Cerium Oxyhydroxide Clusters: Formation, Structure, and Reactivity

The Role of Cerium Valence in the Conversion Temperature of H2Ti3O7 Nanoribbons to TiO2-B and Anatase Nanoribbons, and Further to Rutile

CeO2-TiO2 is an important mixed oxide due to its catalytic properties, particularly in heterogeneous photocatalysis. This study presents a straightforward method to obtain 1D TiO2 nanostructures decorated with CeO2 nanoparticles at the surface. As the precursor, we used H2Ti3O7 nanoribbons prepared from sodium titanate nanoribbons by ion exchange. Two cerium sources with an oxidation state of +3 and +4 were used to obtain mixed oxides. HAADF-STEM mapping of the Ce4+-modified nanoribbons revealed a thin continuous layer at the surface of the H2Ti3O7 nanoribbons, while Ce3+ cerium ions intercalated partially between the titanate layers. The phase composition and morphology changes were monitored during calcination between 620 °C and 960 °C. Thermal treatment led to the formation of CeO2 nanoparticles on the surface of the TiO2 nanoribbons, whose size increased with the calcination temperature. The use of Ce4+ raised the temperature required for converting H2Ti3O7 to TiO2-B by approximately 200 °C, and the temperature for the formation of anatase. For the Ce3+ batch, the presence of cerium inhibited the conversion to rutile. Analysis of cerium oxidation states revealed the existence of both +4 and +3 in all calcined samples, regardless of the initial cerium oxidation state.

Catalytic NO Reduction by Noble-Metal-Free Vanadium-Aluminum Oxide Cluster Anions

By using state-of-the-art mass spectrometry and guided by the newly discovered single-electron mechanism (SEM; e.g., Ti³⁺ + 2NO → Ti⁴⁺-O^•- + N₂O), we determined experimentally that the vanadium-aluminum oxide clusters V_4-xAl_xO_10-x^- (x = 1-3) can catalyze the reduction of NO by CO and substantiated theoretically that the SEM still prevails in driving the catalysis. This finding marks an important step in cluster science in which a noble metal had been demonstrated to be indispensable in NO activation mediated by heteronuclear metal clusters. The results provide new insights into the SEM in which active V-Al cooperative communication favors the transfer of an unpaired electron from the V atom to NO attached to the Al atom on which the reduction reaction actually takes place. This study provides a clear picture for improving our understanding of related heterogeneous catalysis, and the electron hopping behavior induced by NO adsorption could be a fundamental chemistry for driving NO reduction.

Using anion photoelectron spectroscopy of cluster models to gain insights into mechanisms of catalyst-mediated H2 production from water

Metal oxide cluster models of catalyst materials offer a powerful platform for probing the molecular-scale features and interactions that govern catalysis. This perspective gives an overview of studies implementing the combination of anion photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations toward exploring cluster models of metal oxides and metal-oxide supported Pt that catalytically drive the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) or the water-gas shift reaction. The utility in the combination of these experimental and computational techniques lies in our ability to unambiguously determine electronic and molecular structures, which can then connect to results of reactivity studies. In particular, we focus on the activity of oxygen vacancies modeled by suboxide clusters, the critical mechanistic step of forming proximal metal hydride and hydroxide groups as a prerequisite for H2 production, and the structural features that lead to trapped dihydroxide groups. The pronounced asymmetric oxidation found in heterometallic group 6 oxides and near-neighbor group 5/group 6 results in higher activity toward water, while group 7/group 6 oxides form very specific stoichiometries that suggest facile regeneration. Studies on the trans-periodic combination of cerium oxide and platinum as a model for ceria supported Pt atoms and nanoparticles reveal striking negative charge accumulation by Pt, which, combined with the ionic conductivity of ceria, suggests a mechanism for the exceptionally high activity of this system towards the water-gas shift reaction.

Exceptionally Complex Electronic Structures of Lanthanide Oxides and Small Molecules

Lanthanide (Ln) oxide clusters and molecular systems provide a bottom-up look at the electronic structures of the bulk materials because of close parallels in the patterns of Ln 4f^N subshell occupancy between the molecular and bulk Ln₂O₃ size limits. At the same time, these clusters and molecules offer a challenge to the theory community to find appropriate and robust treatments for the 4f^N patterns across the Ln series. Anion photoelectron (PE) spectroscopy provides a powerful experimental tool for studying these systems, mapping the energies of the ground and low-lying excited states of the neutral relative to the initial anion state, providing spectroscopic patterns that reflect the Ln 4f^N occupancy. In this Account, we review our anion PE spectroscopic and computational studies on a range of small lanthanide molecules and cluster species. The PE spectra of LnO^- (Ln = Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu) diatomic molecules show spectroscopic signatures associated with detachment of an electron from what can be described as a diffuse Ln 6s-like orbital. While the spectra of all four diatomics share this common transition, the fine structure in the transition becomes more complex with increasing 4f occupancy. This effect reflects increased coupling between the electrons occupying the corelike 4f and diffuse 6s orbitals with increasing N. Understanding the PE spectra of these diatomics sets the stage for interpreting the spectra of polyatomic molecular and cluster species. In general, the results confirm that the partial 4f^N subshell occupancy is largely preserved between molecular and bulk oxides and borides. However, they also suggest that surfaces and edges of bulk materials may support a low-energy, diffuse Ln 6s band, in contrast to bulk interiors, in which the 6s band is destabilized relative to the 5d band. We also identify cases in which the molecular Ln centers have 4f^N+1 occupancy rather than bulklike 4f^N, which results in weaker Ln-O bonding. Specifically, Sm centers in mixed Ce-Sm oxides or in Sm_xO_y^- (y ≤ x) clusters have this higher 4f^N+1 occupancy. The PE spectra of these particular species exhibit a striking increase in the relative intensities of excited-state transitions with decreasing photon energy (resulting in lower photoelectron kinetic energy). This is opposite of what is expected on the basis of the threshold laws that govern photodetachment. We relate this phenomenon to strong electron-neutral interactions unique to these complex electronic structures. The time scale of the interaction, which shakes up the electronic configuration of the neutral, increases with decreasing electron momentum. From a computational standpoint, we point out that special care must be taken when considering Ln cluster and molecular systems toward the center of the Ln series (e.g., Sm, Eu), where treatment of electrons explicitly or using an effective core potential can yield conflicting results on competing subshell occupancies. However, despite the complex electronic structures associated with partially filled 4f^N subshells, we demonstrate that inexpensive and tractable calculations yield useful qualitative insight into the general electronic structural features.

Reaction mechanism between small-sized Ce clusters and water molecules II: an ab initio investigation on Cen (n = 1-3) + mH2O (m = 2-6)

Possible reactions between the products of the three independent reactions involving a small Ce cluster and a single water molecule, Cen + H2O (n = 1-3), and an additional H2O molecule are systematically investigated. The ground-state isomers of the final products and the reaction pathways involving multiple water molecules are predicted. We find that under either ambient or UV-irradiation conditions, all the reactions can entail low energy barriers. In addition, the final products of the reaction between Cen and more than two H2O molecules are also predicted through an extensive structural search. The calculated reaction energies suggest that although small-sized Ce clusters can react with more than two water molecules, the reactions with one or two water molecules are dominant. The electronic structures of all the ground-state isomers and the corresponding oxidation states of Ce atoms in these isomers are computed and determined via the natural bond orbital (NBO) method. The results indicate that a single Ce atom and a Ce2 cluster can react with a maximum of four and six water molecules, respectively, while a Ce3 cluster can react with more than six water molecules. This comprehensive study offers an improved understanding of the mechanism underlying the reactions between a single Ce atom or a small Ce cluster and two or more H2O molecules. Knowledge obtained from this study can be helpful for the development of high-performance Ce-doped or Ce-based catalysts.

Reaction mechanism between small-sized Ce clusters and water molecules: an ab initio investigation on Cen + H2O

Reactions of small-sized cerium clusters Cen (n = 1-3) with a single water molecule are systematically investigated theoretically. The ground state structures of the Cen/H2O complex and the reaction pathways between Cen + H2O are predicted. Our results show the size-dependent reactivity of small-sized Ce clusters. The calculated reaction energies and reaction barriers indicate that the reactivity between Cen and water becomes higher with increasing cluster size. The predicted reaction pathways show that the single Ce atom and the Ce2 and Ce3 clusters can all easily react with H2O and dissociate the water molecule. Under UV-irradiation, the reaction of a Ce atom with a single H2O molecule may even release an H2 molecule. The reaction of either Ce2 or Ce3 with a single H2O molecule can fully dissociate the H2O into H and O atoms while it is bonded with the Ce cluster. The electronic configuration and oxidation states of the Ce atoms in the products and the higher occupied molecular orbitals are analyzed by using the natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis method, from which the high reactivity between the reaction products of Cen + H2O and an additional H2O molecule is predicted. Our results offer deeper molecular insights into the chemical reactivity of Ce, which could be helpful for developing more efficient Ce-doped or Ce-based catalysts.

Atomically-precise colloidal nanoparticles of cerium dioxide

Synthesis of truly monodisperse nanoparticles and their structural characterization to atomic precision are important challenges in nanoscience. Success has recently been achieved for metal nanoparticles, particularly Au, with diameters up to 3 nm, the size regime referred to as nanoclusters. In contrast, families of atomically precise metal oxide nanoparticles are currently lacking, but would have a major impact since metal oxides are of widespread importance for their magnetic, catalytic and other properties. One such material is colloidal CeO₂ (ceria), whose applications include catalysis, new energy technologies, photochemistry, and medicine, among others. Here we report a family of atomically precise ceria nanoclusters with ultra-small dimensions up to ~1.6 nm (~100 core atoms). X-ray crystallography confirms they have the fluorite structure of bulk CeO₂, and identifies surface features, H⁺ binding sites, Ce³⁺ locations, and O vacancies on (100) facets. Monodisperse ceria nanoclusters now permit investigation of their properties as a function of exact size, surface morphology, and Ce³⁺:Ce⁴⁺ composition.

Photodissociation of Cerium Oxide Nanocluster Cations

Cerium oxide cluster cations, CexOy(+), are produced via laser vaporization in a pulsed nozzle source and detected with time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The mass spectrum displays a strongly preferred oxide stoichiometry for each cluster with a specific number of metal atoms x, with x ≤ y. Specifically, the most prominent clusters correspond to the formula CeO(CeO2)n(+). The cluster cations are mass selected and photodissociated with a Nd:YAG laser at either 532 or 355 nm. The prominent clusters dissociate to produce smaller species also having a similar CeO(CeO2)n(+) formula, always with apparent leaving groups of (CeO2). The production of CeO(CeO2)n(+) from the dissociation of many cluster sizes establishes the relative stability of these clusters. Furthermore, the consistent loss of neutral CeO2 shows that the smallest neutral clusters adopt the same oxidation state (IV) as the most common form of bulk cerium oxide. Clusters with higher oxygen content than the CeO(CeO2)n(+) masses are present with much lower abundance. These species dissociate by the loss of O2, leaving surviving clusters with the CeO(CeO2)n(+) formula. Density functional theory calculations on these clusters suggest structures composed of stable CeO(CeO2)n(+) cores with excess oxygen bound to the surface as a superoxide unit (O2(-)).

Hydrolysis of tetravalent cerium for a simple route to nanocrystalline cerium dioxide: an in situ spectroscopic study of nanocrystal evolution

Despite the rapid developments in recent nanocrystal research and their expanding applications, the evolution mechanism of nanocrystals remains veiled for the most part due to the lack of appropriate analytical techniques. Here we demonstrate one promising multi-spectroscopic approach for the in situ investigation of nanocrystal evolution. That is, the formation of nanocrystalline cerium dioxide (NC-CeO2) has been probed by dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and high-energy X-ray scattering (HEXS). The obtained results indicate that the fine colloidal particles of NC-CeO2 are formed in an acidic aqueous solution simply through the hydrolysis of the initial precursor of small oligomer Ce(IV) species. This information on how NC-CeO2 evolves is fundamental to simplifying and alleviating the synthetic strategy for NC-CeO2 production.

Study of cluster anions generated by laser ablation of titanium oxides: a high resolution approach based on Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry

Laser ablation of titanium oxides at 355 nm and ion-molecule reactions between [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions and H(2)O or O(2) were investigated by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) with an external ion source. The detected anions correspond to [(TiO(2))(x)(H(2)O)(y)OH](-) and [(TiO(2))(x)(H(2)O)(y)O(2)](-•) oxy-hydroxide species with x=1 to 25 and y=1, 2, or 3 and were formed by a two step process: (1) laser ablation, which leads to the formation of [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions as was previously reported, and (2) ion-molecule reactions during ion storage. Reactions of some [(TiO(2))(x)](-•) cluster anions with water and dioxygen conducted in the FTICR cell confirm this assessment. Tandem mass spectrometry experiments were also performed in sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation (SORI-CID) mode. Three fragmentation pathways were observed: (1) elimination of water molecules, (2) O(2) loss for radical anions, and (3) fission of the cluster. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to explain the experimental data.

Advances in computational studies of energy materials

We review recent developments and applications of computational modelling techniques in the field of materials for energy technologies including hydrogen production and storage, energy storage and conversion, and light absorption and emission. In addition, we present new work on an Sn2TiO4 photocatalyst containing an Sn(II) lone pair, new interatomic potential models for SrTiO3 and GaN, an exploration of defects in the kesterite/stannite-structured solar cell absorber Cu2ZnSnS4, and report details of the incorporation of hydrogen into Ag2O and Cu2O. Special attention is paid to the modelling of nanostructured systems, including ceria (CeO2, mixed Ce(x)O(y) and Ce2O3) and group 13 sesquioxides. We consider applications based on both interatomic potential and electronic structure methodologies; and we illustrate the increasingly quantitative and predictive nature of modelling in this field.