Enhancing 4-propylheptane dissociation with nickel nanocluster based on molecular dynamics simulations

Abstract

In the present work, a 0.4nm nickel cluster has been theoretically studied. Its equilibrium structural parameters have been calculated by the DFT method based on the PBEH1PBE hybrid functional and split-valence basis set Lanl2DZ including effective core potentials. We have systematically considered diverse spin states of this cluster and find out its ground state. The relative stability of these states depends on the HOMO-LUMO gap. The interaction of the Ni₆ with 4-propylheptane С₁₀Н₂₂ has been studied to simulate the process of catalytic cracking of hydrocarbons. The optimization of this structure has been performed by the ωPBE/Lanl2DZ_ecp method (the TeraChem V.1.9 program package) with no symmetry restrictions; the electron shells of the metal were described by effective core pseudopotentials. For visualization and quantitative estimation of the bonding bonds between the nickel nanocluster and 4-propylheptane, the analysis of weak interactions based on RGD has been performed. To confirm the proposition about the formation of Ni-H bonds, we have scrutinized critical points of electronic density. Values of laplasian of electronic density and Bader atomic charge distribution in the global minimum of the total energy have been estimated by the AIMAll 15.05.18 program suite. Finally, we have simulated interaction of Ni₆ with 4-propylheptane in terms of the Born-Oppenheimer ab initio molecular dynamics. The results of the molecular dynamics simulation provide pair radial distribution function CH at 1500°C and a detailed picture of the processes occurring in the system.

Keywords: Ab initio molecular dynamics; Atoms in molecule; Density functional theory; HOMO/LUMO-gap; Hybrid exchangecorrelation functionals; Molecular orbitals; Small metallic clusters.