Mixed dissociative and molecular adsorption of water on the rutile (110) surface

Using first-principles density-functional methods we show that a monolayer of water on the rutile (110) surface contains H2O in both molecular and dissociated forms. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding stabilizes this configuration with respect to the complete dissociative adsorption which would be predicted from studies at lower coverage. The proposed mixed adsorption mode is fully consistent with experimental data, reconciles apparent conflicts within these data, and explains discrepancies between experiment and previous calculations

First-principles simulation: ideas, illustrations and the CASTEP code

First-principles simulation, meaning density-functional theory calculations with plane waves and pseudopotentials, has become a prized technique in condensed-matter theory. Here I look at the basics of the suject, give a brief review of the theory, examining the strengths and weaknesses of its implementation, and illustrating some of the ways simulators approach problems through a small case study. I also discuss why and how modern software design methods have been used in writing a completely new modular version of the CASTEP code