A theoretical study of ethylene, cyclopentene and 1-amino-3-cyclopentene adsorption on the silicon 〈 100 〉 surface

In this paper we report on a comparative ab initio study of the adsorption of ethylene, cyclopentene and 1-amino-3-cyclopentene on the silicon surface. Accurate calculations of the reaction path have been carried out using a cluster model for the surface dimer (Si₉H₁₂) and Gaussian-type basis functions. The dependence of the computed reaction path on the theoretical method is investigated; activation energies turn out to be quite independent of the method, and general trends can be found for the three systems studied: the larger difference is found between linear and cyclic alkenes. Periodic calculations with plane waves are also performed on periodic slabs, finding an adsorption energy in fair agreement with the cluster model. The surface band structure is carefully studied: a strong dispersion is found along some directions for highly covered surfaces, in good agreement with the experimental data available for ethylene. Also in this case, differences arise when passing from linear to cyclic alkenes, while the second substituent on the cycle has very limited effects.