon Dioxide Methanation

Ruthenium catalysts supported on TiO 2 have been shown to have competitive activity and selectivity for the methanation of CO 2 . In particular, a catalyst using preformed RuO 2 nanoparticles deposited on a TiO 2 support showed competitive performances in a previous study. In this article, ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to determine the chemical state of this catalyst under reaction conditions. The active state of ruthenium was found to be the metallic one. Surface adsorbates were monitored in the steady state, and CH x species were found to be favored over adsorbed carbon monoxide at increasing temperatures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Orientation-dependent hydration structures at yttria-stabilized cubic zirconia surfaces

Water interaction with surfaces is very important and plays key roles in many natural and technological processes. Because the experimental challenges that arise when studying the interaction water with specific crystalline surfaces, most studies on metal oxides have focused on powder samples, which averaged the interaction over different crystalline surfaces. As a result, studies on the crystal orientation-dependent interaction of water with metal oxides are rarely available in the literature. In this work, water adsorption at 8 mol % yttria-stabilized cubic single crystal zirconia (100) and (111) surfaces was studied in terms of interfacial hydration structures using high resolution X-ray reflectivity measurements. The interfacial electron density profiles derived from the structure factor analysis of the measured data show the existence of multiple layers of adsorbed water with additional peculiar metal adsorption near the oxide surfaces.Surface relaxation, depletion, and interaction between the adsorbed layers and bulk water are found to vary greatly between the two surfaces and are also different when compared to the previously studied (110) surface. The fractional ratio between chemisorbed and physisorbed water species were also quantitatively estimated, which turned out to vary dramatically from surface to surface. Finally, the result gives us a unique opportunity to reconsider the simplified 2:1 relation between chemisorption and physisorption, originally proposed by Morimoto et al. based on the adsorption isotherms of water on powder metal oxide samples.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Engineering Copper Carboxylate Functionalities on Water Stable Metal–Organic Frameworks for Enhancement of Ammonia Removal Capacities

Functionalization of copper carboxylate groups on a series of UiO-66 metal organic framework (MOF) analogues and their corresponding impact on humid and dry ammonia adsorption behavior were studied. Relative locations of possible carboxylic acid binding sites for copper on the MOF analogues were varied on ligand and missing linker defect sites. Materials after copper incorporation exhibited increased water vapor and ammonia affinity during isothermal adsorption and breakthrough experiments, respectively. The introduction of copper markedly increased ammonia adsorption capacities for all adsorbents possessing carboxyl binding sites. In particular, the new MOF UiO-66-(COOCu)2 displayed the highest ammonia breakthrough capacities of 6.38 and 6.84 mmol g–1 under dry and humid conditions, respectively, while retaining crystallinity and porosity. Relative carboxylic acid site locations were also found to impact sorbent stability, as missing linker defect functionalized materials degraded under humid conditions after copper incorporation. Postsynthetic metal insertion provides a method for adding sites that are analogous to open metal sites while maintaining good structural stability.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A van der Waals Inclusive Density Functional Theory Study of the Nature of Bonding for Thiophene Adsorption on Ni(100) and Cu(100) Surfaces

We report the results of the first-principles density functional theory calculations for the adsorption of thiophene (C 4 H 4 S) on Cu(100) and Ni(100) surfaces. The adsorption properties on these surfaces are evaluated for several adsorption configurations, and the calculations are performed with the inclusion of van der Waals (vdW) interactions invoking the optimized vdW (optB86b-vdW, optB88-vdW, and optPBE-vdW) as well as revPBE-vdW and rPW86-vdW2 functionals. In agreement with the earlier reports, on both surfaces, the most stable adsorption configurations correspond to the hollow-45 at which the thiophene adsorbs parallel to the surface. For the adsorption on Ni(100), in agreement with the experimental observations, we confirm that thiophene spontaneously ruptures via breaking of a C–S bond when the center of the molecule is placed over a bridge site. On the basis of both the bond distribution and charge transfer analysis, we conclude that the rupturing of thiophene observed at the bridge-45 configuration on Ni(100) may result from large charge transfer from the surface. The analyses of the electronic and geometric structures and charge transfer reveal that the interaction of the thiophene molecule with Ni(100) is much stronger than that of the Cu(100) surface. Upon adsorption of the molecule, for the former surface, we observed much larger charge transfer, non-negligible changes in the positions of the surface atoms, and appreciable electronic structure changes (i.e., in the center and width of the d-band). The adsorption of thiophene on Ni(100) also leads to the decrease in the magnetic moment of the surface Ni atoms particularly those in the vicinity of the adsorbed molecule. All these observations considered, we conclude that the nature of bonding on Ni(100) can be classified as strong chemisorption, while on Cu(100) it can be classified between weak and strong physisorption depending on the vdW functional used.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Boundary Conditions for Diffusion-Mediated Processes within Linear Nanopores: Exact Treatment of Coupling to an Equilibrated External Fluid

In this paper, we consider a variety of diffusion-mediated processes occurring within linear nanopores, but which involve coupling to an equilibrated external fluid through adsorption and desorption. By determining adsorption and desorption rates through a set of tailored simulations, and by exploiting a spatial Markov property of the models, we develop a formulation for performing efficient pore-only simulations of these processes. Coupling to the external fluid is described exactly through appropriate nontrivial boundary conditions at the pore openings. This formalism is applied to analyze the following: (i) tracer counter permeation (TCP) where different labeled particles adsorb into opposite ends of the pore and establish a nonequilibrium steady state; (ii) tracer exchange (TE) with exchange of differently labeled particles within and outside the pore; (iii) catalytic conversion reactions where a reactant in the external fluid adsorbs into the pore and converts to a product which may desorb. The TCP analysis also generates a position-dependent generalized tracer diffusion coefficient, the form of which controls behavior in the TE and catalytic conversion processes. We focus on the regime of single-file diffusion within the pore which produces the strongest correlations and largest deviations from mean-field type behavior. Finally, behavior is quantified precisely via kinetic Monte Carlo simulations but is also captured with appropriate analytic treatments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stern Layer Structure and Energetics at Mica-Water Interfaces

The screening of surface charge by dissolved ions at solid liquid interfaces in the region of interfacial fluid known as the electrical double layer (EDL)-plays a recurrent role in surface science, from ion adsorption to colloidal mechanics to the transport properties of nanoporous media. A persistent unknown in theories of EDL-related phenomena is the structure of the Stern layer, the near-surface portion of the EDL where water molecules and adsorbed ions form specific short-range interactions with surface atoms. Here, we describe a set of synchrotron X-ray reflectivity (XRR) experiments and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations carried out under identical conditions for a range of 0.1 M alkali chloride (Li-, Na-, K-, Rb-, or CsCl) solutions on the basal surface of muscovite mica, a mineral isostructural to phyllosilicate clay minerals and one of the most widely studied reference surfaces in interfacial science. Our XRR and MD simulation results provide a remarkably consistent view of the structure and energetics of the Stern layer, with some discrepancy on the fraction of the minor outer-sphere component of Rb and on the adsorption energetics of Li. The results of both techniques, along with surface complexation model calculations, provide insight into the sensitivity of water structure and ion adsorption to surface topography and the type of adsorbed counterion.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Zinc Adsorption and Hydration Structures at Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Surfaces

Zinc adsorption and interfacial hydration on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) surfaces in contact with aqueous zinc solutions at room temperature and neutral pH have been probed, with combined specular high-resolution X-ray reflectivity and element-specific (Zn) resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity techniques. The total and partial zinc-Specific electron density profiles in the surface normal direction show the detailed interfacial hydration structures with zinc adsorption: Strongly depending on its crystallographic orientations, the YSZ (110) surface adsorbs zinc species only within adsorbed water layers above the terminal plane, while on (111) surface, zinc further-penetrates the substrate (below the terminal plane). Considering that both surfaces are enriched with oxygen vacancies and metal-depleted sites; on which chemisorbed water species are expected, the observed contrast indicates that specific zinc adsorption is controlled strongly by the intrinsic surface chemistry that results from orientation-dependent interfacial structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗