Transition Metal Atoms on MgO

There is little or no charge transfer from the Cu, Ag, or Au atoms to the substrate, and the bonding is mainly due to the polarization of the metal 

A final comment is required about the problem of the description of isolated TM atoms on oxide surfaces in general. TM atoms have complex spin states which are not properly described within the DFT approach. Spin-polarized calculations provide a way to take into account the spin properties of the system but some details of the interaction may be described incorrectly. In this respect, the use of wave function-based methods is particularly important for benchmarks and comparisons. This problem is less severe when one considers small clusters where several electronic states exist separated by small energies. But one should be well aware of the fact that the treatment of isolated atoms, dimers, and very small aggregates with DFT methods requires spin-polarized approaches and special care in evaluating the results [199,200]. 

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