Theoretical study on the Si-doped graphene as an efficient metal-free catalyst for CO oxidation

Abstract

Abstract The reduction of noble metal used in carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation remains a challenge. Based on the first-principle methods, the geometry, electronic structure and catalytic properties of Si-doped graphene (Si-graphene) are investigated. The Si adatom has smaller adsorption energy on pristine graphene as compared with that of the Si dopant in graphene. The large atomic radii of Si dopant in graphene can induce the local surface curvature and modulate the electronic structure through inducing the charge redistribution. Besides, the metal-free Si-graphene can weaken the CO adsorption and facilitates the O2 adsorption, thus enhancing the catalytic activity for CO oxidation. It is found that the preadsorbed O2 molecule on the Si-atom can greatly enhance the interaction with CO molecule. Moreover, the complete CO oxidation reactions on the Si-graphene include a two-step process of the Eley–Rideal (ER) reactions, in which the first step has a low energy barrier of 0.43 eV and the second step exhibits an even negligible energy barrier of 0.07 eV. The results validate the reactivity of catalysts on the atomic-scale and initiate a clue for fabricating metal-free catalysts with low cost and high activity.