Testing the pairwise additive potential approximation using DFT: coadsorption of CO and N on Rh (100)

A DFT Study of the Adsorption and Dissociation of CO on Sulfur-Precovered Fe(100)

Sulfur is known to be a poison to several catalytic reactions, e.g., the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS), in which it affects drastically the performance of both iron- and cobalt-based catalysts. However, despite the importance of this industrial process, little is known about what elementary steps are poisoned by sulfur. In the present article, we report, using density functional theory, the effect of sulfur on one of the most relevant reactions in the FTS: the dissociation of carbon monoxide over iron surfaces. We have studied the adsorption and dissociation of CO on Fe(100)-S-p(2 x 2) (theta(S) = 0.25 ML) and on Fe(100)-S-c(2 x 2) (theta(S) = 0.50 ML). We have found surface configurations that correlate well with the desorption features observed in temperature-programmed desorption mass spectroscopy. In addition, we have calculated the activation energy of CO dissociation on Fe(100)-S-p(2 x 2), which, interestingly, is very similar to the activation energy of CO dissociation on the sulfur-free Fe(100) surface. However, the sign of the reaction changes by the presence of sulfur; CO dissociation is highly exothermic on the sulfur-free Fe(100) surface, whereas on the Fe(100)-S-p(2 x 2) surface, it is slightly endothermic. Moreover, according to our results, the influence of sulfur in the CO dissociation seems to be short-ranged.

Atom–Molecule Interactions on Transition Metal Surfaces: A DFT Study of CO and Several Atoms on Rh(100), Pd(100) and Ir(100)

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to determine the interaction energy between a CO probe molecule and all atoms from the first three rows of the periodic table coadsorbed on Rh(100), Pd(100) and Ir(100) metal surfaces. Varying the coverage of CO or the coadsorbed atom proved to have a profound effect on the strength of the interaction energy. The general trend, however, is the same in all cases: the interaction energy becomes more repulsive when moving towards the right along a row of elements, and reaches a maximum somewhere in the middle of a row of elements. The absolute value of the interaction energy between an atom-CO pair ranges from about -0.40 eV (39 kJ mol(-1)) attraction to +0.70 eV (68 kJ mol(-1)) repulsion, depending on the coadsorbate, the metal and the coverage. The general trend in interaction energies seems to be a common characteristic for several transition metals.

The influence of carbon on the adsorption of CO on a Rh(100) single crystal

The influence of carbon on the adsorption of CO from a Rh(100) single crystal has been studied by a combination of experimental techniques: Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD), Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), and High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (HREELS). These experimental techniques were combined with a computational approach using Density Functional Theory (DFT). Using this combination of techniques, we have shown that surface carbon greatly influences adsorbed CO and we have determined the exact magnitude of this interaction. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that carbon does not remain fully on the surface; at higher coverage it diffuses partially to subsurface positions. The presence of these subsurface species significantly influences the adsorbates on the surface.

The Influence of Promoters and Poisons on Carbon Monoxide Adsorption on Rh(100): A DFT Study

Density functional theory calculations were performed to determine the pairwise lateral interaction energies between carbon monoxide and coadsorbed elements from the first three rows of the periodic table on a Rh(100) surface. The atoms were placed in a c(2x2) arrangement of fourfold hollow sites and the carbon monoxide probe molecule in a p(2x2) arrangement, so that each CO molecule had four atoms as nearest neighbours. The alkali atoms show an attractive interaction with CO while the other atoms show a repulsive interaction. For second-row elements the maximum repulsion is at nitrogen and for third-row elements at sulphur. Attempts to correlate the interaction energies with properties of the system, such as electronegativity, distances, or change in work function, failed, which implies that each combination of adsorbates needs to be calculated separately.