A density functional theory study of CO oxidation on Pd-Ni alloy with sandwich structure Original Research Article

Density functional theory calculations are performed to study CO oxidations on pure Pd(1 1 1) surface as well as on its Ni alloy nanostructures. Our calculations demonstrate a dependency of catalytic properties to the Ni occupancy site in the alloys. Furthermore, our results also show that optimal compressive strain (around 5%) of the alloy maybe beneficial to lower the reaction barrier and a compressive strain beyond 7% induces a distortion on the surface that eliminate the adsorption site for the reacting species. Based on our results, we propose that the Pd-Ni alloy with sandwich structure could be a potential candidate identified for lowering the cost of Pd alloys in the catalysis of the CO oxidation reaction. This new structure illustrates a potential lowering in the CO oxidation barrier. Furthermore, our results also indicate that the partial replacement of cheaper Ni into the Pd catalyst should not adversely affect the catalytic property.