Using semi-empirical density functional theory and the quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) method, a specific reaction parameter (SRP) density functional is developed for the dissociation of... Show moreUsing semi-empirical density functional theory and the quasi-classical trajectory (QCT) method, a specific reaction parameter (SRP) density functional is developed for the dissociation of dihydrogen on Pt(1 1 1). The validity of the QCT method was established by showing that QCT calculations on reaction of D2 with Pt(1 1 1) closely reproduce quantum dynamics results for reaction of D2 in its rovibrational ground state. With the SRP functional, QCT calculations reproduce experimental data on D2 sticking to Pt(1 1 1) at normal and off-normal incidence with chemical accuracy. The dissociation of dihydrogen on Pt(1 1 1) is non-activated, exhibiting a minimum barrier height of −8 meV. Show less
Dissociative chemisorption is an important reaction step in many catalytic reactions. An example of such a reaction is the Haber-Bosch process, which is used commercially to produce ammonia... Show more Dissociative chemisorption is an important reaction step in many catalytic reactions. An example of such a reaction is the Haber-Bosch process, which is used commercially to produce ammonia, an important starting material in the production of fertilisers. In theoretical descriptions of such chemical processes often approximations need to be made in order to keep the computational cost feasible, such as fixing the surface atoms in place, rather than allowing them to vibrate. In this work, several example systems (hydrogen dissociation on different metal surfaces) are used in order to test to what extent such approximations work well. Show less
Wijzenbroek, M.; Helstone, D.; Meyer, J.; Kroes, G.J. 2016
