Surface science studies of model fuel cell electrocatalysts

Surface studies of supported model catalysts

Catalysts for chemical and electrochemical reactions underpin many aspects of modern technology and industry, from energy storage and conversion to toxic emissions abatement to chemical and materials synthesis. This role necessitates the design of highly active, stable, yet earth-abundant heterogeneous catalysts. In this Review, we present the perovskite oxide family as a basis for developing such catalysts for (electro)chemical conversions spanning carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen chemistries. A framework for rationalizing activity trends and guiding perovskite oxide catalyst design is described, followed by illustrations of how a robust understanding of perovskite electronic structure provides fundamental insights into activity, stability, and mechanism in oxygen electrocatalysis. We conclude by outlining how these insights open experimental and computational opportunities to expand the compositional and chemical reaction space for next-generation perovskite catalysts.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/358/6364/751.full.pdf

Perovskites in catalysis and electrocatalysis

Infrared reflection-absorption spectroscopy of adsorbed molecules

The powerful computational resources available to scientists today, together with recent improvements in electronic structure calculation algorithms, are providing important new tools for researchers in the fields of surface science and catalysis. In this review, we discuss first principles calculations that are now capable of providing qualitative and, in many cases, quantitative insights into surface chemistry. The calculations can aid in the establishment of chemisorption trends across the transition metals, in the characterization of reaction pathways on individual metals, and in the design of novel catalysts. First principles studies provide an excellent fundamental complement to experimental investigations of the above phenomena and can often allow the elucidation of important mechanistic details that would be difficult, if not impossible, to determine from experiments alone.

Electronic structure and catalysis on metal surfaces

A detailed investigation of the steady‐state and nonsteady‐state reaction CO+1/2O2→CO2 on Pd (111) has been carried out with the molecular beam technique. It could be shown conclusively that the reaction proceeds between two adsorbed species (Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism) throughout the temperature and pressure range investigated. For low CO coverages, the activation energy of the reaction was determined to be 25 kcal/mole, whereas at moderate CO coverages, a rearrangement of the oxygen adlayer takes place resulting in a reduction of the activation energy to 14 kcal/mole. It is not possible to formulate a simple kinetic expression for the reaction rate which is valid over the entire range of temperatures and pressures due to changes in the adsorption rate for O2, coadsorption of CO and O2, to diffusion in the adlayer, and to changes in the geometrical arrangement within the adlayer with varying coverage.

A molecular beam investigation of the catalytic oxidation of CO on Pd (111)

Publisher Summary Catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide over catalysts from the platinum group metals has been investigated. Apart from its enormous practical importance, this reaction is considered to proceed through a relatively simple mechanism because only diatomic molecules are involved and product formation occurs presumably only over a very few steps. This chapter discusses the adsorptive properties of the reactants, their mutual interaction, and the mechanism and kinetics of product formation as well as the investigations with well defined single-crystal surfaces. The activity of a catalyst for a particular reaction is strongly dependent on the surface structure. Directive investigation of the influence of the surface structure on the catalytic activity was performed by using a platinum single crystal whose surface was curved in such a way that not only the plane but also vicinals with varying step density of two different crystallographic directions were present.

T. Engel

Papers

A molecular beam investigation of the catalytic oxidation of CO on Pd (111)

Elementary Steps in the Catalytic Oxidation of Carbon Monoxide on Platinum Metals

Surface residence times and reaction mechanism in the catalytic oxidation of CO on Pd(111)