Hydrogen dissociation on small aluminum clusters

Transition states and reaction paths for a hydrogen molecule dissociating on small aluminum clusters have been calculated using density functional theory. The two lowest spin states have been taken into account for all the Al-n clusters considered, with n=2-6. The aluminum dimer, which shows a (3)Pi(u) electronic ground state, has also been studied at the coupled cluster and configuration interaction level for comparison and to check the accuracy of single determinant calculations in this special case, where two degenerate configurations should be taken into account. The calculated reaction barriers give an explanation of the experimentally observed reactivity of hydrogen on Al clusters of different size [Cox et al., J. Chem. Phys. 84, 4651 (1986)] and reproduce the high observed reactivity of the Al-6 cluster. The electronic structure of the Al-n-H-2 systems was also systematically investigated in order to determine the role played by interactions of specific molecular orbitals for different nuclear arrangements. Singlet Al-n clusters (with n even) exhibit the lowest barriers to H-2 dissociation because their highest doubly occupied molecular orbitals allow for a more favorable interaction with the antibonding sigma(u) molecular orbital of H-2. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3502493]