Beyond ideal two-dimensional metals: Edges, vacancies, and polarizabilities

Recent experimental discoveries of graphene-stabilized patches of two-dimensional (2D) metals have motivated also their computational studies. However, so far the studies have been restricted to ideal and infinite 2D metallic monolayers, which is insufficient because in reality the properties of such metallic patches are governed by microstructures pervaded by edges, defects, and several types of perturbations. Here we use density-functional theory to calculate edge and vacancy formation energies of hexagonal and square lattices of 45 elemental 2D metals. We find that the edge and vacancy formation energies are strongly correlated and decrease with increasing Wigner-Seitz radii, analogously…

The redox chemistry of gold with high-valence doped calcium oxide.

Gold assisted oxygen dissociation on a molybdenum-doped CaO(001) surface

Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we address the adsorption of O2 and the coadsorption of gold species and oxygen molecules on a Mo-doped CaO(001) surface with 1.25% impurity concentration. With the help of the Born–Haber thermodynamic cycle, the enhanced binding of an oxygen molecule on Ca(Mo)O is attributed to energy gain owing to simultaneous electron transfer from the dopant to the molecule and lattice relaxations. We consider three coadsorption structures for an Au atom and O2 molecule with different Au–O2 distances. The calculations demonstrate that the coadsorption structures take one electron from the dopant and the O–Au–O chain structure is thermodynamically more …

Dissociative adsorption of water on Au/MgO/Ag(001) from first principles calculations

Abstract The molecular and dissociative adsorption of water on a Ag-supported 1 ML, 2 ML and 3 ML-a six atomic layer-thick MgO films with a single Au adatom is investigated using density functional theory calculations. The obtained results are compared to a bulk MgO(001) surface with an Au atom. On thin films the negatively charged Au strengthens the binding of the polar water molecule due to the attractive Au–H interaction. The adsorption energy trends of OH and H with respect to the film thickness depend on an adsorption site. In the case OH or H binds atop Au on MgO/Ag(001), the adsorption becomes more exothermic with the increasing film thickness, while the reverse trend is seen when th…

Atlas for the properties of elemental two-dimensional metals

Common two-dimensional (2D) materials have a layered three-dimensional (3D) structure with covalently bonded, atomically thin layers held together by weak van der Waals forces. However, in a recent transmission electron microscopy experiment, atomically thin 2D patches of iron were discovered inside a graphene nanopore. Motivated by this discovery, we perform a systematic density-functional study on atomically thin elemental 2D metal films, using 45 metals in three lattice structures. Cohesive energies, equilibrium distances, and bulk moduli in 2D are found to be linearly correlated to the corresponding 3D bulk properties, enabling the quick estimation of these values for a given 2D metal a…

Free-standing 2D metals from binary metal alloys

Recent experiment demonstrated the formation of free-standing Au monolayers by exposing Au-Ag alloy to electron beam irradiation. Inspired by this discovery, we used semi-empirical effective medium theory simulations to investigate monolayer formation in 30 different binary metal alloys composed of late d-series metals Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Pt, and Au. In qualitative agreement with the experiment, we find that the beam energy required to dealloy Ag atoms from Au-Ag alloy is smaller than the energy required to break the dealloyed Au monolayer. Our simulations suggest that similar method could also be used to form Au monolayers from Au-Cu alloy and Pt monolayers from Pt-Cu, Pt-Ni, and Pt-Pd alloys.

Stability limits of elemental 2D metals in graphene pores

Two-dimensional (2D) materials can be used as stabilizing templates for exotic nanostructures, including pore-stabilized, free-standing patches of elemental metal monolayers. Although these patches represent metal clusters under extreme conditions and are thus bound for investigations, they are poorly understood as their energetic stability trends and the most promising elements remain unknown. Here, using density-functional theory simulations and liquid drop model to explore the properties of 45 elemental metal candidates, we identify metals that enable the largest and most stable patches. Simulations show that pores can stabilize patches up to $\sim 8$ nm$^2$ areas and that the most promi…

Isophorone on Au/MgO/Ag(001) : Physisorption with Electrostatic Site Selection

We report a computational study of isophorone C9H14O adsorption on a Ag(001)-supported ultrathin MgO film with Au adatoms and clusters employing density functional theory calculations. The calculations show that the keto form of isophorone is more stable than the enol tautomers both in gas phase and on the MgO/Ag(001) surface. The interaction between the keto isophorone and step and terrace sites of MgO/Ag(001) displays long interaction distances, relatively weakly exothermic adsorption energies, lack of charge transfer, and minor changes in the density of states, all of which indicate that the molecule merely physisorbs on the surface. The step sites are energetically preferred adsorption …

Computational studies of gold-absorbate complexes on modified oxides

While bulk gold is known for its chemical inertness, nanosized gold clusters are active catalysts for a variety of important reactions. For some practical applications gold clusters are supported and the cluster-support interaction can modify the cluster's properties. The knowledge of this interaction can be vital for obtaining desired cluster properties. In this thesis, the adsorption of Au atoms and clusters on modified oxide surfaces is studied using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The support effects are considered by direct analysis of the adsorbed Au and using other coadsorbates as reactivity probes. Doping the CaO(001) surface by replacing a cation with a high valence d…

Atlas for the properties of elemental 2D metals

Common two-dimensional (2D) materials have a layered 3D structure with covalently bonded, atomically thin layers held together by weak van der Waals forces. However, in a recent transmission electron microscopy experiment, atomically thin 2D patches of iron were discovered inside a graphene nanopore. Motivated by this discovery, we perform a systematic density-functional study on atomically thin elemental 2D metal films, using 45 metals in three lattice structures. Cohesive energies, equilibrium distances, and bulk moduli in 2D are found to be linearly correlated to the corresponding 3D bulk properties, enabling the quick estimation of these values for a given 2D metal and lattice structure…

Water dissociation and water-gas shift energetics on MgO, MgO/Ag and Au/MgO/Ag surfaces

Water dissociation and the energetics of the WGS reaction on a bulk MgO, an Ag supported MgO thin film and Au/MgO/Ag surfaces is studied based on the density functional theory. The literature results for water splitting on MgO and MgO/Ag surfaces with a step type defect are repeated and further analysis on the origin of the energetically favored dissociative water adsorption are made. The reactivity towards water dissociation on the stepped MgO and MgO/Ag surfaces is attributed to four contributing factors: 1. The change in the interlayer distance of the surface in dissociative adsorption is diminished on the stepped surfaces compared to the flat surfaces. On the flat surfaces the dissociat…

Gold/Isophorone Interaction Driven by Keto/Enol Tautomerization

The binding behavior of isophorone (C9H14O) to Au adatoms and clusters deposited on MgO/Ag(001) thin films is investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT). The STM data reveal the formation of various metal/organic complexes, ranging from Au1/isophorone pairs to larger Au aggregates with molecules bound to their perimeter. DFT calculations find the energetically preferred keto-isophorone to be unreactive toward gold, while the enol-tautomer readily binds to Au monomers and clusters. The interaction is governed by electrostatic forces between the hydroxyl group of the enol and negative excess charges residing on the ad-gold. The activation barrier b…