First-principles study of hydrogen sulfide decomposition on Sc-Ti3C2O2 single-atom catalyst.

ABSTRACT

CONTEXT Hydrogen sulfide gas poses significant risks to both human health and the environment, with the potential to induce respiratory and neurological effects, and a heightened fatality risk at elevated concentrations. This article investigates the catalytic decomposition of H2S on a Sc-Ti3C2O2 single-atom catalyst(SAC) using the density functional theory-based first-principles calculation approach. Initially, the adsorption behavior of H2S on Ti3C2O2-MXene was examined, revealing weak physical adsorption between them. Subsequently, the transition metal atom Sc was introduced to the Ti3C2O2 surface, and its stability was studied, demonstrating high stability. Further exploration of H2S adsorption on Sc-Ti3C2O2 revealed direct dissociation of H2S gas molecules into HS* and H*, with HS* binding to Sc and H* binding to O on the Ti3C2O2 surface, resulting in OH groups. Using the transition state search method, the dissociation of H2S molecules on the SAC's surface was investigated, revealing a potential barrier of 2.45 eV for HS* dissociation. This indicates that the H2S molecule can be dissociated into H2 and S with the action of the Sc-Ti3C2O2 SAC. Moreover, the S atom left on the catalyst surface can aggregate to produce elemental S8, desorbing on the catalyst surface, completing the catalytic cycle. Consequently, the Sc-Ti3C2O2 SAC is poised to be an efficient catalyst for the catalytic decomposition of H2S. METHODS: The Dmol3 module in Materials Studio software based on density functional theory is used in this study. The generalized gradient approximation method GGA-PBE is used for the exchange-correlation function. The complete LST/QST and the NEB methods in the Dmol3 module were used to study the minimum energy path of the dissociation of hydrogen sulfide molecules on the catalyst surface.