Tungsten-Embedded Graphene: Theoretical Study on a Potential High-Activity Catalyst toward CO Oxidation.

The oxidation mechanism of CO on W-embedded graphene was investigated by M06-2X density functional theory. Two models of tungsten atom embedded in single and double vacancy (W-SV and W-DV) graphene sheets were considered. It was found that over W-SV-graphene and W-DV-graphene, the oxidation of CO prefers to Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) and Eley-Rideal (ER) mechanism, respectively. The two surfaces exhibit different catalytic activity during different reaction stages. The present results imply that W-embedded graphene is a promising catalyst for CO oxidation, which provides a useful reference for the design of a high-efficiency catalyst in detecting and removing of toxic gases.