Metal-organic coordination networks on a titanium carbide MXene: DFT based grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation

The self-assembly of 2D metal-organic networks comprising 1,3,5-tris (pyridyl)benzene (TPyB) molecules and copper atoms on the oxygen-terminated titanium carbide MXene surface was theoretically investigated. We have developed a lattice model of the TPyB-Cu networks on the energetically heterogeneous Ti2CO2(0001) surface. The model based on DFT calculations of the structure and energy of key adsorption complexes and metal-organic structures. Using the grand canonical Monte Carlo method, we have calculated and analyzed adsorption isotherms, structure, potential energy, and heat capacity of the adlayer. Due to steric hindrances in the three-fold Cu-TPyB junction, metal-organic structures consisting of only two-fold Cu-TPyB coordination motifs predominantly emerge on the Ti2CO2(0001) surface: honeycomb (HON), honeycomb filled with Cu3TPyB (HON + Cu3TPyB) and zigzag (ZZ) phases. These phases differ in the local environment of the copper adatoms. Thermal stability of the phases decreases in the following series: ZZ, HON + Cu3TPyB and HON. Self-assembly of these structures offers the opportunity to stabilize and "tune" properties of the single-atom Cu/Ti2CO2(0001) catalyst. We hope that our results will stimulate further experimental studies of hybrid metal-organic network/MXene catalysts.