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We present a computational screening study of ternary metal borohydrides for reversible hydrogen storage based on density functional theory. We investigate the stability and decomposition of alloys containing 1 alkali metal atom, Li, Na, or K M1; and 1 alkali, alkaline earth or 3d / 4d transition metal atom M2 plus two to five BH4  groups, i.e., M1M2BH42‐5, using a number of model structures with trigonal, tetrahedral, octahedral, and free coordination of the metal borohydride complexes. Of the over 700 investigated structures, about 20 were predicted to form potentially stable alloys with promising decomposition energies. The M1Al/ Mn/ FeBH44, Li/ NaZnBH43, and Na/ KNi/ CoBH43 alloys are found to be the most promising, followed by selected M1Nb/ RhBH44 alloys. © 2009 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.3148892

In this work, we present an overview on how density functional theory calculations can be used to design novel electrocatalytic materials for fuel cells. In particular, we focus the attention on non-metal doped graphene systems, which were reported to present excellent performances as electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathodic electrode of fuel cells and are, thus, considered promising substitutes of platinum or platinum alloys electrodes. The methodology, originally proposed by Nørskov et al. (J. Phys. Chem. B 2004, 108, 17886) for electrochemical processes at metal electrodes, is revisited and applied specifically to doped graphene. Finite molecular models of graphene are found to perform as well as periodic models for localized properties or reactions. Therefore, the sophisticated molecular quantum mechanics methodologies can be safely used to compute reliable Gibbs free energies of reaction in an aqueous environment for the various steps of reduction (at the cathode) or of oxidation (at the anode). Details of the reaction mechanisms and accurate cell onset- or over-potentials can be derived from the Gibbs free energy diagrams. The latter are computational quantities which can be directly compared to experimentally obtained cell overpotentials. Modeling electrocatalysis at fuel cells is, thus, an extremely powerful and convenient tool to improve our understanding of how fuel cells work and to design novel potentially active electrocatalytic materials. In this work, we present two specific applications of B-doped graphene, as electrocatalysts for the ORR at a half-cell cathode and for the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) at a half-cell anode.

The structure and electronic properties of carbon-based nanostructures obtained by metal surface assisted synthesis is highly dependent on the nature of the precursor molecule. Here, we report on a combined scanning tunneling microscopy, soft X-ray spectroscopy and density functional theory investigation on the surface assisted polymerization of Br-corannulene at Ag(110) and on the possibility of building a mesh of ?-conjugated polymers starting from buckyball shaped molecules. Indeed, the corannulene units form one-molecule-wide ribbons in which the natural concavity of the precursor molecule is maintained. These C-based nanostructures are corrugated and merge into a covalent network on the surface.

The electronic properties of free-standing and Cu-supported pristine and boron-doped, nitrogen-doped, and codoped graphene have been studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) with the vdW-DF2-C09x functional. The effects of substitutional chemical doping, metal support, lattice parameter strain, and their eventual interplay have been investigated. We find that only boron-doped graphene strongly interacts with the copper substrate, due to chemical bonds between the boron atom and the underlying metal. The binding energy and charge transfer from Cu are also highly enhanced compared to both pristine and nitrogen-doped supported graphene. The BN codoped system behaves similarly to pristine graphene with a weakly physisorbed state and a small charge transfer from Cu. However, the presence of the nonmetal dopants makes the codoped sheet extremely tunable for redox purposes, with the boron site acting as an electron acceptor and the nitrogen site as an electron donor.

The surface-assisted synthesis of gold-organometallic hybrids on the Au(111) surface both by thermo- and light-initiated dehalogenation of bromo-substituted tetracene is reported. Combined X-ray photoemission (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) data reveal a significant increase of the surface order when mild reaction conditions are combined with 405 nm light irradiation.

Understanding magnetism in defective graphene is paramount to improve and broaden its technological applications. A single vacancy in graphene is expected to lead to a magnetic moment with both a σ (1 μB) and a π (1 μB) component. Theoretical calculations based on standard LDA or GGA functional on periodic systems report a partial quenching of the π magnetization (0.5 μB) due to the crossing of two spin split bands at the Fermi level. In contrast, STS experiments ( Phys. Rev. Lett. 2016, 117, 166801) have recently proved the existence of two defect spin states that are separated in energy by 20–60 meV. In this work, we show that self-interaction corrected hybrid functional methods (B3LYP-D*) are capable of correctly reproducing this finite energy gap and, consequently, provide a π magnetization of 1 μB. The crucial role played by the exact exchange is highlighted by comparison with PBE-D2 results and by the magnetic moment dependence with the exact exchange portion in the functional used. The ground state ferromagnetic planar solution is compared to the antiferromagnetic and to the diamagnetic ones, which present an out-of-plane distortion. Periodic models are then compared to graphene nanoflakes of increasing size (up to C383H48). For large models, the triplet spin configuration (total magnetization 2 μB) is the most stable, independently of the functional used, which further corroborates the conclusions of this work and puts an end to the long-debated issue of the magnetic properties of an isolated C monovacancy in graphene

The "catalysis under cover" involves chemical processes which take place in the confined zone between a 2D material, such as graphene, h-BN, or MoS2, and the surface of an underlying support, such as a metal or a semiconducting oxide. The hybrid interface between graphene and anatase TiO2 is extremely important for photocatalytic and catalytic applications because of the excellent and complementary properties of the two materials. We investigate and discuss the reactivity of O2 and H2O on top and at the interface of this hybrid system by means of a wide set of dispersion-corrected hybrid density functional calculations. Both pure and boron- or nitrogen-doped graphene are interfaced with the most stable (101) anatase surface of TiO2 in order to improve the chemical activity of the C-layer. Especially in the case of boron, an enhanced reactivity toward O2 dissociation is observed as a result of both the contribution of the dopant and of the confinement effect in the bidimensional area between the two surfaces. Extremely stable dissociation products are observed where the boron atom bridges the two systems by forming very stable B - O covalent bonds. Interestingly, the B defect in graphene could also act as the transfer channel of oxygen atoms from the top side across the C atomic layer into the G/TiO2 interface. On the contrary, the same conditions are not found to favor water dissociation, proving that the "catalysis under cover" is not a general effect, but rather highly depends on the interfacing material properties, on the presence of defects and impurities and on the specific reaction involved.

On-surface synthesis of thin organic and organometallic films in a bottom-up fashion has become a promising approach for the development of new nanotechnologies. In this work we studied 5,11-dibromotetracene (C18H10Br2) as a prototypical case of rodlike polyaromatic molecules functionalized with two bromine atoms on the sides. The adsorption and temperature-stimulated transformations of dibromotetracene assemblies on Ag(110) have been investigated by a combination of synchrotron radiation X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (NEXAFS), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Upon the contact with the Ag substrate, the Br-C bonds are promptly cleaved at room temperature, and Ag-coordinated protopolymers are formed along the [001] substrate direction. The organometallic diners and trimers remain on the surface up to 523 K. The stabilization of the protopolymers is driven by the substrate anisotropy and weak interactions with nearby Br atoms. The short oligomers formed at elevated temperatures are weakly bounded to the substrate and desorb before covalent structures can be formed.

Boron-doped graphene was reported to be the best non-metal doped graphene electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) working at an onset potential of 0.035 V [JACS 136 (2014) 4394]. In the present DFT study, intermediates and transition structures along the possible reaction pathways are determined. Both Langmuir-Hinschelwood and Eley-Rideal mechanisms are discussed. Molecular oxygen binds the positively charged B atom and forms an open shell end-on dioxygen intermediate. The associative path is favoured with respect to the dissociative one. The free energy diagrams along the four-reduction steps are investigated with the methodology by N{\o}rskov and co. [JPC B 108 (2004) 17886] in both acidic and alkaline conditions. The pH effect on the stability of the intermediates of reduction is analyzed in terms of the Pourbaix diagram. At pH = 14 we compute an onset potential value for the electrochemical ORR of U = 0.05 V, which compares very well with the experimental value in alkaline conditions.

By a combination of scanning tunneling microscopy, X-ray spectroscopic techniques and density functional theory calculations, we prove the formation of extended patterns of parallel, graphene nanoribbons with alternate zig-zag and armchair edges and selected width by surface-assisted Ullmann coupling polymerization and dehydrogenation of 1,6-dibromopyrene (C16H8Br2). Besides the relevance of these nanostructures for their possible application in nanodevices, we demonstrate the peculiarity of halogenated pyrene derivatives for the formation of nanoribbons, in particular on Ag(110). These results open the possibility of tuning the shape and dimension of nanoribbons (and hence the correlated electronic properties) by choosing suitably tailored or on-purpose designed molecular precursors.

Graphene inertness towards chemical reactivity can be considered as an accepted postulate by the research community. This limit has been recently overcome by chemically and physically modifying graphene through non-metal doping or interfacing with acceptor/donor materials (metals or semiconductors). As a result, outstanding performances as catalytic, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic material have been observed. In this critical Review we report computational work performed, by our group, on the reactivity of free-standing, metal- and semiconductor-supported B-doped graphene towards oxygen, which is at the basis of extremely important energy-related chemical processes, such as the oxygen reduction reaction. It appears that a combination of doping and interfacing approaches for the activation of graphene can open unconventional and unprecedented reaction paths, thus boosting the potential of modified graphene in many chemical applications. Boron found to matter: Advanced density functional studies on the enhancement of oxygen reactivity through non-metal doping and/or interfacing graphene with metal (copper) and semiconductor (TiO2) surfaces are reviewed. Oxidized boron species are formed in the graphene sheets. These are bound to the underlying support through direct covalent bonds, which enhances the intimate connection between materials with different chemical and physical properties, thus creating an interactive hybrid interface.

Dibromotetracene molecules are deposited on the Cu(110) surface at room temperature. The complex evolution of this system has been monitored at different temperatures (i.e., 298, 523, 673, and 723 K) by means of a variety of complementary techniques that range from STM and temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) to high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy (XPS) and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS). State-of-the-art density-functional calculations were used to determine the chemical processes that take place on the surface. After deposition at room temperature, the organic molecules are transformed into organometallic monomers through debromination and carbon-radical binding to copper adatoms. Organometallic dimers, trimers, or small oligomers, which present copper-bridged molecules, are formed by increasing the temperature. Surprisingly, further heating to 673 K causes the formation of elongated chains along the Cu(110) close-packed rows as a consequence of radical-site migration to the thermodynamically more stable molecule heads. Finally, massive dehydrogenation occurs at the highest temperature followed by ring condensation to nanographenic patches. This study is a paradigmatic example of how intermolecular coupling can be modulated by the stepwise control of a simple parameter, such as temperature, through a sequence of domino reactions.

Singly and multiply doped graphene oxide quantum dots have been synthesized by a simple electrochemical method using water as solvent. The obtained materials have been characterized by photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, in order to get a detailed picture of their chemical and structural properties. The electrochemical activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction of the doped graphene oxide quantum dots has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and rotating disk electrode measurements, showing a clear decrease of the overpotential as a function of the dopant according to the sequence: N ∼ B > B,N. Moreover, assisted by density functional calculations of the Gibbs free energy associated with every electron transfer, we demonstrate that the selectivity of the reaction is controlled by the oxidation states of the dopants: as-prepared graphene oxide quantum dots follow a two-electron reduction path that leads to the formation of hydrogen peroxide, whereas after the reduction with NaBH4, the same materials favor a four-electron reduction of oxygen to water. (Chemical Equation Presented).

Graphene inertness towards chemical reactivity can be considered as an accepted postulate by the research community. This limit has been recently overcome by chemically and physically modifying graphene through non-metal doping or interfacing with acceptor/donor materials (metals or semiconductors). As a result, outstanding performances as catalytic, electrocatalytic, and photocatalytic material have been observed. In this critical Review we report computational work performed, by our group, on the reactivity of free-standing, metal- and semiconductor-supported B-doped graphene towards oxygen, which is at the basis of extremely important energy-related chemical processes, such as the oxygen reduction reaction. It appears that a combination of doping and interfacing approaches for the activation of graphene can open unconventional and unprecedented reaction paths, thus boosting the potential of modified graphene in many chemical applications.

We present a theory for the analytic calculation of frequency-dependent polarizability gradients, and apply the methodology to the calculation of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). The formalism used is based on an open-ended theory for the calculation of frequency-dependent molecular response properties of arbitrary order, also including contributions from perturbation-dependent basis sets. An important feature of our approach is the close connection between the formalism--which is fully matrix-based in an atomic orbital basis--and the implementation, allowing for the rapid implementation of higher-order molecular properties. Care is taken to allow the formalism to be utilized with linearly-scaling Hartree-Fock and density-functional theory codes. By avoiding the evaluation of responses due to geometry distortions, only 9 response equations need to be solved for the calculation of the CARS intensities, independent of the size of the molecular system. The theory is illustrated by calculations on a set of polyaromatic hydrocarbons using a DFT/B3LYP force field and Hartree-Fock polarizability gradients. Good agreement with the experimental CARS spectra of these compounds is obtained.