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

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.