First-principles calculations based on spin density functional theory are performed to study the spin-resolved electronic properties of GaN doped with 6.25% of Cu. The Cu dopants are found spin polarized and the calculated band structures suggest a 100% polarization of the conduction carriers. The Cu-doped GaN favors ferromagnetic ground state which can be explained in terms of p-d hybridization mechanism, and a Curie temperature around 350 K can be expected. These results suggest that the Cu-doped GaN is a promising dilute magnetic semiconductor free of magnetic precipitates and may find applications in the field of spintronics.

A first-principles microkinetic model is developed to investigate the low-temperature ammonia-assisted selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) of NO over Cu-chabazite (Cu-CHA). The reaction proceeds over NH3-solvated Cu sites by the formation of H2NNO and HONO, which decompose to N2 and H2O over Brønsted acid sites. Nonselective N2O formation is considered by H2NNO decomposition over the Cu sites. The adsorption of NH3 at oxidized Cu sites is found to inhibit the reaction at low temperatures by hindering NO adsorption. For the reactions, we find positive reaction orders with respect to NO and O2, whereas the reaction order with respect to NH3 is negative. The reaction orders and the obtained apparent activation energy are in good agreement with experimental data. A degree of rate control analysis shows that NH3-SCR over a pair of Cu­(NH3)2 + is mainly controlled by NO adsorption below 200 °C, whereas the formation of HONO and H2NNO becomes controlling at higher temperatures. The successful formulation of a first-principles microkinetic model for NH3-SCR rationalizes previous phenomenological models and links the kinetic behavior with materials properties, which results in unprecedented insights into the function of Cu-CHA catalysts for NH3-SCR.

Pt/CeO2 single-atom catalysts have recently attracted increasing interest due to excellent thermal stability, high atom efficiency, and high activity in catalysis. In this study, by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we systematically compare the stability and CO oxidation reactivity of Pt single atoms supported on CeO2(111) (Pt/CeO2) and Ga-doped CeO2(111) (Pt/Ga–CeO2). It was found that the formation of an oxygen vacancy (OV) is very facile near a surface Ga-doping site (Pt/Ga–CeO2–OV). Significantly, the stability of Pt single atoms anchored on the Ga site was enhanced compared with those on the bare ceria surface. In addition, our DFT results suggest a CO oxidation mechanism on Pt/Ga–CeO2–OV that differs from that on Pt/CeO2. In particular, the OV site plays an important role in activating the oxygen molecule, which then reacts with CO preadsorbed on Pt. The calculated energy barrier on Pt/Ga–CeO2–OV is about 0.43 eV lower than that on the undoped catalyst, suggesting an enhanced reactivity for CO oxidation. Experiments on CO oxidation and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy are performed to corroborate the results obtained from the DFT calculations, and a good agreement is achieved. The combination between calculations and experiments sheds light on the influence of support doping on atomically dispersed Pt/CeO2 catalysts.

The mechanism for N2O formation over CHA and Cu-CHA zeolite catalysts during NH3-SCR is investigated using density functional theory calculations. Direct NH4NO3 decomposition, which is commonly regarded as the main source of N2O, is found to be associated with high barriers in the absence of Brønsted acid sites. Although Brønsted acid sites promote NH4NO3 decomposition, it is still a highly activated process. Low-temperature N2O formation is instead found to be connected with an NO + NH3 reaction over Cu-sites. In particular, N2O can be formed from H2NNO with a low barrier over Cu-OOH-Cu complexes, which are proposed intermediates in the catalytic cycle for NH3-SCR over Cu-CHA. This finding provides an explanation for the experimentally observed low-temperature N2O formation and the relation between Cu loading and N2O formation. The proposed mechanisms open up strategies to enhance the selectivity to N2 during NH3-SCR.

Exclusive Pt species supported on inert substrates have not achieved satisfactory performance for cryogenic CO oxidation because of the constraint of the competitive Langmuir–Hinshelwood process in which the strongly adsorbed CO inhibits the activation of O2. Here, we develop a catalyst of Pt nanoparticles on Al2O3 that exhibits extremely high activity with 100% CO conversion at −20 °C and orders of magnitude higher specific rate than current commercial catalysts. Detailed catalyst characterizations reveal the presence of metallic Pt sites and positively charged ones associated with the OH species in Pt/Al2O3. Both experimental data and theoretical calculations suggest that CO adsorbed on Pt­(OH) kink sites reacts with OH species covering Pt0 terrace sites to release CO2. Afterward, O2 is facilely activated on terrace sites to regenerate OH. The presence of OH species and the synergy between Pt kink and terrace sites on the Pt species lead to an ultralow reaction barrier for CO oxidation.