Theoretical investigation of CO adsorption on Rhn (n = 3-13) clusters

The adsorption of CO onto Rhn (n = 3–13) clusters has been investigated using the density functional approach. Stable active sites for CO adsorption such as top, bridge, and hollow have been identified on these clusters. Our results show that CO mostly prefers the bridge or top site, except on the Rh4 and Rh11 clusters where it prefers hollow sites. Rh6 demonstrates two different active sites of almost equal energies for CO adsorption. Highly stable clusters show weak CO adsorption behavior. We also observe that the magnetic moment of the clusters is usually reduced after the CO adsorption. The preference of the active sites for CO adsorption has been analyzed using the charge density difference plots