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This paper presents the first ab initio attempt to reconstruct the observed band profile of the stretching fundamental vFX (X=H,D) in the FX···O(CH3)2 hydrogen-bonded system. The two-dimensional potential energy surface V(rFH,RF···O) is evaluated by means of large basis set SCF calculations. The related force constants up to the fourth order are obtained via the analytical fit to a polynomial expansion. The vibrational problem is solved by means of a variational treatment which includes the effects of mechanical anharmonicity. The side bands of the stretching fundamental vFX are described in terms of the vFX ±nvFX···O combination bands in excellent agreement with experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) method of evaluating low lying vibrational levels for coupled modes is presented. We use a modified fixed-node (FN) approach in which an extremum principle for energy levels is invoked. In this way, the nodal hypersurfaces of the nuclear wave function are parametrized and then optimized for each excited state. The method is tested on the fundamental excitations of some two-dimensional model potentials and is applied to the case of realistic coupled modes of the CO molecule adsorbed on a palladium cluster. The effect of an external electric field is also examined. The quantum Monte Carlo results are compared with those obtained in the conventional variational treatment of the nuclear Schrödinger equation for coupled vibrations. The QMC results give the exact values with an error which is in general less than 1 cm-1 . In all cases (even in the case of strong coupling) the use of our procedure leads to ‘‘optimal’’ nodal lines (in the sense of the extremum principle used in this work) which are practically undistorted. A salient feature of the Monte Carlo method presented here is that it readily permits the evaluation of the fundamental excitations of an arbitrary number of coupled vibrations. Furthermore, the potential energy surface may be represented by any analytical form without practical difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report a density-functional study of some properties of the adsorption process of the NO molecule on small palladium clusters (n =1–4). The interaction between NO and the Pd n clusters is studied on various adsorption sites. Both, NO and Pd n geometrical relaxations are taken into account. The significant conformational reconstruction of the metallic cluster upon NO adsorption induces a large decrease of the NO adsorption energy. Nevertheless, the N–O binding energy is strongly weakened when the molecule is adsorbed on the small Pd n clusters due essentially to an electrostatic repulsion between both N and O atoms. The possible dissociation process of NO on Pd4 cluster is then investigated within two processes: the NO molecule does not dissociate on Pd4 with process (i) (dissociation of the isolated gas phase NO molecule followed by the adsorption of both nitrogen and oxygen atoms on the cluster). Process (ii) which presents three successive steps (adsorption of the NO molecule, dissociation of the NO molecule adsorbed on Pd4, adsorption of the O atom on the cluster) is studied in details and we propose a reaction pathway locating transition states and intermediate species. The activation energy for process (ii) is high and the dissociation of the NO molecule on the Pd4 cluster is thus highly improbable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This work is concerned with the interactions of multiple oxygen atoms with vacancy clusters V m of size m in bulk nickel. The calculations were carried out using molecular statics, employing a reactive potential developed recently for the NiO system containing vacancies. In particular, segregation of oxygen inside a mono- and a divacancy are considered for the first time, to complete earlier work on the subject. Overall, we find strong attractive interactions between the oxygen atoms and the vacancy clusters. We argue that this leads to increasing dramatically the solubility of oxygen in nickel. Regarding the complexes V m O 1 , the results indicate that atomic oxygen inside the vacancy clusters is more stable than at the conventional interstitial sites of the perfect Ni system. This stability is further enhanced as the size of the cavity increases. We have found that a monovacancy ( V 1 ) and a divacancy ( V 2 ) can trap up to 14 and 22 oxygen atoms, respectively. We have also carried out ab initio calculations, for the purposes of both comparison and validation of the potential used in the current work. We find a very good qualitative agreement between the ab initio results and the predictions obtained from the reactive potential. Both agree well with the experimentally observed facts establishing the influence of point defects on the oxidation processes observed in nickel and its alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the formation and stability of vacancy complexes in bulk Ni using molecular statics. Using an embedded atomic potential, we have investigated the effect of strain and temperature on their stability. At zero temperature our results compare favorably with first-principles calculations. The main effect of the presence of defects is a reduction of the elastic domain in comparison to the defect-free crystal, as well as an initiation of extended defects around the vacancy cluster at the yield point. All the clusters are found to be stable under the studied conditions, but the stability weakens with temperature, while strain may have opposing effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The adsorption geometry and electronic properties of palladium and rhodium atoms deposited on the regular (100)MgO surface were analyzed by means of periodic DFT calculations using local, gradient-corrected and hybrid (B3LYP) functionals. Spin-polarized computations revealed doublet spin state of Rh atom to be the most stable electronic state for the adsorbed rhodium atom on (100)MgO. The preferred adsorption site of the metal (Pd and Rh) atoms was found to be the site on top of the surface oxygen atoms. A relatively stable geometry for the adsorption of the Pd and Rh in a bridge position above the two surface oxygens was found as well. The electronic structures suggested partly covalent bonding with contribution from electrostatic attraction between the metal and the oxygen atoms for both optimized structures. Small charge transfer was obtained from the support to the Pd and Rh metal atoms. The calculations showed that rhodium was bound stronger to the substrate probably due to stronger polarization effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]