arXiv subjects

Srimanta Pakhira

Publications and source records attributed to Srimanta Pakhira.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

2D Monolayer Molybdenum (IV) Telluride TMD: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

An electrocatalyst is needed to efficiently lower the reaction barriers to produce hydrogen through the H2 evolution reaction (HER). Recently, two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs), such as the pure 2D monolayer MoTe2 TMD, have become attractive materials for HER. Using the first principle-based hybrid DFT-D method, we have computationally designed a pure 2D monolayer MoTe2 TMD and examined its structural and electronic properties and electrocatalytic efficacy towards HER. A non-periodic finite molecular cluster model Mo10Te21 system was employed to explore the feasibility of both the Volmer-Heyrovsky and Volmer-Tafel reaction mechanisms for the HER. The solvent-phase calculations of the HER on the 2D monolayer MoTe2 TMD demonstrate that this material can effectively undergo either Volmer-Heyrovsky or Volmer-Tafel reaction pathways. This conclusion is supported by our determination of low reaction barriers for the H*-migration, Heyrovsky, and Tafel transition states (TSs), which were found to be approximately 9.80, 12.55, and 5.29 kcal.mol-1, respectively. These results highlight the potential utility of MoTe2 TMD as a promising electrocatalyst for HER. The unusual electrocatalytic activity of the pure 2D monolayer MoTe2 TMD is evidenced by its ability to significantly reduce reaction barriers, achieving impressive turnover frequency during the Heyrovsky and Tafel reaction steps, respectively. Additionally, it demonstrates a remarkably low Tafel slope of 29.58 mV.dec-1. Further exploration of its potential applications in electrocatalysis is warranted. The present work provides valuable insights into the atomic modulation of active sites for enhanced electrocatalytic performance towards HER, paving a way for designing advanced non-noble metal free electrocatalysts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Platinum-absorbed Defective 2D Monolayer Boron Nitride: A Promising Electrocatalyst for O2 Reduction Reaction

The large bandgap and strong covalent bonds of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) had long been thought to be chemically inert. Due to its inertness with saturated robust covalent bonds, the pristine 2D monolayer hBN cannot be functionalized for applications of energy conversion. Therefore, it is necessary to make the 2D hBN chemically reactive for potential applications. Here, we have computationally designed a single nitrogen (N) and boron (B) di-vacancy of the 2D monolayer hBN, noted by VBN defective-BN (d-BN), to activate the chemical reactivity, which is an effective strategy to use the d-BN for potential applications. Single Pt atom absorbed on the defective area of the VBN d-BN acts as a single-atom catalyst which exhibits distinctive performances for O2 reduction reaction (ORR). First-principles based dispersion-corrected periodic hybrid Density Functional Theory (DFT-D) method has been employed to investigate the equilibrium structure and properties of the Pt-absorbed 2D defective boron nitride (Pt-d-BN). The present study shows the semiconducting character of Pt-d-BN with an electronic bandgap of 1.30 eV, which is an essential aspect of the ORR. The ORR mechanism on the surface of 2D monolayer Pt-d-BN follows a 4e-reduction route because of the low barriers to OOH formation and dissociation, H2O2 instability and water production at the Pt-d-BN surface. Here, both the dissociative and associative ORR mechanisms have been investigated, and it is found that results for both mechanisms with the ORR pathways are almost equally favorable. Therefore, it can be mentioned here that the 2D monolayer Pt-d-BN exhibits a high selectivity for the four-electron reduction pathway. According to the calculations of the relative adsorption energy of each step in ORR, the Pt-d-BN is anticipated to exhibit substantial catalytic activity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Nitrogen-monovacancy (VN) Hexagonal Boron Nitride 2D Monolayer Material as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for CO2 Reduction Reaction

The conversion of waste carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into valuable products and fuels through an electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a promising approach. The sluggish kinetics of the CO2RR require the development of novel strategies for electrocatalyst design. Two-dimensional (2D) materials emerge as promising candidates for CO2RR due to their distinctive electronic and structural properties. This study follows the first principles based DFT-D method to examine the electrocatalytic competences of the defective two-dimensional boron nitride monolayer (d-BN) material towards CO2RR. Introducing a particular defect with nitrogen vacancies in the 2D single layer pristine hexagonal boron nitride (VN_d-BN) can efficiently activate the CO2 molecules for hydrogenation by reducing the electronic band gap of the pristine hBN from 6.23 eV to 3.0 eV. Therefore, VN_d-BN material can act as a large band gap semiconductor. Our findings demonstrate that the defective regions in the 2D monolayer VN_d-BN serve as active sites (Boron) for both the adsorption and activation of CO2. The subsequent hydrogenation steps occur sequentially once the CO2 molecule is adsorbed on the catalytic surface. Our results indicate that the OCHO* path is the most favorable for CH4 production. Hence, the 2D monolayer VN_d-BN material holds a great promise as a cost-effective catalyst for CO2RR, and it presents a viable alternative to expensive platinum (Pt) catalysts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Synergistic Niobium Doped Two-Dimensional Zirconium Diselenide: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for O$_2$ Reduction Reaction

The development of high-activity and low-price cathodic catalysts to facilitate the electrochemical sluggish O$_2$ reduction reaction (ORR) is very important to achieve the commercial application of fuel cells. Here, we have investigated the electrocatalytic activity of two-dimensional single-layer Nb-doped zirconium diselenide (2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$) towards ORR by employing the dispersion corrected Density Functional Theory (DFT-D) method. Through our study, we computed structural properties, electronic properties, and energetics of the 2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$ and ORR intermediates to analyze the electrocatalytic performance of the 2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$. The electronic properties calculations depict that the 2D monolayer ZrSe$_2$ has a large band gap of 1.48 eV, which is not favorable for the ORR mechanism. After the doping of Nb, the electronic band gap vanishes and 2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$ acts as a conductor. We studied both the dissociative and associative pathways through which the ORR can proceed to reduce the oxygen molecule (O$_2$). Our results show that the more favorable path for O$_2$ reduction on the surface of the 2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$ is the 4e$^-$ associative path. The detailed ORR mechanisms (both associated and dissociative) have been explored by computing the changes of Gibbs free energy (ΔG). All the ORR reaction intermediate steps are thermodynamically stable and energetically favorable. The free energy profile for the associative path shows the downhill behavior of the free energy vs. the reaction steps, suggesting that all ORR intermediate structures are catalytically active for the 4e$^-$ associative path and a high 4e$^-$ reduction pathway selectivity. Therefore, 2D Nb-ZrSe$_2$ is a promising catalyst for the ORR which can be used as an alternative ORR catalyst compared with expensive platinum (Pt).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Designing of Organic Bridging Linkers of Metal-Organic Frameworks for Enhanced Carbon Dioxide Adsorption

The global rate of anthropogenic CO2 emission is rising, which urges the development of efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Among the various CO2 capture methods, adsorption by the linkers of the Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) materials has received more interest as excellent CO2 adsorbents because of their important role in understanding the interaction mechanism for CO2 adsorption. Here, we investigate the adsorption of CO2 molecules at the center and side positions of several MOF-linkers using molecular cluster models. The interaction between CO2 and the linkers is approximated by computing the binding enthalpy (ΔH) through the first principles-based Density Functional Theory with Grimmes dispersion correction (i.e., B3LYP-D3) and second-order Moller Plesset Theory (MP2). The computed values of ΔH indicate the weak nature of CO2 adsorption on the pristine linkers, hence the strategy of lithium decoration is used to see its impact on the binding strength. Among the various linkers tested, CO2 adsorbing at the side position of the DFBDC-2 linker has strong adsorption with ΔH value of about -35.32 kJ/mol computed by the B3LYP-D3 method. The Energy Decomposition Analysis (EDA) study reveals that among all the energy terms, the contribution of electrostatic and polarization energy terms to the ΔH value are the most dominant one. Furthermore, the results of Frontier Molecular Orbital Analysis (FMO) revealed that all the linkers remained stable even after Li-decoration. The results of our investigations will direct towards the development and synthesis of novel adsorbents with enhanced CO2 adsorption.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Electrocatalytic Performance of 2D Monolayer WSeTe Janus Transition Metal Dichalcogenide for Highly Efficient H2 Evolution Reaction

Now-a-days, the development of clean and green energy sources is the prior interest of research due to increasing global energy demand and extensive usage of fossil fuels that create pollutants. Hydrogen has the highest energy density by weight among all chemical fuels. For the commercial-scale production of hydrogen, water electrolysis is the best method which in turn requires an efficient, cost-effective and earth-abundant electrocatalyst. Recent studies have shown that the 2D Janus TMDs are highly effective in the electrocatalytic activity for HER. Herein we report a 2D monolayer WSeTe Janus TMD electrocatalyst for HER. We studied the electronic properties of 2D monolayer WSeTe Janus TMD using periodic DFT calculations, and the direct electronic band gap was obtained to be 2.39 eV. After the calculations of electronic properties, we explored the HER intermediates including various transition state structures (Volmer TS, Heyrovsky TS, and Tafel TS) using a molecular cluster model of WSeTe noted as W10Se9Te12. The present calculations revealed that the 2D monolayer WSeTe Janus TMD is a potential electrocatalyst for HER. It has the lowest energy barriers for all the TSs among other TMDs, such as MoS2, Mn-MoS2, MoSSe, etc. The calculated Heyrovsky energy barrier (= 8.72 kcal.mol-1) for the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism is larger than the Tafel energy barrier (=3.27 kcal.mol-1) in the Volmer-Tafel mechanism. Hence our present study suggests that the formation of H2 is energetically more favorable via the Vomer-Tafel mechanism. This work helps shed light on the rational design of effective HER catalysts.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Relativistic Quantum Calculations to Understand the Contribution of f-Orbitals and Chemical Bonding of Actinides with Organic Ligands

The nuclear waste problem is one of the main interests of the rare earth and actinide elements chemistry. Studies of Actinide-containing compounds are at the frontier of the applications of current theoretical methods due to the need to consider relativistic effects and approximations to the Dirac equation in them. Here, we employ four-component relativistic quantum calculations and scalar approximations to understand the contribution of f-type atomic orbitals in the chemical bonding of actinides (Ac) to organic ligands. We studied the relativistic quantum structure of an isostructural family made of Plutonium (Pu), Americium (Am), Californium (Cf), and Berkelium (Bk) atoms with the redox-active model ligand; DOPO (2,4,6,8-tetra-tert-butyl-1-oxo-1H-phenoxazin-9-olate). Crystallographic structures were available to validate our calculations for all mentioned elements except for Cf. In short, state-of-the-art relativistic calculations were performed at different levels of theory to investigate the relativistic effects and electron correlations on geometrical structures and bonding energies of $Ac$-DOPO$_3$ complexes ($Ac$=Pu, Am, Cf, Bk) : 1) the scalar relativistic zeroth order regular approximation (ZORA) within the hybrid density functional theory (DFT) and 2) the four-component Dirac equation with the Dirac-Hartree-Fock (4c-DHF) and Lévy-Leblond (LL) Hamiltonians. We show that scalar DFT-ZORA could be used as an efficient theoretical approximation to first approximate the geometry and electronic properties of actinides which are difficult to synthesize or characterize; but knowing that the higher levels of theory, like the 4c-DHF, gives closer results to experiments than the scalar DFT-ZORA. We also performed spin-free calculations of geometric parameters for the Americium and Berkelium compounds.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2022

Nanostructured Pt-Doped 2D MoSe$_2$: An Efficient Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for both Hydrogen Evolution and Oxygen Reduction Reactions

TMDs are a new family of 2D materials with features that make them appealing for potential applications in nanomaterials science and engineering. Although, the edges of the 2D TMDs show excellent electrocatalytic performance, their basal plane is inert which hinders the industrial applications for electrocatalysis. Here, we have computationally designed the 2D monolayer MoSe$_2$ and studied its electronic properties with electrocatalytic activities. Pt-atom has been doped in the pristine 2D MoSe$_2$ to activate the inert basal plane resulting zero bandgap. This study reveals that the Pt-MoSe$_2$ is an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst for both the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) with the aid of the DFT. Periodic hybrid DFT method has been applied to compute the electronic properties of both the pristine MoSe$_2$ and Pt-MoSe$_2$. To determine both the HER and ORR mechanisms on the surface of the Pt-MoSe2 material, a non-periodic DFT calculation has been performed by considering a molecular Pt1-Mo$_9$Se${21}$ cluster model. The present study shows that the 2D Pt-MoSe$_2$ follows Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism for HER with the energy barriers about 9.29 kcal/mol and 10.55 kcal.mol-1 during the H-migration and Heyrovsky reactions. The ORR is achieved by four-electron transfer mechanism with the formation of two transition energy barriers about 14.94 kcal/mol and 11.10 kcal/mol, respectively. The lower energy barriers and high turnover frequency during the reactions expose that the Pt-MoSe$_2$ can be adopted as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for both the HER and ORR. The present studies demonstrate that the exceptional HER and ORR activity and stability performance shown by the MoSe$_2$ electrocatalyst can be enhanced by Pt-doping, opening a promising concept for the sensible design of high-performance catalyst for H2 production and O2 reduction.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Revealing the Superior Electrocatalytic Performance of 2D Monolayer WSe$_2$ Transition Metal Dichalcogenide for Efficient H$_2$ Evolution Reaction

H$_2$ evolution reaction (HER) requires an electrocatalyst to reduce the reaction barriers for the efficient production of H$_2$. Platinum-group metal (PGM) elements such as Pt, Pd, etc. and their derivatives show excellent electrocatalytic activity for HER. The high cost and lack of availability of PGM elements bring constraints over their wide commercial applications, so discovering noble metal-free electrocatalysts with lower possible reaction barriers is paramount important. Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) have emerged as a pinnacle group of materials for many potential applications, including HER. In this work, we have computationally designed a pristine 2D monolayer tungsten diselenide (WSe$_2$) TMD using the first principle-based hybrid Density Functional Theory (DFT) to investigate its structural, electronic properties and the electrocatalytic performance for HER. The possible Volmer-Heyrovsky and Volmer-Tafel reaction mechanisms for HER at the W-edge of the active site of WSe$_2$ were studied by using a non-periodic finite molecular cluster model W$_{10}$Se$_{21}$. Our study shows that the pristine 2D monolayer WSe$_2$ follows either the Volmer-Heyrovsky or the Volmer-Tafel reaction mechanisms with a single-digit low reaction barrier about 6.11, 8.41 and 6.61 kcal/mol during the solvent phase calculations of H-migration, Heyrovsky and Tafel transition (TS) states, respectively. The lower reaction barriers, high turnover frequency (TOF) ~ 4.24 x $10^6$ sec$^{-1}$ and 8.86 x $10^7$ sec$^{-1}$ during the Heyrovsky and Tafel reaction steps and the low Tafel slope 29.58 mV.dec$^{-1}$ confirm that the pristine 2D monolayer WSe$_2$ might be a promising alternative to PGM based electrocatalyst.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Efficient Electrocatalytic H2 Evolution Mediated by 2D Janus MoSSe Transition Metal Dichalcogenide

Recently, 2D JTMDs with asymmetric electronic structures are inviting an intense research interest in modern science and technology. Using the first principles-based periodic hybrid dispersion-corrected Density Functional Theory (DFT-D) method, we have investigated the equilibrium structure, geometry, and electronic properties of the 2D monolayer MoSSe JTMD with the electrocatalytic activities for the H2 evolution reaction (HER). We have performed non-periodic quantum mechanical DFT computations to find out the most favorable HER pathway on the exposed surfaces of the 2D Janus MoSSe material i.e., on the Mo-edges and S- or Se-edges. To explore the electrocatalytic HER mechanism, reaction pathways and barriers, we have considered a cluster model system Mo10S12Se9 to illustrate the Mo-edges and S- or Se-edges of the 2D monolayer MoSSe material. The present study reveals that the Volmer-Heyrovsky reaction mechanism is thermodynamically favorable reaction pathway to evolute H2 at the Se-terminated Mo-edges. It was found that the change of free energy barrier during the Heyrovsky reaction at the Se-terminated Mo-edges is about 3.93-7.10 kcal.mol-1 (in both the gas and the solvent phases), indicating an exceptional electrocatalyst for HER with the lowest activation barriers. This study showed that the Tafel slope (m) is lower in the case of 2D Janus MoSSe material due to the overlap of the s-orbital of the hydrogen and d-orbitals of the Mo atoms appeared in the HOMO and LUMO transition state TS1 of the H-migration reaction step. The better stabilization of the atomic orbitals in the HER rate-limiting step i.e., H-migration TS1 reaction step (in the solvent phase) is a key for reducing the reaction barrier, thus the overall catalysis indicating a better electrocatalytic performance for H2 evolution.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2022

Unveiling the Role of 2D Monolayer Mn-doped MoS$_2$ Material: Toward an Efficient Electrocatalyst for H$_2$ Evolution Reaction

Two-dimensional (2D) monolayer pristine MoS$_2$ transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) is the most studied material because of its promising aspects as nonprecious electrocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Previous studies have shown that the basal planes of the 2D MoS$_2$ are catalytically inert and hence, they cannot be used directly in desired applications such as electrochemical HER in industries. Here, we have thoroughly studied the defect-engineered Mn-doped 2D monolayer MoS$_2$ (Mn-MoS$_2$) material where Mn was doped in the pristine MoS$_2$ to activate the inert basal planes. Using density functional theory (DFT) method, we performed rigorous inspection of electronic structures and properties of the 2D monolayer Mn-MoS$_2$ to be a promising alternative to noble metal free catalysts for the effective HER. Periodic 2D slab of the monolayer Mn-MoS$_2$ was created to study the electronic properties and the reaction pathways occurring on the surface of the material. The detailed HER mechanism has been explored by creating the Mn$_1$Mo$_9$S$_{21}$ non-periodic finite molecular cluster model system using M06-L DFT method including solvation effects to determine the reaction barriers and kinetics. Our study reveals that the 2D Mn-MoS$_2$ follows the most favorable Volmer-Heyrovsky reaction mechanism with very low energy barriers during the H$_2$ evolution. It was found that the change of free energy barrier during the Heyrovsky reaction is about 10.34 - 10.79 kcal/mol, indicating an exceptional electrocatalyst for HER. The Tafel slope is lower in the case of 2D monolayer Mn-MoS$_2$ material due to the overlap of the s-orbital of the hydrogen and d-orbitals of the Mn atoms appeared in the HOMO and LUMO transition states (TS1 and TS2) of both the Volmer and Heyrovsky reaction steps.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

A Theoretical and Computational Study of H$_2$ Physisorption on Covalent Organic Framework Linkers and Metalated Linkers: A Strategy to Enhance Binding Strength

Hydrogen is deemed as an attractive energy carrier alternative to fossil fuels, and it is required to store for many applications. Physisorption is one of the promising ways to store H$_2$ for its practical applications. Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) are promising candidates for H$_2$-storage due to high porosity, surface area and tunable characteristics. To improve the hydrogen physisorption in the COFs, the chelation of transition metals (TM) in the building blocks of the framework has been studied by using first principle-based density functional theory (DFT) method. Here, we report total 96 H$_2$ complexes made of six different COF linkers and chelated with the Sc, Ti and V atoms interacting with up to H$_2$ molecules. The molecular interactions between physisorption H$_2$ and these Sc-, Ti- and V-chelated linkers have been explored in detail. The binding enthalpy of the most complexes is higher than ~10 kJ/mol, which is the basic requirement for practical H$_2$-storage. In the total interaction energy (between physisorption H$_2$ and chelated linkers), the dispersion and electrostatic interactions are dominant. This study is essential in finding out the more efficient COF linkers for practical H$_2$ storage. It can also help to improve the uptake of existing porous materials for H$_2$ storage. The present study paves a way to design transition metal chelated COFs for an effective H$_2$-storage and the knowledge gained from this study is expected to provide some inspiration for developing the corresponding experiments.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

2D Mn Doped MoS$_2$: An Efficient Electrocatalyst for Hydrogen Evolution Reaction

Earth-abundant two-dimensional (2D) pristine transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have emerged as a superlative class of materials for several applications in electronic devices, energy storage devices, gas sensing, etc., and they have recently attracted great attention, owing to their good catalytic activity and excellent stability toward electrochemical H2 Evolution Reaction (HER). Each individual layer of the TMDs consists of three atomic layers in which the transition metal is sandwiched by two chalcogens. To activate the inert basal plane of the pristine 2D TMDs, it is needed to create some defects or doping of some heteroatoms in the pristine TMDs. Phase engineering techniques have been used to activate the basal plane of the 2D TMDs. In this article, we have computationally developed 2D monolayer Mn-MoS$_2$ material and its application in HER. Stable S terminated edge of the MoS$_2$ shows low catalytic activity due to its inert basal plane, so to exploit these edges for improved performance we doped Mn in the pristine MoS$_2$ material. Using trailblazing and state of the art first principles-based density functional theory we performed methodical and rigorous inspection of electronic structures and properties of monolayer Mn doped MoS$_2$ to be a promising alternative to noble metal-based catalysts for HER. Periodic 2D slab of Mn-MoS$_2$ was created to study the electronic properties and the reaction pathway occurring on the surface of the material has been delved into by creating Mn$_1$Mo$_9$S$_{21}$ molecular cluster model. Our study reveals that the 2D Mn-MoS$_2$ monolayer based catalyst follows the Volmer-Heyrovsky reaction with very low energy barriers during the HER mechanism. This study is focused on designing a low cost and efficient electrocatalyst for HER by using earth abundant TMDs and lowering the activation barriers by scrutinizing the kinetics of the reaction for reactivity.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

The Quantum Nature in the Interaction of Molecular Hydrogen with Porous Materials: Implications for Practical Hydrogen Storage

The storage of hydrogen (H$_2$) is of economic and ecological relevance, because it could potentially replace petroleum-based fuels. However, H$_2$ storage at mild condition remains one of the bottlenecks for its widespread usage. In order to devise successful H$_2$ storage strategies, there is a need for a fundamental understanding of the weak and elusive hydrogen interactions at the quantum mechanical level. One of the most promising strategies for storage at mild pressure and temperature is physisorption. Porous materials are specially effective at physisorption, however the process at the quantum level has been under-studied. Here, we present quantum calculations to study the interaction of H$_2$ with building units of porous materials. We report 240 H$_2$ complexes made of different transition metal (Tm) atoms, chelating ligands, spins, oxidation states, and geometrical configurations. We found that both the dispersion and electrostatics interactions are the major contributors to the interaction energy between H$_2$ and the transition metal complexes. The binding energy for some of these complexes is in the range of at least 10 kJ/mol for many interactions sites, which is one of these main requirements for practical H$_2$ storage. Thus, these results are of fundamental nature for practical H$_2$ storage in porous materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2018

Reaction Mechanism of the Selective Reduction of CO$_2$ to CO by a Tetraaza [Co$^\text{II}$N$_4$H]$^{2+}$ Complex in the Presence of Protons

The tetraaza [Co$^\text{II}$N$_4$H]$^{2+}$ complex (\textbf{1}) is remarkable for its ability to selectively reduce CO$_2$ to CO with 45\% Faradaic efficiency and a CO to H$_2$ ratio of 3:2. We employ density functional theory (DFT) to determine the reasons behind the unusual catalytic properties of \textbf{1} and the most likely mechanism for CO$_2$ reduction. The selectivity for CO$_2$ over proton reduction is explained by analyzing the catalyst's affinity for the possible ligands present under typical reaction conditions: acetonitrile, water, CO$_2$, and bicarbonate. After reduction of the catalyst by two electrons, formation of [Co$^\text{I}$N$_4$H]$^{+}$-CO$_{2}^{-}$ is strongly favored. Based on thermodynamic and kinetic data, we establish that the only likely route for producing CO from here consists of a protonation step to yield [Co$^\text{I}$N$_4$H]$^{+}$-CO$_{2}$H, followed by reaction with CO$_2$ to form [Co$^\text{II}$N$_4$H]$^{2+}$-CO and bicarbonate. This conclusion corroborates the idea of a direct role of CO$_2$ as a Lewis acid to assist in {C-O} bond dissociation, a conjecture put forward by other authors to explain recent experimental observations. The pathway to formic acid is predicted to be forbidden by high activation barriers, in accordance with the products that are known to be generated by \textbf{1}. Calculated physical observables such as standard reduction potentials and the turnover frequency for our proposed catalytic cycle are in agreement with available experimental data reported in the literature. The mechanism also makes a prediction that may be experimentally verified: that the rate of CO formation should increase linearly with the partial pressure of CO$_2$.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2018

Apically Dominant Mechanism for Improving Catalytic Activities of N-Doped Carbon Nanotube Arrays in Rechargeable Zinc-Air Battery

The oxygen reduction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reactions (OER) in Zn-air batteries (ZABs) require highly efficient, cost-effective and stable electrocatalysts as replacements to traditionally high cost, inconsistently stable and low poison resistant Platinum group metals (PGM) catalysts. Although, nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (NCNT) arrays have been developed over recent decades through various advanced technologies are now capable of catalyzing ORR efficiently, their underdeveloped bifunctional property, hydrophobic surface, and detrimental preparation strategy are found to limit practical large-scale commercialization for effective rechargeable ZABs. Here, we have demonstrated fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) nickel foam supported NCNT arrays with CoNi nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated within the apical domain (denoted as CoNi@NCNT/NF) that exhibits excellent bifunctional catalytic performance toward both ORR (onset potential of 0.97 V vs. RHE) and OER (overpotential of 1.54 V vs. RHE at 10 mA cm$^{-2}$). We further examined the practicability of this CoNi@NCNT/NF material being used as an air electrode for rechargeable ZAB coin cell and pouch cell systems. The ZAB coin cell showed a peak power density of 108 mW cm$^{-2}$ with an energy density of 845 Wh kg$_{Zn}^{-1}$ and robust rechargeability over 28h under ambient conditions, which exceeds the performance of PGM catalysts and leading non-PGM electrocatalysts. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the ORR and OER catalytic performance of the CoNi@NCNT/NF electrode are mainly derived from the d-orbitals from the CoNi NPs encapsulated within the apical dominant end of the NCNTs.

physics.app-ph↗

arXiv2017

Tuning the Dirac Cone of Bilayer and Bulk Structure Graphene by Intercalating First Row Transition Metals using First Principles Calculations

Modern nanoscience has focused on two-dimensional (2D) layer structure materials which have garnered tremendous attention due to their unique physical, chemical and electronic properties since the discovery of graphene in 2004. Recent advancement in graphene nanotechnology opens a new avenue of creating 2D bilayer graphene (BLG) intercalates. Using first-principles DFT techniques, we have designed 20 new materials \textit{in-silico} by intercalating first row transition metals (TMs) with BLG, i.e. 10 layered structure and 10 bulk crystal structures of TM intercalated in BLG. We investigated the equilibrium structure and electronic properties of layered and bulk structure BLG intercalated with first row TMs (Sc-Zn). The present DFT calculations show that the 2$p_z$ sub-shells of C atoms in graphene and the 3$d_{yz}$ sub-shells of the TM atoms provide the electron density near the Fermi level controlling the material properties of the BLG-intercalated materials. This article highlights how the Dirac point moves in both the BLG and bulk-BLG given a different TM intercalated materials. The implications of controllable electronic structure and properties of intercalated BLG-TM for future device applications are discussed. This work opens up new avenues for the efficient production of two-dimensional and three-dimensional carbon-based intercalated materials with promising future applications in nanomaterial science.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Dirac Cone in two dimensional bilayer graphene by intercalation with V, Nb, and Ta transition metals

Bilayer graphene (BLG) is semiconductor whose band gap and properties can be tuned by various methods such as doping or applying gate voltage. Here, we show how to tune electronic properties of BLG by intercalation of transition metal (TM) atoms between two monolayer graphene (MLG) using a novel dispersion-corrected first-principle density functional theory approach. We intercalated V, Nb, and Ta atoms between two MLG. We found that the symmetry, the spin, and the concentration of TM atoms in BLG-intercalated materials are the important parameters to control and to obtain a Dirac Cone in their band structures. Our study reveals that the BLG intercalated with one Vanadium (V) atom, BLG-1V, has a Dirac Cone at the K-point. In all the cases, the present DFT calculations show that the 2$p_z$ sub-shells of C atoms in graphene and the 3$d_{yz}$ sub-shells of the TM atoms provide the electron density near the Fermi level E$\mathrm{_F}$ which controls the material properties. Thus, we show that out-of-plane atoms can influence in-plane electronic densities in BLG, and enumerate the conditions necessary to control the Dirac point. This study presents a new strategy for controlling the material properties of BLG so that they exhibit various behaviors, including: metal, semi-metal, and semiconductor by varying the concentration and spin arrangement of the TM atoms in BLG while offering insight into the physical properties of 2D BLG-intercalated materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗