A Single Layer of MoS₂ Activates Gold for Room Temperature CO Oxidation on an Inert Silica Substrate

Journal Article · Wed Feb 20 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Journal of Physical Chemistry. C

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b12325· OSTI ID:1530185

Almeida, Kortney ^[1]; Peña, Pedro ^[1]; Rawal, Takat B. ^[2]; Coley, William C. ^[1]; Akhavi, Amir-Ali ^[1]; Wurch, Michelle ^[1]; Yamaguchi, Koichi ^[1]; Le, Duy ^[3]; Rahman, Talat S. ^[3]; Bartels, Ludwig ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of California, Riverside, CA (United States). Dept. of Chemistry, and Materials Science & Engineering Program
2. Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (United States). Dept. of Physics; Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). UT/ORNL Center for Molecular Biophysics
3. Univ. of Central Florida, Orlando, FL (United States). Dept. of Physics

Here, we demonstrate the facile deposition of catalytically active stable Au nanoparticles on single-layer MoS₂, on an inert oxide substrate (SiO₂). Unlike a gold surface, adsorption of CO on these gold particles proceeds even at room temperature. Subsequent exposure to oxygen leads to CO₂ formation and desorption along a reaction pathway described, in detail, by density functional theory. The barrier to CO oxidation, along this pathway, is less than 300 meV, corroborating the facile nature of the CO oxidation reactions in this system. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy directly reveals that the carbon monoxide, adsorbed on Au nanoparticles on single-layer MoS₂, can be repeatedly titrated off the substrate by exposure to oxygen. Comparison of computational results assuming a defect-laden and pristine MoS₂ substrate suggest that the pristine single-layer material may be superior in supporting this reaction.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: FG02-07ER15842
• OSTI ID: 1530185
• Journal Information: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry. C Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 123; ISSN 1932-7447
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY