Abstract: In this paper the various elementary plasma—surface interaction processes occurring in plasma catalysis are critically evaluated. Specifically, plasma catalysis at atmospheric pressure is considered. The importance of the various processes is analyzed for the most common plasma catalysis sources, viz. the dielectric barrier discharge and the gliding arc. The role and importance of surface chemical reactions (including adsorption, surface-mediated association and dissociation reactions, and desorption), plasma-induced surface modification, photocatalyst activation, heating, charging, surface discharge formation and electric field enhancement are discussed in the context of plasma catalysis. Numerous examples are provided to demonstrate the importance of the various processes.

Abstract: There is currently a growing interest in the realisation and optimization of hybrid plasma/catalyst systems for a multitude of applications, ranging from nanotechnology to environmental chemistry. In spite of this interest, there is, however, a lack in fundamental understanding of the underlying processes in such systems. While a lot of experimental research is already being carried out to gain this understanding, only recently the first simulations have appeared in the literature. In this contribution, an overview is presented on atomic scale simulations of plasma catalytic processes as carried out in our group. In particular, this contribution focusses on plasma-assisted catalyzed carbon nanostructure growth, and plasma catalysis for greenhouse gas conversion. Attention is paid to what can routinely be done, and where challenges persist.

Abstract: The catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons is an industrially important process, in which selectivity is a key issue. We here investigate the conversion of methanol to formaldehyde on a vanadia surface employing long timescale simulations, reaching a time scale of seconds. In particular, we compare the thermal process to the case where an additional external electric field is applied, as would be the case in a direct plasma-catalysis setup. We find that the electric field influences the retention time of the molecules at the catalyst surface. These simulations provide an atomic scale insight in the thermal catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation process, and in how an external electric field may affect this process.

Abstract: The interaction of thermal and hyperthermal Ni ions with gas-phase C60 fullerene was investigated at two temperatures with classical molecular dynamics simulations using a recently developed interatomic many-body potential. The interaction between Ni and C60 is characterized in terms of the NiC60 binding sites, complex formation, and the collision and temperature induced deformation of the C60 cage structure. The simulations show how ion implantation theoretically allows the synthesis of both endohedral Ni@C60 and exohedral NiC60 metallofullerene complexes.

Abstract: The possibility of application of nanomaterials is determined by our ability to control the properties of the materials, which are ultimately determined by their structure and hence their growth processes. We employ hybrid molecular dynamics / Monte Carlo (MD/MC) simulations to explore the growth of SWNTs and graphene on nickel as a catalyst, with the specific goal of unraveling the growth mechanisms. While the general observations are in agreement with the literature, we find a number of interesting phenomena to be operative which are crucial for the growth, and which are not accessible by MD simulations alone due to the associated time scale. Specifically, we observe metal mediated healing and restructuring processes to take place, reorganizing the carbon network during the initial nucleation step. In the case of carbon nanotube growth, this leads to the growth of tubes with a determinable chirality. In the case of graphene formation, we find that graphene is only formed at temperatures above 700 K. These results are of importance for understanding the growth mechanisms of these carbon nanomaterials on the fundamental level.

Abstract: Plasma catalysis holds great promise for environmental applications, provided that the process viability can be maximized in terms of energy efficiency and product selectivity. This requires a fundamental understanding of the various processes taking place and especially the mutual interactions between plasma and catalyst. In this review, we therefore first examine the various effects of the plasma on the catalyst and of the catalyst on the plasma that have been described in the literature. Most of these studies are purely experimental. The urgently needed fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underpinning plasma catalysis, however, may also be obtained through modelling and simulation. Therefore, we also provide here an overview of the modelling efforts that have been developed already, on both the atomistic and the macroscale, and we identify the data that can be obtained with these models to illustrate how modelling and simulation may contribute to this field. Last but not least, we also identify future modelling opportunities to obtain a more complete understanding of the various underlying plasma catalytic effects, which is needed to provide a comprehensive picture of plasma catalysis.

Abstract: Using reactive molecular dynamics simulations, we have investigated the effect of single-impact, low-energy (thermal-100 eV) bombardment of a Si(100){2 × 1} surface by atomic and molecular oxygen. Penetration probability distributions, as well as defect formation distributions, are presented as a function of the impact energy for both species. It is found that at low impact energy, defects are created chemically due to the chemisorption process in the top layers of the surface, while at high impact energy, additional defects are created by a knock-on displacement of Si. These results are of particular importance for understanding device performances of silica-based microelectronic and photovoltaic devices.

Abstract: Structural defects inevitably appear during the nucleation event that determines the structure and properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes. By combining ion bombardment experiments with atomistic simulations we reveal that ion bombardment in a suitable energy range allows these defects to be healed resulting in an enhanced nucleation of the carbon nanotube cap. The enhanced growth of the nanotube cap is explained by a nonthermal ion-induced graphene network restructuring mechanism.

Abstract: Metal-catalyzed growth mechanisms of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied by hybrid molecular dynamics−Monte Carlo simulations using a recently developed ReaxFF reactive force field. Using this novel approach, including relaxation effects, a CNT with definable chirality is obtained, and a step-by-step atomistic description of the nucleation process is presented. Both root and tip growth mechanisms are observed. The importance of the relaxation of the network is highlighted by the observed healing of defects.

Abstract: The growth mechanism and chirality formation of a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) on a surface-bound nickel nanocluster are investigated by hybrid reactive molecular dynamics/force-biased Monte Carlo simulations. The validity of the interatomic potential used, the so-called ReaxFF potential, for simulating catalytic SWNT growth is demonstrated. The SWNT growth process was found to be in agreement with previous studies and observed to proceed through a number of distinct steps, viz., the dissolution of carbon in the metallic particle, the surface segregation of carbon with the formation of aggregated carbon clusters on the surface, the formation of graphitic islands that grow into SWNT caps, and finally continued growth of the SWNT. Moreover, it is clearly illustrated in the present study that during the growth process, the carbon network is continuously restructured by a metal-mediated process, thereby healing many topological defects. It is also found that a cap can nucleate and disappear again, which was not observed in previous simulations. Encapsulation of the nanoparticle is observed to be prevented by the carbon network migrating as a whole over the cluster surface. Finally, for the first time, the chirality of the growing SWNT cap is observed to change from (11,0) over (9,3) to (7,7). It is demonstrated that this change in chirality is due to the metal-mediated restructuring process.

Abstract: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are nowadays routinely grown in a thermal CVD setup. State-of-the-art plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) growth, however, offers advantages over thermal CVD. A lower growth temperature and the growth of aligned freestanding single-walled CNTs (SWNTs) makes the technique very attractive. The atomic scale growth mechanisms of PECVD CNT growth, however, remain currently entirely unexplored. In this contribution, we employed molecular dynamics simulations to focus on the effect of applying an electric field on the SWNT growth process, as one of the effects coming into play in PECVD. Using sufficiently strong fields results in (a) alignment of the growing SWNTs, (b) a better ordering of the carbon network, and (c) a higher growth rate relative to thermal growth rate. We suggest that these effects are due to the small charge transfer occurring in the Ni/C system. These simulations constitute the first study of PECVD growth of SWNTs on the atomic level.

Abstract: The configuration interaction method is used to obtain the magneto-optical absorption spectrum of a few-electron (Ne=1,2,,5) quantum dot containing a single magnetic ion. We find that the IR spectrum (the position, the number, and the oscillator strength of the cyclotron resonance peaks) depends on the strength of the Coulomb interaction, the number of electrons, and the position of the magnetic ion. We find that the Kohn theorem is no longer valid as a consequence of the electron-spin-magnetic-ion-spin-exchange interaction.

Abstract: This study assessed an alternative concept for co-treatment of sewage and organic kitchen waste in Vietnam. The goal was to apply direct membrane filtration for sewage treatment to generate a permeate that is suitable for discharge. The obtained chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations in the permeate of ultrafiltration tests were indeed under the limit value (50 mg/L) of the local municipal discharge standards. The COD of the concentrate was 5.4 times higher than that of the initial feed. These concentrated organics were then co-digested with organic kitchen wastes at an organic loading rate of 2.0 kg VS/m(3).d. The volumetric biogas production of the digester was 1.94 +/- 0.34 m(3)/m(3).d. The recovered carbon, in terms of methane gas, accounted for 50% of the total carbon input of the integrated system. Consequently, an electrical production of 64 Wh/capita/d can be obtained when applying the proposed technology with the current wastes generated in Ho Chi Minh City. Thus, it is an approach with great potential in terms of energy recovery and waste treatment.