najoNanosystems: Physics, Chemistry, MathematicsНаносистемы: физика, химия, математика2220-80542305-7971Университет ИТМО10.17586/2220-8054-2026-17-4-508-514najo-1913Research ArticleCHEMISTRY AND MATERIALS SCIENCEХИМИЯ И НАУКА О МАТЕРИАЛАХRole of electronic structure of vanadium oxide cluster in methanol oxidationРоль электронной структуры оксидного кластера ванадия на окисление метанолаhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0925-0749ПичугинаД. А.PichuginaD. A.

Daria Alexandrovna Pichugina – Professor, Doctor in Chemistry, Department of Chemistry

Leninskie gori, 1, str. 3, Moscow, 119991

dashapi@mail.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0007-7763-4844РомановскаяЮ. А.RomanovskayaYu. A.

Yulia Alexandrovna Romanovskaya – Graduate student, Department of Chemistry

Leninskie gori, 1, str. 3, Moscow, 119991

juliaromanovskaya96@gmail.comБандуристП. С.BanduristP. S.

Pavel Sergeevich Bandurist – Junior Research Fellow, Department of Chemistry

Leninskie gori, 1, str. 3, Moscow, 119991

banduristpavel@gmail.comLomonosov Moscow State UniversityRussian Federation202631082026174508514Copyright © Pichugina D.A., Romanovskaya Y.A., Bandurist P.S., 20262026Пичугина Д.А., Романовская Ю.А., Бандурист П.С.Pichugina D.A., Romanovskaya Y.A., Bandurist P.S.Данная работа распространяется под лицензией Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.https://nanojournal.ifmo.ru/jour/article/view/1913

To reveal the catalytic activity of neutral vanadium oxide nanoclusters in methanol (CH3OH) oxidation, quantum chemical simulation of methanol adsorption on V4O10 cluster and further oxidation to formaldehyde (CH2O) is performed at DFT PBE level. According to calculation, the cluster has a tetrahedral cage structure with four terminal V=O(t) and six bridging V–O(b)–V fragments. The reaction of methanol and V4O10 occurs through association and two abstraction stages sequentially. The role of the two oxygens O(t) and O(b) in these processes is shown to be different. Analysis of atomic charges and electron density in V4O10 allowed to explain the observed patterns and predict the reduction of the activation barrier of rate-determining step of (CH2O)V4O10H2 formation when the V4O10 has positive charge or titanium is introduced into the cluster’s structure.

Для объяснения каталитической активности нейтральных оксидных кластеров ванадия в окислении метанола (CH3OH) проведено квантово-химическое моделирование адсорбции метанола на кластере V4O10 и его дальнейшее окисление до формальдегида (CH2O) методом функционала плотности и функционалом PBE. Согласно проведенным расчетам, кластер имеет тетраэдрическую «клеточную» структуру с четырьмя терминальными V=O(t) и шестью мостиковыми V–O(b)–V фрагментами. Реакция метанола и V4O10 проходит по сложному механизму, включающему последовательные стадии ассоциации и дегидрирования. Показана различная роль в процессе двух кислородов O(t) и O(b). Анализ атомных зарядов и электронной плотности в V4O10 позволил нам объяснить полученные закономерности и предсказать снижение активационного барьера лимитирующей стадии образования (CH2O)V4O10H2 при наличии положительного заряда на кластере V4O10 или при введении в структуру кластера титана.

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The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest present.