Study on specific adsorption state of 2-cyanopyridine on CeO₂(111)

Abstract

2-Cyanopyridine (2CP) + CeO₂ is highly active as a strong base catalyst. According to DFT calculations, it is considered that negative charge on the cyano group of 2CP increases when it is adsorbed on the surface of CeO₂, and that it becomes a strongly basic site. In this research, XPS measurements of CeO₂(111) surfaces were performed under the presence of 2CP gas. It was shown that interactions with the surface of CeO₂ cause an increase in negative charge on the nitrogen of the cyano group of 2CP, which is estimated as large as 0.2e.