Carlos Moyses Araujo

Single-layer MoS2 as an efficient photocatalyst

The potential application of the single-layer MoS2 as a photocatalyst was revealed based on first-principles calculations. It is found that the pristine single-layer MoS2 is a good candidate for hydrogen production, and its catalysing ability can be tuned by the applied mechanical strain. Furthermore, the p-type doping could make the single layer a good photocatalyst for the overall water splitting.

Ab initio study of lithium-doped graphane for hydrogen storage

Based on the first-principle density functional calculations we predict that Li-doped graphane (prehydrogenated graphene) can be a potential candidate for hydrogen storage. The calculated Li-bindin ...

Effects of the large distribution of CdS quantum dot sizes on the charge transfer interactions into TiO2 nanotubes for photocatalytic hydrogen generation

Hydrogen fuels generated by water splitting using a photocatalyst and solar irradiation are currently gaining the strength to diversify the world energy matrix in a green way. CdS quantum dots have revealed a hydrogen generation improvement when added to TiO2 materials under visible-light irradiation. In the present paper, we investigated the performance of TiO2 nanotubes coupled with CdS quantum dots, by a molecular bifunctional linker, on photocatalytic hydrogen generation. TiO2 nanotubes were obtained by anodization of Ti foil, followed by annealing to crystallize the nanotubes into the anatase phase. Afterwards, the samples were sensitized with CdS quantum dots via an in situ hydrothermal route using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as the capping agent. This sensitization technique permits high loading and uniform distribution of CdS quantum dots onto TiO2 nanotubes. The XPS depth profile showed that CdS concentration remains almost unchanged (homogeneous), while the concentration relative to the sulfate anion decreases by more than 80% with respect to the initial value after ∼100 nm in depth. The presence of sulfate anions is due to the oxidation of sulfide and occurs in greater proportion in the material surface. This protection for air oxidation inside the nanotubular matrix seemingly protected the CdS for photocorrosion in sacrificial solution leading to good stability properties proved by long duration, stable photocurrent measurements. The effect of the size and the distribution of sizes of CdS quantum dots attached to TiO2 nanotubes on the photocatalytic hydrogen generation were investigated. The experimental results showed three different behaviors when the reaction time of CdS synthesis was increased in the sensitized samples, i.e. similar, deactivation and activation effects on the hydrogen production with regard to TiO2 nanotubes. The deactivation effect was related to two populations of sizes of CdS, where the population with a shorter band gap acts as a trap for the electrons photogenerated by the population with a larger band gap. Electron transfer from CdS quantum dots to TiO2 semiconductor nanotubes was proven by the results of UPS measurements combined with optical band gap measurements. This property facilitates an improvement of the visible-light hydrogen evolution rate from zero, for TiO2 nanotubes, to approximately 0.3 μmol cm(-2) h(-1) for TiO2 nanotubes sensitized with CdS quantum dots.

Semimetallic dense hydrogen above 260 GPa

Being the lightest and the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is fascinating to physicists. In particular, the conditions of its metallization associated with a possible superconducting state at high temperature have been a matter of much debate in the scientific community, and progress in this field is strongly correlated with the advancements in theoretical methods and experimental techniques. Recently, the existence of hydrogen in a metallic state was reported experimentally at room temperature under a pressure of 260–270 GPa, but was shortly after that disputed in the light of more experiments, finding either a semimetal or a transition to an other phase. With the aim to reconcile the different interpretations proposed, we propose by combining several computational techniques, such as density functional theory and the GW approximation, that phase III at ambient temperature of hydrogen is the Cmca-12 phase, which becomes a semimetal at 260 GPa . From phonon calculations, we demonstrate it to be dynamically stable; calculated electron–phonon coupling is rather weak and therefore this phase is not expected to be a high-temperature superconductor.

Water adsorption on ZnO(101̄0): The role of intrinsic defects

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed to investigate the interaction of water molecules with bare and defective surfaces. We show that at high coverages water molecules avoid adsorption close to defect sites, whereas at low coverages adsorption on defective surfaces show a similar adsorption pattern to those adsorbed on the defect-free surface, adsorbing in a molecular fashion. Finally we show that the electronic structure of the defective non-polar surface is not much affected by the adsorption of water, with exception of the O-defect surfaces.

Disorder-induced Room Temperature Ferromagnetism in Glassy Chromites

We report an unusual robust ferromagnetic order above room temperature upon amorphization of perovskite [YCrO3] in pulsed laser deposited thin films. This is contrary to the usual expected formation of a spin glass magnetic state in the resulting disordered structure. To understand the underlying physics of this phenomenon, we combine advanced spectroscopic techniques and first-principles calculations. We find that the observed order-disorder transformation is accompanied by an insulator-metal transition arising from a wide distribution of Cr-O-Cr bond angles and the consequent metallization through free carriers. Similar results also found in YbCrO3-films suggest that the observed phenomenon is more general and should, in principle, apply to a wider range of oxide systems. The ability to tailor ferromagnetic order above room temperature in oxide materials opens up many possibilities for novel technological applications of this counter intuitive effect.

Revealing the Contribution of Individual Factors to Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalytic Activity

For the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the electrical properties of catalysts can play an important role in influencing the overall catalytic activity. This is particularly important for semiconducting HER catalysts such as MoS2 , which has been extensively studied over the last decade. Herein, on-chip microreactors on two model catalysts, semiconducting MoS2 and semimetallic WTe2 , are employed to extract the effects of individual factors and study their relations with the HER catalytic activity. It is shown that electron injection at the catalyst/current collector interface and intralayer and interlayer charge transport within the catalyst can be more important than thermodynamic energy considerations. For WTe2 , the site-dependent activities and the relations of the pure thermodynamics to the overall activity are measured and established, as the microreactors allow precise measurements of the type and area of the catalytic sites. The approach presents opportunities to study electrochemical reactions systematically to help establish rational design principles for future electrocatalysts.

Structural characterization of amorphous YCrO3 from first principles

We perform a theoretical prediction of the structure of amorphous YCrO3. We obtained equivalent amorphous structures by means of two independent first principles density functional theory based methods: molecular dynamics and stochastic quenching. In our structural analysis we include radial and angle distribution functions as well as calculations of bond lengths and average coordination numbers. We find Cr+3 atoms situated in slightly distorted oxygen octahedra throughout the amorphous structures and that the distribution of these octahedra is disordered. The presence of the same Cr+3 local environments that give rise to ferroelectricity in the orthorhombic perovskite structure suggests that the amorphous phase of YCrO3 may also exhibit ferroelectric properties.

Electronic Structure and Hydrogen Desorption in NaAlH 4

Hydrogen is abundant, uniformly distributed throughout the Earths surface and its oxidation product (water) is environmentally benign. Owing to these features, it is considered as an ideal synthetic fuel for a new world energetic matrix (renewable, secure and environmentally friendly) that could allow a sustainable future development. However, for this prospect to become a reality, efficient ways to produce, transport and store hydrogen still need to be developed. In the present thesis, theoretical studies of a number of potential hydrogen storage materials have been performed using density functional theory. In NaAlH4 doped with 3d transition metals (TM), the hypothesis of the formation of Ti-Al intermetallic alloy as the main catalytic mechanism for the hydrogen sorption reaction is supported. The gateway hypothesis for the catalysis mechanism in TM-doped MgH2 is confirmed through the investigation of MgH2 nano-clusters. Thermodynamics of Li-Mg-N-H systems are analyzed with good agreement between theory and experiments. Besides chemical hydrides, the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have also been investigated. Li-decorated MOF-5 is demonstrated to possess enhanced hydrogen gas uptake properties with a theoretically predicted storage capacity of 2 wt% at 300 K and low pressure.The metal-hydrogen systems undergo many structural and electronic phase transitions induced by changes in pressure and/or temperature and/or H-concentration. It is important both from a fundamental and applied viewpoint to understand the underlying physics of these phenomena. Here, the pressure-induced structural phase transformations of NaBH4 and ErH3 were investigated. In the latter, an electronic transition is shown to accompany the structural modification. The electronic and optical properties of the low and high-pressure phases of crystalline MgH2 were calculated. The temperature-induced order-disorder transition in Li2NH is demonstrated to be triggered by Li sub-lattice melting. This result may contribute to a better understanding of the important solid-solid hydrogen storage reactions that involve this compound.