Al or Si decorated graphene-oxide: A promising material for capture and activation of ethylene and acetylene

In this work, quantum chemical calculations are performed to compare adsorption behavior of ethylene and acetylene molecules over Al- or Si-decorated graphene oxide (Al/Si-GO). The corresponding adsorption energies, geometrical parameters and net charge-transfer values are calculated using the dispersion-corrected DFT calculations. The obtained large adsorption energies of the Al and Si atoms over GO suggest that both Al-GO and Si-GO are stable enough to be used as a stable substrate to capture and activate ethylene or acetylene. The results show that the adsorption of C2H4 or C2H2 on Al-GO is more favorable than over Si-GO surface, mainly due to the orbital interactions between the adsorbate and surface. Also, the DFT calculations reveal that the interaction of C2H2 with both surfaces is stronger than that of C2H4. Our findings are applicable for future theoretical and experimental studies about the interaction of hydrocarbons with light metal decorated graphene-based materials as well as heterogeneous catalysis.