Dynamic Interplay between Diffusion and Reaction: Nitrogen Recombination on Rh{211} in Car Exhaust Catalysis

Kinetic Monte Carlo Modeling for the NO-CO Reaction Mechanism on Rh(100) and Rh(111)

The NO-CO reaction on Rh(100) and Rh(111) is a prototypical catalytic system with various practical applications, including the treatment of automotive gas exhausts. With parameters derived from first-principles calculations, the Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relation for the reaction steps of NO-CO on Rh(100) and Rh(111) surfaces is fitted, which is more accurate and practical for the calculation of the effect of interaction between adsorbates on activation energy compared to the basic BEP relation. Further, a kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) model for the NO-CO reaction systems on Rh(100) and Rh(111) is constructed for the exploration of the system's reaction mechanism. Besides the temperature and pressure, the coverage and activation sites are essential factors for reaction kinetic of the NO-CO reaction system. Our results are beneficial for designing more efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly next-generation catalysts.

A Route for Phase Control in Metal Nanoparticles: A Potential Strategy to Create Advanced Materials

There is untapped potential for materials whose crystal structures are unobtainable in the bulk state. Several examples of such structures have been found in nanomaterials, and these materials exhibit unique properties that arise from their unique electronic states and surface structures. Here, recent developments in the syntheses of these nanomaterials and their unique properties, such as hydrogen-storage ability and catalytic activity, are summarized. Firstly, the syntheses and properties of novel solid-solution alloy nanoparticles in immiscible alloy systems such as Ag-Rh and Pd-Ru are introduced. Following this, the crystal structure control of nanoscale Ru is discussed. These unique alloy materials show enhanced properties and highlight the potential of phase control to be a new strategy for nanomaterial development.

Creation of Novel Solid-Solution Alloy Nanoparticles on the Basis of Density-of-States Engineering by Interelement Fusion

Currently 118 known elements are represented in the periodic table. Of these 118 elements, only about 80 elements are stable, nonradioactive, and widely available for our society. From the viewpoint of the "elements strategy", we need to make full use of the 80 elements to bring out their latent ability and create innovative materials. Furthermore, there is a strong demand that the use of rare or toxic elements be reduced or replaced while their important properties are retained. Advanced science and technology could create higher-performance materials even while replacing or reducing minor or harmful elements through the combination of more abundant elements. The properties of elements are correlated directly with their electronic states. In a solid, the magnitude of the density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level affects the physical and chemical properties. In the present age, more attention has been paid to improving the properties of materials by means of alloying elements. In particular, the solid-solution-type alloy is advantageous because the properties can be continuously controlled by tuning the compositions and/or combinations of the constituent elements. However, the majority of bulk alloys are of the phase-separated type under ambient conditions, where constituent elements are immiscible with each other. To overcome the challenge of the bulk-phase metallurgical aspects, we have focused on the nanosize effect and developed methods involving "nonequilibrium synthesis" or "a process of hydrogen absorption/desorption". We propose a new concept of "density-of-states engineering" for the design of materials having the most desirable and suitable properties by means of "interelement fusion". In this Account, we describe novel solid-solution alloys of Pd-Pt, Ag-Rh, and Pd-Ru systems in which the constituent elements are immiscible in the bulk state. The homogeneous solid-solution alloys of Pd and Pt were created from Pd core/Pt shell nanoparticles using a hydrogen absorption/desorption process as a trigger. Several atom percent replacements of Pd with Pt atoms resulted in a significantly enhanced hydrogen absorption capacity compared with Pd nanoparticles. AgxRh1-x and PdxRu1-x solid-solution alloy nanoparticles were also developed by nonequilibrium synthesis based on a polyol method. The AgxRh1-x nanoparticles demonstrated hydrogen storage properties, although pure metal nanoparticles of each constituent element do not adsorb hydrogen. AgxRh1-x is therefore considered to possess a similar electronic structure to Pd as a synthetic pseudo-palladium. The PdxRu1-x nanoparticles showed enhanced catalytic activity for CO oxidation, with the highest catalytic activity found using the equimolar Pd0.5Ru0.5 nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of the Pd0.5Ru0.5 nanoparticles exceeds that of the widely used and best-performing Ru catalysts for CO oxidation and is also higher than that of neighboring Rh on the periodic table. Our present work provides a guiding principle for the design of a suitable DOS shape according to the intended physical and/or chemical properties and a method for the development of novel solid-solution alloys.

Catalytic reduction of NO by CO on Rh4+ clusters: a density functional theory study

An extensive study was conducted to explore the catalytic reduction of NO by CO on Rh₄⁺ clusters at the ground and first excited states at the B3LYP/6-311+G(2d), SDD level.

Catalytic NOx removal by single-wall carbon nanotube-supported Rh nanoparticles

Single-wall carbon nanotubes functionalized with polyethylene glycol and doped with Rh nanoparticles were prepared and tested as catalyst for NO(x) reduction. Gravimetric adsorption studies were employed to elucidate the mechanism of NO adsorption on the active surface sites and to determine the onset of the desorption of oxygen. These studies provided information about the reaction kinetics and the lifetime of the catalyst, as well as the NO scission onset temperature and abatement rate, thus making possible to predict the conversion and define the optimum reaction conditions for efficient NO removal. Catalytic experiments were performed under different operating conditions and feed compositions, such as under rich operation, in presence of oxygen, and in presence of reducing CO and hydrocarbons. The developed nanostructured catalyst exhibits enhanced activity at lower temperatures in comparison to that reported for other Rh-based catalytic systems, while data about feed composition effects and carbon support depletion provided operating conditions that suppress N(2)O formation and extent the catalyst lifetime.

Hydrogen-storage properties of solid-solution alloys of immiscible neighboring elements with Pd

Rh and Ag are the elements neighboring Pd, which is well known as a hydrogen-storage metal. Although Rh and Ag do not possess hydrogen-storage properties, can Ag-Rh alloys actually store hydrogen? Ag-Rh solid-solution alloys have not been explored in the past because they do not mix with each other at the atomic level, even in the liquid phase. We have used the chemical reduction method to obtain such Ag-Rh alloys, and XRD and STEM-EDX give clear evidence that the alloys mixed at the atomic level. From the measurements of hydrogen pressure-composition isotherms and solid-state (2)H NMR, we have revealed that Ag-Rh solid-solution alloys absorb hydrogen, and the total amount of hydrogen absorbed reached a maximum at the ratio of Ag:Rh = 50:50, where the electronic structure is expected to be similar to that of Pd.

Density functional theory for transition metals and transition metal chemistry

We introduce density functional theory and review recent progress in its application to transition metal chemistry. Topics covered include local, meta, hybrid, hybrid meta, and range-separated functionals, band theory, software, validation tests, and applications to spin states, magnetic exchange coupling, spectra, structure, reactivity, and catalysis, including molecules, clusters, nanoparticles, surfaces, and solids.