The sphere-in-contact model of carbon materials

Miniature physical sphere-in-contact models of heterogeneous catalysts and metal nanoparticles

CONTEXT

Physical molecular models have played a fundamental role in the understanding of chemical reactions on heterogeneous catalysts and on metal nanoparticles. To date, these physical models have been based on separate models of the metal nanoparticle (NP) or surface and of the substrate and the molecular structure of reactant and product adsorbates and their intermediates. In this paper, we try to provide a new miniature physical molecular model, the sphere-in-contact model of heterogeneous catalysts and metal nanoparticles that can build inexpensive, small and efficient molecular models that can be transported or shipped easily and that depict the chemical reaction as a whole, showing reactants, intermediates, products, the metal nanoparticle bound to the substrate which can give information about a reaction mechanism. These models reveal that there are certain rules with respect to the kind of sites you observe at the metal NP interface with the support by small movement of the nanoparticle.

METHODS

We have used in this study physical molecular models using the sphere-in-contact model. This is the first time such physical models are built for heterogeneous catalytic reactions and metal nanoparticles, and they are constructed out of spheres that fuse together when exposed to water.

DFT-D3 study of H2 and N2 chemisorption over cobalt promoted Ta3N5-(100), (010) and (001) surfaces

Schematic showing the reactions products of N₂ and H₂ with Ta₃N₅ surfaces and the formation if the azides.