In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde mit Hilfe von Embedded-Cluster-Simulationen die Struktur einiger typischer Defektzentren des technologisch vielversprechenden Perowskitkristalls BaTiO3 untersucht. Embedded-Cluster-Simulationen bestehen aus einer quantenmechanischen ab-initio Beschreibung eines begrenzten Cluster-Bereiches aus ca. 20-30 Ionen entweder in Hartree-Fock-Theorie oder in Dichtefunktionaltheorie. Zur Simulation der Kristallumgebung wird der Cluster in ein mit klassischen Potentialmethoden beschriebenes Punktladungsfeld eingebettet. Zur Erfassung elektronischer Polarisierungsanteile bietet sich hierfür das Schalenmodell an. Zunächst wurde das Verfahren auf das experimentell gut bekannte Ti3+-Jahn-Teller-Polaron angewendet. Es ergab sich eine gute Übereinstimmung mit den Resultaten aus vorherigen Elektronenspinresonanz-Untersuchungen. Der Energiegewinn durch die Ankopplung an die totalsymmetrische Atmungsmode des Gitters und durch den zusätzlichen symmetriereduzierenden Jahn-Teller-Effekt sowie der Vergleich mit dem Energiegewinn durch Bandbildung ergab eine geringfügige Begünstigung des polaronischen Zustands von ca. 0.1-0.2 eV. Ebenso konnte gezeigt werden, daß die dem Jahn-Teller-Polaron zuzuordnende Ladungsdichte auf mehrere benachbarte Titan-Ionen delokalisiert ist (intermediäres Polaron). Nach einer Reduktionsbehandlung werden in der ESR weitere axiale Zentren mit Ti3+-Charakter beobachtet, die bisher durch den Elektroneneinfang an einem Ti4+-Ion in der Nachbarschaft von Sauerstoff-Leerstellen (Ti3+-VO) interpretiert wurden. Aus den beobachteten g-Werten wird weiterhin ein Orbital mit t2-Symmetrie gefolgert. In Embedded-Cluster-Simulationen wird dagegen für das Ti3+-VO-Zentrum ein elektronischer Grundzustand mit e-Symmetrie gefunden. Auch eine aus der ESR vermutete Anlagerung von Akzeptoren führte nicht zu einem t2-artigen Grundzustand. Als Modell, welches mit der ESR kompatibel ist, wurde dagegen ein Elektroneneinfang in der Nachbarschaft von Akzeptoren ohne die Annahme einer VO gefunden (Ti3+-O2--A+). Im Rahmen von Schalenmodellrechnungen wurde die tendenzielle Möglichkeit der Stabilität solch einer Konfiguration gezeigt und in Embedded-Cluster-Simulationen die Jahn-Teller-Aufspaltung berechnet, die in guter Übereinstimmung mit den in der ESR gefundenen liegt. Der Grund, weshalb der theoretisch erwartete Elektroneneinfang in e-Symmetrie in der Nachbarschaft einer VO in der ESR nicht beobachtet wird, wird in einem Einfang von zwei Elektronen an der VO vermutet. In der Simulation dieses sogenannten Bipolarons ergab sich durch die Ankopplung an das äußere Gitter eine deutliche Reduktion der effektiven Elektron-Elektron Wechselwirkung auf einige Zehntel eV, so daß in weitergehenden Rechnungen mit einem größeren Cluster und einem besseren Basissatz eine Bipolaronen-Bildung möglich erscheint. / In this thesis several typical defect centres in the technologically important perovskite BaTiO3 have been analysed using the embedded-cluster approach. The embedded-cluster-approach consists of a quantum mechanical simulation of an inner cluster region of about 20-30 atoms or ions either with the Hartree-Fock theory or with the Density-Functional theory. The simulation of the crystal environment is realized by embedding the cluster in a point-charge field which is treated by means of classical potential methods. In order to take electronic polarization effects into account the shell-model is used. At first we simulated the experimentally well-known Ti3+ - Jahn-Teller polaron. A good agreement with previous EPR measurements has been found. The energy gained by coupling to the breathing-mode of the surrounding lattice and by the additional symmetry-reducing Jahn-Teller effect in comparison with the energy gain related to delocalization showed a small preference of the polaronic state of 0.1-0.2 eV. In addition a slight delocalization of the polaronic charge over several neighbouring Ti-ions was found (intermediate polaron). After a reduction treatment further axial centres of Ti3+-type were found with EPR, which have been interpreted as an electron capture at a Ti-ion near an oxygen vacancy (Ti3+-VO). Because of the measured g-values the polaronic orbital was expected to have t2-like symmetry. In contrast, the embedded cluster simulations revealed a ground-state with e-character. Even an electron trapping near a repulsive acceptor (Ti3+-VO - A+) did not have the proposed t2 ground state symmetry. In agreement with the experimental expectations, we suggest a model consisting of an electron with t2 symmetry captured near an acceptor without taking into account an oxygen vacancy (Ti3+-O2--A+). Using shell-model calculations the stability of such a complex could be shown. In embedded cluster simulations the Jahn-Teller splittings were found to be in good agreement with the experimentally observed ones. A possible explanation for the non-observability of the theoretically proposed Ti-centres with e-symmetry near the oxygen vacancy could be the existence of neutral vacancies, i.e. capture of two electrons near the vacancy. In simulations of this so called bipolaron we showed that the effective electron-electron interaction is effectively reduced by coupling to the crystal lattice to some tenths of eV, so that a stable bipolaronic state seems to be possible. Further calculations with a larger cluster and a larger basis set need to be done in the future.

Physisorption of CO and N2O on surfaces of ceria (CeO2) was investigated by means of high-level quantum-mechanical embedded cluster calculations. Both systems have high relevance in the field of environmental chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis. The CO/CeO2 system, has been investigated in a couple of both experimental and theoretical studies, but for the N2O/CeO2 system, this is the first study in the literature, experimental or theoretical. In physisorption, the interaction relies entirely on classical electrostatic interactions and electron dispersion forces. No covalent bond is formed between the molecule and the surface. A proper description of the dispersion requires some of the most accurate quantum-mechanical methods available, such as MP2 or CCSD(T). Moreover, even the most sophisticated methods cannot heal errors anywhere else in the theoretical treatment. Standard periodic models cannot be used with methods such as CCSD(T), but embedded cluster models can, and have been thoroughly explored in this thesis. In this thesis, embedded cluster models were constructed for the CeO2(110) and (111) surfaces. Using a range of assessment tests, it was verified that the electronic structure of the central region of a large and fully embedded surface cluster agrees well with the corresponding region in a periodic system. CO physisorption was investigated at the CCSD(T) level. Due to the prohibitively large expenses (in computer time) for standard CCSD(T) calculations, the method of increments, previously used in the literature for bulk systems, was extended to adsorption problems. It was found that, electron correlation contributes by 30 - 80% to the molecule-surface interaction and that the contribution depends on the topology of the surface. The calculated CO-ceria interaction energy is 20 kJ/mol for the (111) surface and 27 kJ/mol for the (110) surface. In low temperature TPD experiments for the N2O/CeO2(111) system, one surface species was found with an adsorption energy of about 29 kJ/mol. IR measurements showed stretching frequencies that are typically assigned to N2O adsorption with the O-end directed towards surface cations. However, theoretical calculations up to the MP2 level predicted two equally favorable adsorption species. Improvements in the structural model (larger clusters, consideration of molecule-induced relaxation) or the computational method (larger basis sets) did not affect this result. Only at the CCSD(T) level was one dominating surface species found, namely N2O adsorbed over a Ce ion, with the O-end of the molecule directed towards the surface. The calculated stretching vibrational frequency shifts (with respect to the gas phase) for this adsorbed species agree well with the measured IR spectra.

<p>The development and improvement of the functionality of metal oxides in heterogeneous catalysis and other surface chemical processes can greatly benefit from an atomic-level understanding of the surface chemistry. Atomistic calculations such as quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide highly detailed information about the atomic and electronic structure, and constitute valuable complements to experimental surface science techniques. </p><p>In this thesis, an embedded-cluster approach for quantum mechanical calculations has been developed to model the surface chemistry of metal oxides. In particular, CO adsorption on the MgO(001) and CeO₂(110) surfaces as well as O vacancy formation at the CeO₂(110) surface have been investigated. The cluster model has been thoroughly tested by comparison with electronic structure calculations for the periodic slab model.</p><p>The chemical implications of distorted surface structures arising from the surface dynamics have been investigated by combining the QM embedded-cluster calculations with force-field based MD simulations. Here QM embedded-cluster calculations were performed using surface structures sampled from the MD simulations.</p><p>This combined MD+QM embedded-cluster procedure was applied to the CO adsorption on MgO(001) at 50 K and the O vacancy formation on CeO₂(110) at 300 K. Significant thermal variations of the CO adsorption energy and the O vacancy formation energy were observed. It was found that these variations could be estimated using the force field of the MD simulation as an interaction model. With this approach, the QM results were extrapolated to higher temperature and doped systems.</p>

The development and improvement of the functionality of metal oxides in heterogeneous catalysis and other surface chemical processes can greatly benefit from an atomic-level understanding of the surface chemistry. Atomistic calculations such as quantum mechanical (QM) calculations and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations can provide highly detailed information about the atomic and electronic structure, and constitute valuable complements to experimental surface science techniques. In this thesis, an embedded-cluster approach for quantum mechanical calculations has been developed to model the surface chemistry of metal oxides. In particular, CO adsorption on the MgO(001) and CeO2(110) surfaces as well as O vacancy formation at the CeO2(110) surface have been investigated. The cluster model has been thoroughly tested by comparison with electronic structure calculations for the periodic slab model. The chemical implications of distorted surface structures arising from the surface dynamics have been investigated by combining the QM embedded-cluster calculations with force-field based MD simulations. Here QM embedded-cluster calculations were performed using surface structures sampled from the MD simulations. This combined MD+QM embedded-cluster procedure was applied to the CO adsorption on MgO(001) at 50 K and the O vacancy formation on CeO2(110) at 300 K. Significant thermal variations of the CO adsorption energy and the O vacancy formation energy were observed. It was found that these variations could be estimated using the force field of the MD simulation as an interaction model. With this approach, the QM results were extrapolated to higher temperature and doped systems.