Density-functional theory with screened van der Waals interactions applied to atomic and molecular adsorbates on close-packed and non-close-packed surfaces

in Physical Review. B (2016), 93(3),

Modeling the adsorption of atoms and molecules on surfaces requires efficient electronic-structure methods that are able to capture both covalent and noncovalent interactions in a reliable manner. In ... [more ▼]

Modeling the adsorption of atoms and molecules on surfaces requires efficient electronic-structure methods that are able to capture both covalent and noncovalent interactions in a reliable manner. In order to tackle this problem, we have developed a method within density-functional theory (DFT) to model screened van der Waals interactions (vdW) for atoms and molecules on surfaces (the so-called DFT+vdW(surf) method). The relatively high accuracy of the DFT+vdW(surf) method in the calculation of both adsorption distances and energies, as well as the high degree of its reliability across a wide range of adsorbates, indicates the importance of the collective electronic effects within the extended substrate for the calculation of the vdW energy tail. We examine in detail the theoretical background of the method and assess its performance for adsorption phenomena including the physisorption of Xe on selected close-packed transition metal surfaces and 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA) on Au(111). We also address the performance of DFT+vdW(surf) in the case of non-close-packed surfaces by studying the adsorption of Xe on Cu(110) and the interfaces formed by the adsorption of a PTCDA monolayer on the Ag(111), Ag(100), and Ag(110) surfaces. We conclude by discussing outstanding challenges in the modeling of vdW interactions for studying atomic and molecular adsorbates on inorganic substrates. [less ▲]

Non-additivity of molecule-surface van der Waals potentials from force measurements

in NATURE COMMUNICATIONS (2014), 5

Van der Waals (vdW) forces act ubiquitously in condensed matter. Despite being weak on an atomic level, they substantially influence molecular and biological systems due to their long range and system ... [more ▼]

Van der Waals (vdW) forces act ubiquitously in condensed matter. Despite being weak on an atomic level, they substantially influence molecular and biological systems due to their long range and system-size scaling. The difficulty to isolate and measure vdW forces on a single-molecule level causes our present understanding to be strongly theory based. Here we show measurements of the attractive potential between differently sized organic molecules and a metal surface using an atomic force microscope. Our choice of molecules and the large molecule-surface separation cause this attraction to be purely of vdW type. The experiment allows testing the asymptotic vdW force law and its validity range. We find a superlinear growth of the vdW attraction with molecular size, originating from the increased deconfinement of electrons in the molecules. Because such non-additive vdW contributions are not accounted for in most first-principles or empirical calculations, we suggest further development in that direction. [less ▲]

Structure and energetics of benzene adsorbed on transition-metal surfaces: density-functional theory with van der Waals interactions including collective substrate response

in NEW JOURNAL OF PHYSICS (2013), 15

The adsorption of benzene on metal surfaces is an important benchmark system for hybrid inorganic/organic interfaces. The reliable determination of the interface geometry and binding energy presents a ... [more ▼]

The adsorption of benzene on metal surfaces is an important benchmark system for hybrid inorganic/organic interfaces. The reliable determination of the interface geometry and binding energy presents a significant challenge for both theory and experiment. Using the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE), PBE+vdW (van der Waals) and the recently developed PBE+vdW(surf) (density-functional theory with vdW interactions that include the collective electronic response of the substrate) methods, we calculated the structures and energetics for benzene on transition-metal surfaces: Cu, Ag, Au, Pd, Pt, Rh and Ir. Our calculations demonstrate that vdW interactions increase the binding energy by more than 0.70 eV for physisorbed systems (Cu, Ag and Au) and by an even larger amount for strongly bound systems (Pd, Pt, Rh and Ir). The collective response of the substrate electrons captured via the vdW(surf) method plays a significant role for most substrates shortening the equilibrium distance by 0.25 angstrom for Cu and decreasing the binding energy by 0.27 eV for Rh. The reliability of our results is assessed by comparison with calculations using the random-phase approximation including renormalized single excitations and the experimental data from temperature-programmed desorption microcalorimetry measurements and low-energy electron diffraction. [less ▲]