Ab initio modeling of Al adsorption on CaF₂ surfaces

Ab initio simulations of the adsorption of Al atoms on CaF₂ (0 0 1) and (1 1 1) surfaces have been performed for supercells with 7 different atomic configurations, using density functional theory. For (1 1 1) surfaces, a repulsive interaction was observed for most configurations, while a weak attraction was obtained when the Al atom was placed above F atoms. For the Ca-terminated (0 0 1) surface, the adsorption energy was about 5 times larger, whereas for the F-terminated (0 0 1) surface it was about 20 times greater. The comparative analysis indicates that the (0 0 1) surfaces are reactive and have a strong Al adatom bonding (chemisorption), especially for the F-terminated substrate. On the contrary, the (1 1 1) plane may be considered as non-reactive (physisorption), having a weak bonding of the Al adatom above the F site.