Catalytic decomposition of acetylene on Fe(001): A first-principles study

Abstract
The catalytic decomposition process in the initial stage of carbon nanotube (CNT) growth is investigated for the system of acetylene (C2H2) on the Fe(001) surface through first-principles electronic structure calculation. In its most stable configuration, the C-C bond of C2H2 is lying on the hollow site along the [110] direction of the Fe(001) surface. The formation of the CH fragments accompanied by C-C bond breaking is found to be an intermediate step toward the full dissociation of C2H2 molecules on Fe(001) and the whole process is exothermic.