The role of polaronic states in the enhancement of CO oxidation by single-atom Pt/CeO2

Single Atom Catalysts (SACs) have shown that the miniaturization of the active site implies new phenomena like dynamic charge transfer between isolated metal atoms and the oxide. To obtain direct proof of this character is challenging, as many experimental techniques provide averaged properties or have limitations with poorly conductive materials, leaving kinetic measurements from catalytic testing as the only reliable reference. Here we present an integrated Density Functional Theory-Microkinetic model including ground and metastable states to address the reactivity of Pt1/CeO2 for CO oxidation. Our results agree with experimentally available kinetic data in the literature and show that CO oxidation activity of Pt1/CeO2 is tunable via the electronic properties of the support. Particularly, samples with higher n-doping via oxygen depletion should be better in CO oxidation, as they help maintain the active state Pt0 of the catalyst. This provides an alternative strategy for tuning the performance of low-temperature oxidations in single-atom catalysts via charge transfer control

Theoretical investigations into single-atom catalysts on ceriumdioxide: deposition and activation

El tema principal d'aquesta tesi doctoral és la investigació de l•addicció d•un àtom aïllat de platí sobre òxid de ceri i el seu potencial catalític, des d'una perspectiva íntegrament computacional. El Departament d'Energia dels Estats Units està buscant nous catalitzadors per les fuites dels automòbils que funcionin a temperatures més baixes de 150ºC. Això és crucial en el desenvolupament de motors de combustió més ecològics i eficients. Està demostrat que els àtoms de platí aïllats (a) son un candidat un cop activats i (b) superen les alternatives comercials a les reaccions d'oxidació. Tots dos resultats són la primera verificació ab initio de les observacions experimentals. La millora és deguda als estats d'oxidació exòtics del platí aïllat i la seva naturalesa dinàmica. Es presenta un mecanisme subjacent que combina les fortes interaccions entre metall i suport amb fonons a la xarxa cristal·lina. L'abast d'aquesta nova "interacció entre suport i metall assistit per fonons" és molt més ampli; i s'estén, per exemple, a àtoms de níquel aïllats sobre òxid de ceri. En l'última part, els desafiaments dels mètodes •state-of-the-art• s'aborden en dues àrees diferents. En primer lloc, una nova implementació de baix escalat de la teoria de pertorbació Møller-Plesset de segon ordre es compara per a la reducció del sòlid de la fase CeO2 a Ce2O3. Aquest és el primer estudi amb la funció d'equació d'ona totalment convergida per aquesta reacció. Com a tal, està lliure de l'error d'auto-interacció, el qual debilita el teorema funcional de densitat. En segon lloc; hi ha les implicacions del machine learning per al disseny de models més inclusius, els models multi-escala. Es proposa una estratègia per construir una superfície d'energia potencial multidimensionalEl tema principal de esta tesis doctoral es la investigación de la adición de un átomo aislado de platino sobre oxido de cerio y su potencial catalítico desde una perspectiva integramente computacional. El Departamento de Energia de los Estados Unidos está buscando nuevos catalizadores para los escapes de los automóviles que funcionen a temperaturas más bajas de 150ºC. Esto es crucial en el desarrollo de motores de combustión más ecológicos y eficientes. Está demostrado que los átomos de platino aislados (a) son un candidato una vez activados y (b) superan a las alternativas comerciales en las reacciones de oxidación. Ambos resultados son la primera verificación ab initio de las observaciones experimentales. La mejora es debida a los estados de oxidación exóticos del platino aislado y su naturaleza dinámica. Se presenta un mecanismo subyacente que combina las fuertes interacciones entre metal y soporte con fonones en la red cristalina. El alcance de esta nueva interacción entre soporte y metal asistido por fonones es mucho más amplio y se extiende, por ejemplo, a átomos de níquel aislados sobre oxido de cerio. En la última parte, los desafíos de los métodos "state-of-the-art" se abordan en dos áreas diferentes. En primer lugar, una nueva implementación de bajo escalado de la teoría de perturbación Møller-Plesset de segundo orden se compara para la reducción del solido de la fase CeO2 a Ce2O3. Este es el primer estudio con la función de onda totalmente convergida para esta reacción. Como tal, está libre del error de auto-interacción, el cual debilita el teorema funcional de densidad. En segundo lugar están las implicaciones del machine learning para el diseño de modelos más inclusivos, los modelos multi-escala. Se propone una estrategia para construir una superficie de energía potencial multidimensional para oxido de cerio utilizando redes neuronales, similar a los campos de fuerza en Bioquímica.The main topic of this doctoral thesis is the investigation of single-atom platinum depositions on ceria and their potential for catalysis, all from a computational perspective. The US Department of Energy is looking for new car-exhaust catalysts that operate at lower temperatures of 150°C. These are crucial in the development of more environment-friendly, fuel-efficient combustion engines. It is demonstrated that single-atom platinum (a) is a candidate once activated and (b) outperforms commercial grade alternatives in oxidation reactions. Both results are the first-ever ab initio verification of experimental observations. The gain is traced back to single-atom platinum’s exotic oxidation states and their dynamic nature. An underlying mechanism is presented that couples the Strong Metal-Support Interactions with lattice phonons. The scope of this new Phonon-assisted Metal-Support Interaction is shown to be much broader, extending for example to single-atom nickel on ceria. In the last part, the challenges of state-of-the-art methods are addressed in two different areas. Firstly, a new, low-scaling implementation of second-order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory is benchmarked for the reduction of bulk phase CeO2 to Ce2O3. This is the first fully-converged wavefunction study of this reaction. As such, it is free from the debilitating self-interaction error of density functional theorem. Second are the implications of machine learning for the design of more inclusive, multi-scale models. A strategy is proposed to construct a high-dimensional potential energy surface for ceria using neural networks, similar to force fields in Biochemistry

Dynamic charge and oxidation state of Pt/CeO2 single-atom catalysts

The catalytic activity of metals supported on oxides depends on their charge and oxidation state. Yet, the determination of the degree of charge transfer at the interface remains elusive. Here, by combining density functional theory and first-principles molecular dynamics on Pt single atoms deposited on the CeO2 (100) surface, we show that the common representation of a static metal charge is oversimplified. Instead, we identify several well-defined charge states that are dynamically interconnected and thus coexist. The origin of this new class of strong metal–support interactions is the relative position of the Ce(4f) levels with respect to those of the noble metal, allowing electron injection to (or recovery from) the support. This process is phonon-assisted, as the Ce(4f) levels adjust by surface atom displacement, and appears for other metals (Ni) and supports (TiO2). Our dynamic model explains the unique reactivity found for activated single Pt atoms on ceria able to perform CO oxidation, meeting the Department of Energy 150!°C challenge for emissions

The role of polaronic states in the enhancement of CO oxidation by single-atom Pt/CeO2

Single Atom Catalysts (SACs) have shown that the miniaturization of the active site implies new phenomena like dynamic charge transfer between isolated metal atoms and the oxide. To obtain direct proof of this phenomenon is challenging, as many experimental techniques provide averaged properties or have limitations with poorly conductive materials, leaving kinetic measurements from catalytic testing as the only reliable reference. Here we present an integrated Density Functional Theory-Microkinetic model including ground and high-energy metastable states to address the reactivity of Pt1CeO2 for CO oxidation. Our model agrees with experimentally available kinetic data showing that CO oxidation activity of Pt1/CeO2 is tunable via the electronic properties of the support. Particularly, samples with higher n-doping via oxygen depletion should be better in CO oxidation, as they help maintain the active state Pt^0 of the catalyst. This provides a general route to improve low-temperature oxidations at metal/oxides interfaces via charge transfer control

NOMAD: A distributed web-based platform for managing materials science research data

NOMAD lets you manage and share your materials science data in a way that makes it truly useful to you, your group, and the community. Materials science research is becoming increasingly data-driven, which requires more effort to manage, share, and publish data. NOMAD is a web-based application that provides data management for materials science research data. In addition to core data management functions like uploading and sharing files, NOMAD allows structured data entry using customizable forms providing the software with electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) functionalities. It automatically extracts rich metadata from supported file formats, normalizes and converts data from these formats, and provides a faceted search with materials science-specific filters based on extracted metadata. NOMAD integrates data analysis and machine learning tools. Installations of NOMAD can be connected to share data between research institutes and can publish data to an open central NOMAD service. The NOMAD software is distributed as a Docker image to create data management services and as a Python package to automate the client's use of these services