Interaction of Oxygen Molecules with Fe Atom-Doped γ-Graphyne Surfaces: First-Principles Calculations

The activation and dissociation of O₂ molecules play a key role in the oxidation of toxic gas molecules and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. The interactions between O₂ molecules and the surfaces of Fe-doped γ-graphyne were systematically explored, mainly adopting the combined method of the density functional theory with dispersion correction (DFT-D3) and the climbing image nudged elastic band (CI-NEB) method. The order of the formation energy values of these defective systems is <i>E_f</i>(<i>Fe_C</i>₂) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>Fe_C</i>₁) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>Fe_D</i>₁) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>V_C</i>₁) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>V_D</i>₁) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>V_C</i>₂) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>Fe_D</i>₂) < <i>E_f</i>(<i>V_D</i>₂), which indicates that the process of Fe dopant atoms substituting single-carbon atoms/double-carbon atoms is relatively easier than the formation of vacancy-like defects. The results of ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations confirm that the doped systems can maintain structural stability at room temperature conditions. Fe-doped atoms transfer a certain amount of electrons to the adsorbed O₂ molecules, thereby causing an increase in the O-O bond length of the adsorbed O₂ molecules. The electrons obtained by the anti-bonding 2π* orbitals of the adsorbed O₂ molecules are mainly derived from the 3d orbitals of Fe atoms. There is a competitive relationship between the substrate's carbon atoms and the adsorbed O₂ molecules for the charges transferred from Fe atoms. In the C1 and C2 systems, O₂ molecules have a greater advantage in electron accepting ability compared to the substrate's carbon atoms. The elongation of O-O bonds and the amount of charge transfer exhibit a positive relationship. More electrons are transferred from Fe-3d orbitals to adsorbed O₂ molecules, occupying the 2π* orbitals of adsorbed O₂ molecules, further elongating the O-O chemical bond until it breaks. The dissociation process of adsorbed O₂ molecules on the surfaces of GY-Fe systems (C2 and D2 sites) involves very low energy barriers (0.016 eV for C2 and 0.12 eV for D2). Thus, our studies may provide useful insights for designing catalyst materials for oxidation reactions and the oxygen reduction reaction.