A Molecular View of Methane Activation on Ni(111) through Enhanced Sampling and Machine Learning

A combination of machine learned interatomic potentials (MLIPs) and enhanced sampling simulations is used to investigate the activation of methane on a Ni(111) surface. The work entails the development and iterative refinement of MLIPs, initially trained on a data set constructed via <i>ab initio</i> molecular dynamics simulations, supplemented by adaptive biasing forces, to enrich the sampling of catalytically relevant configurations. Our results reveal that upon incorporation of collective variables that capture the behavior of the reactant molecule, as well as additional frames that describe the dynamic response of the catalytic surface, it is possible to enhance considerably the accuracy of predicted energies and forces. By employing enhanced sampling schemes in the refinement of the MLIP, we systematically explore the potential energy surface, leading to a refined MLIP capable of predicting density functional theory-level energies and forces and replicating key geometric characteristics of the catalytic system. The resulting free energy landscapes at several temperatures provide a detailed view of the thermodynamics and dynamics of methane activation. Specifically, as methane approaches and dissociates on the catalytic surface, the process involves the dynamic interplay of CH₄ and the Ni catalyst that includes both enthalpic and entropic contributions. The progression toward the transition state involves a CH₄ moiety that is increasingly restrained in its ability to rotate or translate, while the stage following the transition state is characterized by a notable rise of the Ni atom that interacts with the cleaved C-H bond. This leads to an increase in the mobility of the adsorbed species, a feature that becomes more pronounced at higher temperatures.