First-Principles Study of Atomic Hydrogen and Oxygen Adsorption on Doped-Iron Nanoclusters

Density functional theory calculations have been used to calculate the ground state structure and oxygen and hydrogen adsorption properties of the pure and doped-iron nanoclusters. Small atomic clusters containing two to six atoms have been considered and a single Fe atom has replaced by a minor element i.e. Zr, Ti, and Sc. Doping of a minor element increases the cluster stability and octahedron Fe₅Zr is the most stable structure within this study. Zr- and Sc-doped clusters have the highest oxygen and hydrogen adsorption energy. The electronic structure shows a strong hybridization between the metal 3d and oxygen 2p orbitals with a small contribution from metal 4s and 3p orbitals. Additionally, H s and metal 4s states form a new peak below the Fermi energy and a small modification is observed for 3d orbitals near the Fermi level. A small amount of Zr- and Sc-doping into the Fe-based alloys might improve the oxide film adherence.