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

Pd-catalyzed hydrodehalogenation of chlorinated olefins: Theoretical insights to the reaction mechanism

Abstract Density functional theory calculations are applied to study energetics of trichloroethene (TCE) hydrodechlorination over pure Pd(1 1 1), chlorine-covered Pd(1 1 1), and Pd island supported by Au(1 1 1). Our results show that in all cases C Cl bond breakings take place more readily than C H bond formations and that TCE dechlorinates fully producing CCH precursors for the hydrogenations. The reaction pathway through radical-like species provides a possible explanation to the experimental product distributions that show a nominal amount of lesser chlorinated species in the presence of excess hydrogen. The surface chlorine resulted from the TCE decomposition weakens the binding of the …

DFT Study on the Complex Reaction Networks in the Conversion of Ethylene to Ethylidyne on Flat and Stepped Pd

Adsorption and conversion of ethylene to ethylidyne on flat (111) and stepped Pd surfaces have been studied with the aim to unravel the complex chemistry of small organic molecules on Pd. These pro...

First-principles calculations of the initial incorporation of carbon into flat and stepped Pd surfaces

We employ density-functional-theory calculations to examine carbon adsorption and diffusion in Pd bulk, and on Pd(111) and Pd(211) surfaces. Different possible subsurface and on-surface structures are explored and the most stable structures are analyzed. We calculate various diffusion paths: lateral diffusion on a surface, migration to a subsurface region, and within the first interlayer. Our calculations show in accordance with the earlier theoretical results that on Pd(111) carbon prefers to adsorb on octahedral interstitial sites. On Pd(211) the fourfold hollow site under the step is energetically the most favorable one and the second best sites are the octahedral sites. The calculations…

Water and carbon oxides on monoclinic zirconia: experimental and computational insights

Zirconium oxide (ZrO2, zirconia) is an interesting catalytic material to be used in biomass conversion, e.g., gasification and reforming. In this work, we show that reducing and hydrating pretreatments affect the surface sites on monoclinic zirconia. The multitechnique approach comprises temperature-programmed surface reactions (TPSR) under CO and CO2 at 100-550 °C, in situ DRIFTS investigations of the surface species and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The key findings of the work are: (1) formates are formed either directly from gas-phase CO on terminal surface hydroxyls or via the linear CO surface species that are found exclusively on the reduced zirconia without water tre…

Mechanism of Trichloroethene Hydrodehalogenation: A First-Principles Kinetic Monte Carlo Study

A hydrodehalogenation (HDC) reaction of trichloroethene (TCE) has gained a lot of interest due to its possible application in water purification, but the reaction mechanism has been subject to much controversy. In this work, HDC of TCE on Pd(111) was examined by carrying out kinetic Monte Carlo simulations based on DFT-calculated thermodynamic and kinetic parameters. Obtained kMC results show that the HDC follows a so-called direct pathway, which means that, after adsorption on a catalyst, TCE quickly dechlorinates, producing CH–C and then, more slowly, hydrogenates to form hydrocarbon products. This is reflected in the surface coverage snapshots, where intermediates corresponding to the di…

Catalytic activity of palladium-based nanostructures in the conversion of simple olefinic hydro- and chlorohydrocarbons from first principles

DFT study on complete ethylene decomposition on flat and stepped Pd

Abstract We applied density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study ethylidyne (CCH 3 ) adsorption and decomposition to C and H over flat and stepped Pd surfaces. Our calculations show that ethylidyne is the most stable molecule among all the possible dehydrogenation or decomposition residues of ethylene. We discuss various possible reaction pathways for ethylidyne decomposition and point out that the most probable one is via ethynyl (CCH) species suggested also by experimental observations. Our calculations indicate that the presence of steps modify the potential energy surface by increasing the binding of most of the species, and also lowering the activation barrier for several reac…

First principles investigations of Pd-on-Au nanostructures for trichloroethene catalytic removal from groundwater

Catalytic groundwater remediation from chlorinated organic solvents like trichloroethene (TCE) has been found to be more effective and sustainable than traditional non-destructive methods. Among the experimentally studied catalyst materials, Pd-decorated Au nanoparticles show the highest activity and selectivity combined with the best resistance towards poisoning by chemicals present in groundwater. In this study the thermochemistry and adsorption geometries of TCE and its hydrodechlorination products are investigated via density functional theory calculations. Various model systems for Pd-supported Au nanoparticles are addressed. The adsorption of TCE is endothermic on bare Au(111), almost…