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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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene/TiO2 nanocomposites are successfully applied in both photocatalysis and photovoltaics. The enhanced performances are attributed to their improved interfacial charged transfer and charge separation, which reduce the recombination rate of the photoexcited charge carriers. Here, it is shown that only density functional methods which provide corrections for the spurious self-interaction and for the van der Waals forces can correctly describe the electronic structure, the adhesion energy, and the atomic equilibrium distances. It is also proven that residual O atoms at the interface largely enhances the binding energy and causes further electronic states hybridization between G and TiO2, which is expected to favor interfacial electron transfers. Finally, evidence that electrons are preferentially trapped at subsurface layers of TiO2, while holes are preferentially delocalized on the G sheet, is provided. This opposite tendency is proposed to be at the basis of the reduced recombination leading to the observed improved outcomes in photocatalytic and photovoltaic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular oxygen reactivity on pristine and B-doped graphene over crystalline Cu(111) surface has been investigated by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and the periodic supercell approach. Results obtained for the supported undoped and doped systems have been compared to establish the effect of B-doping on the reactivity and on the interface adhesion, which are found to be both highly boosted. Additionally, results obtained for free standing pristine and B-doped graphene have been compared to those obtained for the metal supported counterparts in order to determine how the reactivity is affected by the presence of the metal substrate. Cu is found to be an n-type donor which enhances the reactivity of pristine graphene. However, in the case of B-doped graphene, the n-type doping by the metal surpasses the p-type doping by boron causing a reduction in the reactivity. Finally, the possibility that the oxygen could dissociate at the graphene/metal interface is investigated. Some of the reaction products are found to be more stable than those obtained with oxygen dissociating on the top side of the graphene sheet. This provides some significant insight into the confinement effect on the surface chemistry of molecules underneath which is currently a hot topic in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Front Cover picture shows the oxygen reactivity at the interface between graphene and a copper foil. Pure graphene has excellent electronic and mechanical properties and it is cheap to produce, thus making it a great potential candidate for green technology, which is represented by the ivy. However, its chemical inertness can be a serious drawback in certain applications such as in fuel cell devices. This issue can be overcome by chemically and physically modifying the 2D carbon layer, for example, by substitutional non‐metal doping or interfacing graphene with an acceptor/donor substrate, such as copper. More details can be found in the Review by Di Valentin et al. on page 1061 in Issue 10, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201501439). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]