Revealing Charge-Transfer Dynamics at Electrified Sulfur Cathodes Using Constrained Density Functional Theory

To understand and control the behavior of electrochemical systems, including batteries and electrocatalysts, we seek molecular-level details of the charge transfer mechanisms at electrified interfaces. Recognizing some key limitations of standard equilibrium electronic structure methods to model materials and their interfaces, we propose applying charge constraints to effectively separate electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom, which are especially beneficial to the study of conversion electrodes, where electronic charge carriers are converted to much slower polarons within a material that is nonmetallic. We demonstrate the need for such an approach within the context of sulfur cathodes …

Grand canonical rate theory for electrochemical and electrocatalytic systems I: General formulation and proton-coupled electron transfer reactions

A generally valid rate theory at fixed potentials is developed to treat electrochemical and electrocatalytic potential-dependent electron, proton, and proton-coupled electron reactions. Both classical and quantum reactions in adiabatic and non-adiabatic limits are treated. The applicability and new information obtained from the theory is demonstrated for the gold catalyzed acidic Volmer reaction.

Chemoselective heterogeneous iridium catalyzed hydrogenation of cinnamalaniline

International audience; Selective hydrogenation of unsaturated imines over heterogeneous catalysts is an ecologically feasible and effective way to produce commercially valuable saturated imines and unsaturated amines under mild conditions, avoiding the utilization of toxic halides. The liquid-phase hydrogenation of a model imine, cinnamalaniline, over Ir, Ru, Pd and Au catalysts was studied in polar protic (methanol, 2-propanol), polar aprotic (methyl tert-butyl ether) and non-polar aprotic (toluene) solvents at 40-80°C under atmospheric hydrogen pressure. Different metal oxides (Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , SiO 2) and carbon composites based on carbon nitrides synthesized by pyrolysis of ethylenedi…

Advances and challenges for experiment and theory for multi-electron multi-proton transfer at electrified solid-liquid interfaces.

Multi-electron, multi-proton transfer is important in a wide spectrum of processes spanning biological, chemical and physical systems. These reactions have attracted significant interest due to both fundamental curiosity and potential applications in energy technology. In this Perspective Review, we shed light on modern aspects of electrode processes in the 21st century, in particular on the recent advances and challenges in multistep electron/proton transfers at solid–liquid interfaces. Ongoing developments of analytical techniques and operando spectrometry at electrode/electrolyte interfaces and reliable computational approaches to simulate complicated interfacial electrochemical reaction…

Adiabatic versus non-adiabatic electron transfer at 2D electrode materials

2D electrode materials are often deployed on conductive supports for electrochemistry and there is a great need to understand fundamental electrochemical processes in this electrode configuration. Here, an integrated experimental-theoretical approach is used to resolve the key electronic interactions in outer-sphere electron transfer (OS-ET), a cornerstone elementary electrochemical reaction, at graphene as-grown on a copper electrode. Using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy, and co-located structural microscopy, the classical hexaamineruthenium (III/II) couple shows the ET kinetics trend: monolayer > bilayer > multilayer graphene. This trend is rationalized quantitatively through th…

Adiabatic versus Non-Adiabatic Electron Transfer at 2D Electrode Materials

<div><div><div><p>Outer-sphere electron transfer (OS-ET) is a cornerstone elementary electrochemical reaction, yet microscopic understanding is largely based on idealized theories, developed in isolation from experiments that themselves are often close to the kinetic (diffusion) limit. Focusing on graphene as-grown on a copper substrate as a model 2D material/metal-supported electrode system, this study resolves the key electronic interactions in OS-ET, and identifies the role of graphene in modulating the electronic properties of the electrode/electrolyte interface. An integrated experimental-theoretical approach combining co-located multi-microscopy, centered on sc…

Grand canonical ensemble approach to electrochemical thermodynamics, kinetics, and model Hamiltonians

The unique feature of electrochemistry is the ability to control reaction thermodynamics and kinetics by the application of electrode potential. Recently, theoretical methods and computational approaches within the grand canonical ensemble (GCE) have enabled to explicitly include and control the electrode potential in first principles calculations. In this review, recent advances and future promises of GCE density functional theory and rate theory are discussed. Particular focus is devoted to considering how the GCE methods either by themselves or combined with model Hamiltonians can be used to address intricate phenomena such as solvent/electrolyte effects and nuclear quantum effects to pr…

CLEASE: a versatile and user-friendly implementation of cluster expansion method

Materials exhibiting a substitutional disorder such as multicomponent alloys and mixed metal oxides/oxyfluorides are of great importance in many scientific and technological sectors. Disordered materials constitute an overwhelmingly large configurational space, which makes it practically impossible to be explored manually using first-principles calculations such as density functional theory due to the high computational costs. Consequently, the use of methods such as cluster expansion (CE) is vital in enhancing our understanding of the disordered materials. CE dramatically reduces the computational cost by mapping the first-principles calculation results on to a Hamiltonian which is much fa…

Unraveling the Role of the Rh–ZrO2 Interface in the Water–Gas-Shift Reaction via a First-Principles Microkinetic Study

The industrially important water–gas-shift (WGS) reaction is a complex network of competing elementary reactions in which the catalyst is a multicomponent system consisting of distinct domains. Herein, we have combined density functional theory calculations with microkinetic modeling to explore the active phase, kinetics, and reaction mechanism of the WGS over the Rh–ZrO2 interface. We have explicitly considered the support and metal and their interface and find that the Rh–ZrO2 interface is far more active toward WGS than Rh(111) facets, which are susceptible to CO poisoning. CO2 forming on the zirconia support rapidly transforms into formate. These findings demonstrate the central role of…

Frozen or dynamic? : An atomistic simulation perspective on the timescales of electrochemical reactions

Electrochemical systems span a wide range of timescales, and several recent works have put forth the idea that the reaction environment should remain frozen and out of equilibrium during electrochemical electron or proton transfer reactions. Furthermore, simplified treatments of the electrochemical interface model the solvent and ions as frozen molecules. However, the claims and practices of a frozen environment strongly clash with most theoretical and simulation approaches developed to study electrochemical reaction rates. It has also been suggested that the electrode potential should not be fixed when simulating reaction rates due to conductivity limitations, which indicates constant pote…

Coadsorption of NRR and HER Intermediates Determines the Performance of Ru-N4 toward Electrocatalytic N2 Reduction

Efficiency of the electrochemical N2 reduction reaction (NRR) to ammonia is seriously limited by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) but our current atomic-scale insight on the factors controlling HER/NRR competition are unknown. Herein we unveil the elementary mechanism, thermodynamics, and kinetics determining the HER/NRR selectivity on the state-of-the-art NRR electrocatalyst, Ru-N4 using constant potential density functional theory calculations (DFT). The calculations show that NRR and HER intermediates coadsorb on the catalyst where HER is greatly suppressed by the NRR intermediates. The first reaction step leading to either *NNH or *H determines the selectivity towards NRR…

Novel Methodologies to Model Charge Transport in Metal-Air Batteries

Reducing the irreducible: Dispersed metal atoms facilitate reduction of irreducible oxides.

Oxide reducibility is a central concept quantifying the role of the support in catalysis. While reducible oxides are often considered catalytically active, irreducible oxides are seen as inert supports. Enhancing the reducibility of irreducible oxides has, however, emerged as an effective way to increase their catalytic activity while retaining their inherent thermal stability. In this work, we focus on the prospect of using single metal atoms to increase the reducibility of a prototypical irreducible oxide, zirconia. Based on extensive self-consistent DFT+U calculations, we demonstrate that single metal atoms significantly improve and tune the surface reducibility of zirconia. Detailed ana…

Atomic‐Scale Modelling of Electrochemical Systems

Electrocatalytic thermodynamics and kinetics at constant electrode potentials: The grand canonical ensemble approach

Unraveling the prominent role of the Rh/ZrO2-interface in the water-gas shift reaction via a first principles microkinetic study

The industrially important water–gas-shift (WGS) reaction is a complex network of competing elementary reactions in which the catalyst is a multicomponent system consisting of distinct domains. Herein, we have combined density functional theory calculations with microkinetic modeling to explore the active phase, kinetics, and reaction mechanism of the WGS over the Rh–ZrO2 interface. We have explicitly considered the support and metal and their interface and find that the Rh–ZrO2 interface is far more active toward WGS than Rh(111) facets, which are susceptible to CO poisoning. CO2 forming on the zirconia support rapidly transforms into formate. These findings demonstrate the central role of…

Escaping scaling relationships for water dissociation at interfacial sites of zirconia-supported Rh and Pt clusters

<p>Water dissociation is an important reaction involved in many industrial processes and a good model reaction for probing the activity of catalytic sites. In this computational study, the dissociation of water at interfacial sites of globally optimized ZrO2 sup- ported Pt and Rh clusters is investigated under the framework of density functional theory. Our findings demonstrate that the perimeter sites of these small clusters can activate water, but the dissociation behavior varies considerably between sites. It is shown that the studied clusters break scaling relationships for water dissociation, suggesting these catalysts may achieve activities beyond the maximum imposed by such rel…

Computational Screening of Doped Graphene Electrodes for Alkaline CO2 Reduction

The electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction (CO<sub>2</sub>RR) is considered as one of the most promising approaches to synthesizing carbonaceous fuels and chemicals without utilizing fossil resources. However, current technologies are still in the early phase focusing primarily on identifying optimal electrode materials and reaction conditions. Doped graphene-based materials are among the best CO<sub>2</sub>RR electrocatalysts and in the present work we have performed a computational screening study to identify suitable graphene catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub>RR to CO under alkaline conditions. Several types of modified-graphene frame…

Computational Criteria for Hydrogen Evolution Activity on Ligand-Protected Au25-Based Nanoclusters

The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a critical reaction in addressing climate change; however, it requires catalysts to be generated on an industrial scale. Nanomaterials offer several advantages over conventional HER catalysts, including the possibility of atomic precision in tailoring the intrinsic activity. Ligand-protected metal clusters, such as the thiolate-protected MAu24(SR)18 (where M is Au, Cu, Pd), are of particular interest as not only are they electrocatalytically active toward HER, but the charge state and composition can be precisely tuned. Here, we present a comprehensive computational study examining how the charge state and dopants affect the catalytic activity of [MA…

Effect of H Adsorption on the Magnetic Properties of an Fe Island on a W(110) Surface

<p>Low-dimensional materials, such as ultrathin films, nanoislands and wires, are actively being researched due to their interesting magnetic properties and possible technological applications for example in high density data storage. Results of calculations of an Fe nanoisland on a W(110) support are presented here with particular focus on the effect of hydrogen adsorption on its magnetic properties. This is an important consideration since hydrogen is present even under ultra-high vacuum conditions. The calculations are based on density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation. The adsorption of H atoms is found to strongly decrease the magnetic moment of the …

Mechanistic Origins of the pH Dependency in Au-Catalyzed Glycerol Electro-oxidation: Insight from First-Principles Calculations

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol (EOG) is an attractive approach to convert surplus glycerol to value-added products. Experiments have shown that EOG activity and selectivity depend not only on the electrocatalyst but also on the electrode potential, the pH, and the electrolyte. For broadly employed gold (Au) electrocatalysts, experiments have demonstrated high EOG activity under alkaline conditions with glyceric acid as a primary product, whereas under acidic and neutral conditions Au is almost inactive producing only small amounts of dihydroxyacetone. In the present computational work, we have performed an extensive mechanistic study to understand the pH and potential dependency of …

Rate Theory for Electrocatalytic Systems: Fixed Potential Formulation for General, Electron Transfer, and Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions

Atomistic modeling of electrocatalytic reactions is most naturally conducted within the grand canonical ensemble (GCE) which enables fixed chemical potential calculations. While GCE has been widely adopted for modeling electrochemical and electrocatalytic thermodynamics, the electrochemical reaction rate theory within GCE is lacking. Molecular and condensed phase rate theories are formulated within microcanonical and canonical ensembles, respectively, but electrocatalytic systems described within the GCE require extension of the conventionally used rate theories for computation reaction rates at fixed electrode potentials. In this work, rate theories from (micro) canonical ensemble are gene…

Unified Rate Theory of Electrochemistry and Electrocatalysis: Fixed Potential Formulation for General, Electron Transfer, and Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer Reactions

Atomistic modeling of electrocatalytic reactions is most naturally conducted within the grand canonical ensemble (GCE) which enables fixed chemical potential calculations. While GCE has been widely adopted for modeling electrochemical and electrocatalytic thermodynamics, the electrochemical reaction rate theory within GCE is lacking. Molecular and condensed phase rate theories are formulated within microcanonical and canonical ensembles, respectively, but electrocatalytic systems described within the GCE require extension of the conventionally used rate theories for computation reaction rates at fixed electrode potentials. In this work, rate theories from (micro)canonical ensemble are gener…

Grand-canonical approach to density functional theory of electrocatalytic systems: Thermodynamics of solid-liquid interfaces at constant ion and electrode potentials

Properties of solid-liquid interfaces are of immense importance for electrocatalytic and electrochemical systems, but modeling such interfaces at the atomic level presents a serious challenge and approaches beyond standard methodologies are needed. An atomistic computational scheme needs to treat at least part of the system quantum mechanically to describe adsorption and reactions, while the entire system is in thermal equilibrium. The experimentally relevant macroscopic control variables are temperature, electrode potential, and the choice of the solvent and ions, and these need to be explicitly included in the computational model as well; this calls for a thermodynamic ensemble with fixed…

Constant potential rate theory – general formulation and electrocatalysis

On the Mechanistic Origins of the pH-Dependency in Au-Catalyzed Glycerol Electro-Oxidation: Insight from First Principles Calculations

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol (EOG) is an attractive approach to convert surplus glycerol to value-added products. Experiments have shown that EOG activity and selectivity depend on the electrocatalyst, but also on the electrode potential, the pH, and the electrolyte. For broadly employed gold (Au) electrocatalysts, experiments have demonstrated high EOG activity under alkaline conditions with glyceric acid as a primary product, whereas under acidic and neutral conditions Au is almost inactive producing only small amounts of dihydroxyacetone. In the present computational work, we have performed an extensive mechanistic study to understand the pH- and potential- dependency of Au-cat…

Constant inner potential DFT for modelling electrochemical systems under constant potential and bias

Electrochemical interfaces and reactions play a decisive role in e.g. clean energy conversion but understanding their complex chemistry remains an outstanding challenge. Constant potential or grand canonical ensemble (GCE) simulations are indispensable for unraveling the properties of electrochemical processes as a function of the electrode potential. Currently, constant electrode potential calculations at the density functional theory (DFT) level are carried out by fixing the Fermi level of the simulation cell. However, the Fermi level from DFT calculations does does not always reflect the experimentally controlled electrode potential or describe the thermodynamic independent variable in G…

Addressing Dynamics at Catalytic Heterogeneous Interfaces with DFT-MD: Anomalous Temperature Distributions from Commonly Used Thermostats.

Density functional theory-based molecular dynamics (DFT-MD) has been widely used for studying the chemistry of heterogeneous interfacial systems under operational conditions. We report frequently overlooked errors in thermostated or constant-temperature DFT-MD simulations applied to study (electro)catalytic chemistry. Our results demonstrate that commonly used thermostats such as Nose−Hoover, Berendsen, and simple velocity rescaling methods fail to provide are liable temperature description for systems considered. Instead, nonconstant temperatures and large temperature gradients within the different parts of the system are observed. The errors are not a “feature” of any particular code but …

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol on Gold : Combination of Kinetic Experiments and Computation Approach to Unravel the Reaction Mechanism

Abstract Selective alcohol dehydrogenation on heterogeneous catalysts is a key industrial reaction for production of aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic compounds. Design of catalysts with improved activity and selectivity requires understanding of the reaction mechanism and kinetics. Herein, experiments, density functional theory (DFT) and kinetic modelling were combined to elucidate the mechanism and kinetics of ethanol oxidative dehydrogenation to acetaldehyde on gold catalysts. Catalytic experiments clearly emphasized the role of oxygen in this reaction. Ethanol conversion was rather independent on the gold cluster size. Formation of minor products, acetic acid and ethyl acetate was stru…

Electrocatalytic rate constants from DFT simulations and theoretical models: Learning from each other

Electrochemical interfaces present an extraordinarily complex reaction environment and several, often counter-acting, interactions contribute to rate constants of electrocatalytic reactions. We compile a short review on how electrode potential, solvent, electrolyte, and pH effects on electrocatalytic rates can be understood and modelled using computational and theoretical methods. We address the connections between computational models based on DFT and (semi)analytical model Hamiltonians to extract physical or chemical insights, identify some omissions in present DFT simulation approaches and analytic models, and discuss what and how simulations and models could learn from each other. peerR…

On the Mechanistic Origins of the pH-Dependency in Au-Catalyzed Glycerol Electro-Oxidation: Insight from First Principles Calculations

Electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol (EOG) is an attractive approach to convert surplus glycerol to value-added products. Experiments have shown that EOG activity and selectivity depend on the electrocatalyst, but also on the electrode potential, the pH, and the electrolyte. For broadly employed gold (Au) electrocatalysts, experiments have demonstrated high EOG activity under alkaline conditions with glyceric acid as a primary product, whereas under acidic and neutral conditions Au is rather inactive producing only small amounts of dihydroxyacetone. In the present computational work, we have performed an extensive mechanistic study to understand the pH- and potential-dependency of Au-cata…

First-principles insight into CO hindered agglomeration of Rh and Pt single atoms on m-ZrO2

In this first-principles study we evaluate the thermodynamic and kinetic stability of Rh and Pt single-atoms (SAs) and subnano clusters on the monoclinic zirconia surface with and without a CO atmosphere. To address the kinetic stability and agglomeration of SAs to clusters and nanoparticles, a non-equilibrium nanothermodynamic approach is developed and parametrised using data computed with density functional theory. The bare subnano clusters are more stable than SA and become more so with increasing size, which means the agglomeration is always favoured. CO binds strongly to the single atoms and clusters, and our atomistic thermodynamics treatment indicates that some CO will be present eve…