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Surface Charge Effects for the Hydrogen Evolution Reaction on Pt(111) Using a Modified Grand-Canonical Potential
Shaoyu Kong1, Min Ouyang1, Yi An1
1Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Vacuum Coating Technologies and New Energy Materials, Department of Physics, College of Physics & Optoelectronic Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Surface charges significantly impact catalyst performance in electrochemical reactions. This study introduces a modified grand-canonical potential kinetics (GCP-K) method to accurately analyze these effects on reaction thermodynamics and kinetics.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Computational Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Surface charges critically influence catalyst thermodynamics and kinetics.
- Existing methods often overlook the dynamic nature of surface charge during reactions.
- Accurate modeling requires accounting for charge exchange with the environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a modified grand-canonical potential kinetics (GCP-K) method.
- To investigate the impact of surface charges on reaction energetics and kinetics.
- To provide a practical approach for analyzing charge-induced changes in catalysis.
Main Methods:
- Density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
- Modified grand-canonical potential kinetics (GCP-K) method.
- Analysis of surface charge dynamics during the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt(111).
Main Results:
- The optimal hydrogen adsorption energy on Pt(111) under standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) conditions is found to be approximately -0.2 eV, differing from canonical ensemble predictions.
- The modified GCP-K method accurately predicts the Tafel barrier for HER, aligning with experimental data.
- Electron inflow during the Tafel reaction stabilizes canonical energy while destabilizing the grand-canonical component.
Conclusions:
- The modified GCP-K method offers a practical approach for accurate grand-canonical reaction energetics.
- Understanding and modeling surface charge dynamics is crucial for designing efficient catalysts.
- This work provides insights into charge-dependent catalytic mechanisms.
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