From Electronic Structure to Catalytic Activity: A Single Descriptor for Adsorption and Reactivity on Transition-Metal Carbides

Adsorption and catalytic properties of the polar (111) surface of transition-metal carbides (TMC's) are investigated by density-functional theory. Atomic and molecular adsorption are rationalized with the concerted-coupling model, in which two types of TMC surface resonances (SR's) play key roles. The transition-metal derived SR is found to be a single measurable descriptor for the adsorption processes, implying that the Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi relation and scaling relations apply. This gives a picture with implications for ligand and vacancy effects and which has a potential for a broad screening procedure for heterogeneous catalysts.