Dispersion-corrected DFT study on the carbon monoxide sensing by B<Subscript>2</Subscript>C nanotubes: effects of dopant and interferences

Electrical sensitivity of a boron carbon nanotube (B₂CNT) was examined toward carbon monoxide (CO) molecule by using dispersion-corrected density functional theory calculations. It was found that CO is weakly adsorbed on the tube, releasing energy of 3.5–4.1 kcal/mol, and electronic properties of the tube are not significantly changed. To overcome this problem, boron and carbon atoms of the tube were substituted by aluminum and silicon atoms, respectively. Although both Al and Si doping make the tube more reactive and sensitive to CO, Si doping seems to be a better strategy to manufacture CO chemical sensors due to the higher sensitivity without deformation of nanotube structure after adsorption procedure. Moreover, it was shown that some interference molecules such as H₂O, H₂S and NH₃ cannot significantly change the electronic properties of B₂CNT. Therefore, the Si-doped tube might convert the presence of CO molecules to electrical signal.     

Quantum fluctuations increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in narrow carbon nanotubes

Quantum fluctuations significantly increase the self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen adsorbed in narrow carbon nanotubes at 30 K comparing to its classical counterpart. Rigorous Feynman's path integral calculations reveal that self-diffusive motion of para-hydrogen in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K and pore densities below ～29 mmol cm(-3) is one order of magnitude faster than the classical counterpart. We find that the zero-point energy and tunneling significantly smoothed out the free energy landscape of para-hydrogen molecules adsorbed in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube. This promotes a delocalization of the confined para-hydrogen at 30 K (i.e., population of unclassical paths due to quantum effects). Contrary the self-diffusive motion of classical para-hydrogen molecules in a narrow (6,6) carbon nanotube at 30 K is very slow. This is because classical para-hydrogen molecules undergo highly correlated movement when their collision diameter approached the carbon nanotube size (i.e., anomalous diffusion in quasi-one dimensional pores). On the basis of current results we predict that narrow single-walled carbon nanotubes are promising nanoporous molecular sieves being able to separate para-hydrogen molecules from mixtures of classical particles at cryogenic temperatures.     

Ab initio simulations of doped single-walled carbon nanotube sensors

The interactions between oxygen and nitrogen atoms with single-walled carbon nanotubes were investigated for nanotubes with two different geometrical configurations using first-principle calculations within the framework of the density functional theory. We introduced a new type of toxic gas sensor that can detect the presence of H₂, Cl₂, CO, and NO molecules. We also demonstrated that the sensitivity of this device can be controlled by the concentration of the dopants on the surface of the nanotube. In addition, the transport properties of the doped nanotube were studied for different concentrations of oxygen or nitrogen atoms that were randomly distributed on the surface of the single-walled carbon nanotube. We observed that small amounts of dopants can modify the electronic and transport properties of the nanotube and can lend metallic properties to the nanotube. Band-gap narrowing occurs when the nanotube is doped with either oxygen or nitrogen atoms.     

Influences of molecular packing on the charge mobility of organic semiconductors: from quantum charge transfer rate theory beyond the first-order perturbation

The electronic coupling between adjacent molecules is an important parameter for the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors. In a previous paper, a semiclassical generalized nonadiabatic transition state theory was used to investigate the nonperturbative effect of the electronic coupling on the charge transport properties, but it is not applicable at low temperatures due to the presence of high-frequency modes from the intramolecular conjugated carbon-carbon stretching vibrations [G. J. Nan et al., J. Chem. Phys., 2009, 130, 024704]. In the present paper, we apply a quantum charge transfer rate formula based on the imaginary-time flux-flux correlation function without the weak electronic coupling approximation. The imaginary-time flux-flux correlation function is then expressed in terms of the vibrational-mode path average and is evaluated by the path integral approach. All parameters are computed by quantum chemical approaches, and the mobility is obtained by kinetic Monte-Carlo simulation. We evaluate the intra-layer mobility of sexithiophene crystal structures in high- and low-temperature phases for a wide range of temperatures. In the case of strong coupling, the quantum charge transfer rates were found to be significantly smaller than those calculated using the weak electronic coupling approximation, which leads to reduced mobility especially at low temperatures. As a consequence, the mobility becomes less dependent on temperature when the molecular packing leads to strong electronic coupling in some charge transport directions. The temperature-independent charge mobility in organic thin-film transistors from experimental measurements may be explained from the present model with the grain boundaries considered. In addition, we point out that the widely used Marcus equation is invalid in calculating charge carrier transfer rates in sexithiophene crystals.     

Adiabatic passage in a three-state system with non-Markovian relaxation: the role of excited-state absorption and two-exciton processes

The influence of excited-state absorption (ESA) and two-exciton processes on a coherent population transfer with intense ultrashort chirped pulses in molecular systems in solution has been studied. A unified treatment of adiabatic rapid passage (ARP) in such systems has been developed using a three-state electronic system with relaxation treated as a diffusion on electronic potential energy surfaces. We have shown that ESA has a profound effect on coherent population transfer in large molecules that necessitates a more accurate interpretation of experimental data. A simple and physically clear model for ARP in molecules with three electronic states in solution has been developed by extending the Landau-Zener calculations putting in a third level to random crossing of levels. A method for quantum control of two-exciton states in molecular complexes has been proposed.     

H2分子在碱金属掺杂碳纳米管上的吸附特性

采用密度泛函理论研究了H₂在碱金属(M=Li, K)掺杂的扶手椅型单壁碳纳米管上的吸附. 对于碱金属管内掺杂, 模拟了4种氢吸附构型; 对于管外掺杂, 考虑了两种吸附结构, 同时还考虑了两种不同的掺杂浓度. 所有吸附模型都进行了全优化. 计算结果表明, 碱金属掺杂后, 碱金属与碳纳米管之间发生电子授受作用使得碱金属带正电荷, 对于金属Li, 管内掺杂更有利于电子向碳纳米管转移; 与管内掺杂相比, Li原子的管外掺杂更有利于H2分子吸附. 碱金属管外掺杂的碳纳米管吸附H₂的最稳定结构, 存在碱金属原子与H₂分子的配位作用.     

Distribution patterns and controllable transport of water inside and outside charged single-walled carbon nanotubes

The density distribution patterns of water inside and outside neutral and charged single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) soaked in water have been studied using molecular dynamics simulations based on TIP3P potential and Lennard-Jones parameters of CHARMM force field, in conjunction with ab initio calculations to provide the electron density distributions of the systems. Water molecules show different electropism near positively and negatively charged SWNTs. Different density distribution patterns of water, depending on the diameter and chirality of the SWNTs, are observed inside and outside the tube wall. These special distribution patterns formed can be explained in terms of the van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between the water molecules and the carbon atoms on the hexagonal network of carbon nanotubes. The electric field produced by the highly charged SWNTs leads to high filling speed of water molecules, while it prevents them from flowing out of the nanotube. Water molecules enter the neutral SWNTs slowly and can flow out of the nanotube in a fluctuating manner. It indicates that by adjusting the electric charge on the SWNTs, one can control the adsorption and transport behavior of polar molecules in SWNTs to be used as stable storage medium with template effect or transport channels. The transport rate can be tailored by changing the charge on the SWNTs.     

The effect of gas adsorption on the field emission mechanism of carbon nanotubes

We have investigated systematically the effects of various gas adsorbates (H2, N2, O2, and H2O) on the electronic structures and the field emission properties of open edges of single-walled carbon nanotubes by density functional calculations. All of the molecules, except N2, dissociate and chemisorb on open nanotube edges with large adsorption energies. The Fermi levels are moved toward the valence (conduction) bands for O2 (H2, H2O) adsorption induced by the Mulliken charge transfer on the tube edge. The Fermi level shift for N2 adsorption is negligible. Adsorption of H2O enhances the field emission current, whereas H2 adsorption does not affect the field emission current much because of the absence of the density of states near the Fermi level. The correlation of the electronic structures and the field emission current is further discussed.     

Enhancement of hydrogen physisorption on graphene and carbon nanotubes by Li doping

Density-functional calculations of the adsorption of molecular hydrogen on a planar graphene layer and on the external surface of a (4,4) carbon nanotube, undoped and doped with lithium, have been carried out. Hydrogen molecules are physisorbed on pure graphene and on the nanotube with binding energies about 80-90 meV/molecule. However, the binding energies increase to 160-180 meV/molecule for many adsorption configurations of the molecule near a Li atom in the doped systems. A charge-density analysis shows that the origin of the increase in binding energy is the electronic charge transfer from the Li atom to graphene and the nanotube. The results support and explain qualitatively the enhancement of the hydrogen storage capacity observed in some experiments of hydrogen adsorption on carbon nanotubes doped with alkali atoms.     

First-principles investigation of the electronic and field emission properties of C-doped ZnO nanotube

In order to search for novel field emitter nanomaterial, a density functional theory investigation is performed to understand electronic structures and field emission properties of carbon doped–ZnO nanotube. It has been revealed that electron transport through ZnONT is significantly increased in the presence of the carbon atom due to the reduced HOMO–LUMO energy gap, which makes the electrons easily excited from HOMO to LUMO, and then the electrons can easily emit. Comparing the ionization potentials of the pure and doped ZnONT, at the same external electric field strength, the ionization potential of C–doped ZnO nanotube is lower than that of pure one. Also, after the doping of carbon atom, the Fermi level of ZnONT increases, which indicates that the Fermi level shifts toward the conduction band. These results indicate that the field emission properties of ZnONT can be enhanced by the doping of ZnO nanotube with the carbon atom.     

Intermolecular charge transfer in model hydrogen-bonded systems—biological implications

The electronic structure of the model hydrogen-bonded systems has been studied at the all-valence level in relation to the charge transfer mechanism. It is concluded that together with the intermolecular proton transfer an electronic charge transport occurs for hydrogen bonds of 2.70–3.00 Å in length, i.e., when the proton motion within the bond is anticipated. For elucidation of transport properties of one-dimensional hydrogen-bonded systems the tunneling–hopping model is preferred instead of the band theory. The importance of the proposed mechanism of the charge transfer for biological processes has been emphasized.     

Adsorption of the nitrosamine and thionitrosamine molecules as carcinogen compounds on the BN and B3Al N nanotubes: A DFT study

DFT calculations were performed to investigation of the influence of doping three atoms of aluminum on the electronic properties of the (4,0) zigzag boron nitride nanotube (BNNT). Also, adsorption properties of nitrosamine (NA) and thionitrosamine (TNA) molecules as carcinogen agents onto BN and B_Al3N nanotubes were studied. The results show that the B_3AlN nanotube is the most energetically favorable candidates for adsorption of these molecules. Also, B(B_3Al)NNT/TNA complexes are more stable than B(B_3Al)NNT/NA complexes. The HOMO–LUMO gap, electronic chemical potential (μ), hardness (?), softness (S), the maximum amount of electronic charge (ΔN_max) and electrophilicity index (ω) for monomers and complexes in the gas and polar solvent phases were calculated. The results show that the conductivity and reactivity of BNNT increase by doping Al atoms instead of B atoms. Also, the interaction of NA and TNA molecules with BN and B_Al3N nanotubes results in significant changes in the electronic properties of nanotubes. Based on the natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis, in all complexes charge transfer occurs from NA and TNA molecules to nanotubes. Theory of atoms in molecules (AIM) was applied to characterize the nature of interactions in nanotubes. It is predicted that, BN and B_3AlN nanotubes can be used to as sensor for detection of NA and TNA molecules.     

Influence of Intermolecular Vibrations on the Electronic Coupling in Organic Semiconductors: The Case of Anthracene and Perfluoropentacene

We have performed classical molecular dynamics simulations and quantum‐chemical calculations on molecular crystals of anthracene and perfluoropentacene. Our goal is to characterize the amplitudes of the room‐temperature molecular displacements and the corresponding thermal fluctuations in electronic transfer integrals, which constitute a key parameter for charge transport in organic semiconductors. Our calculations show that the thermal fluctuations lead to Gaussian‐like distributions of the transfer integrals centered around the values obtained for the equilibrium crystal geometry. The calculated distributions have been plugged into Monte‐Carlo simulations of hopping transport, which show that lattice vibrations impact charge transport properties to various degrees depending on the actual crystal structure.     

Theoretically Rational Designs of Transport Organic Semiconductors Based on Heteroacenes

A Marcus electron transfer theory coupled with an incoherent polaron hopping and charge diffusion model in combining with first‐principle quantum chemistry calculation was applied to investigating the effects of heteroatom on the intermolecular charge transfer rate for a series of heteroacene molecules. The influences of intermolecular packing and charge reorganization energy were discussed. It was found that the sulphur and nitrogen substituted heteroacenes were intrinsically hole‐transporting materials due to the reduced hole reorganization energy and the enhanced overlap between HOMOs. For the oxygen‐substituted heteroacene, it was found that both the electronic couplings and the reorganization energies for holes and electrons were comparative, indicating the application potential of ambipolar devices. Most interestingly, for the boron‐substituted heteroacenes, theoretical calculations predicted a promising electron‐transport material, which is rare for organic materials. These findings provide insights into rationally designing organic semiconductors with specific properties.     

基于3,4-二烷氧基噻吩的D-A-D型有机共轭分子的合成及其光学和电化学性能

基于Wittig反应合成了新型D-A-D型有机半导体材料——双(2-乙烯基-3,4-二烷氧基噻吩)-对-2,5-二苯基-1,3,4-噁二唑[(3,4DAOTV)2-OXD],用核磁共振氢谱(1HNMR)、傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱、高效液相色谱(HPLC)和元素分析法(EA)对化合物的结构进行分析和表征.用紫外-可见(UV-Vis)光谱、荧光(PL)光谱及电化学分析研究其光学和电化学性能.在氯仿溶液中,各化合物的紫外最大吸收波长(λmabasx)在382-383nm之间,光学带能隙在2.92-2.97eV之间,荧光最大发射波长在448-452nm之间,发出明亮的青色光,荧光量子产率可达36.8%-37.6%;在固体薄膜状态下,各化合物于513-516nm处发射出亮蓝绿色光.循环伏安法研究显示:三种大π共轭分子在正、负向区域均表现出明显的氧化、还原现象.其中,5.65-5.70eV的电离势(Ip),与噻吩类有机半导体材料的空穴传输特征相符;电子亲和势(Ia)在2.74-2.88eV之间,与有机电子传输材料的特性相近,这利于电子从阴极的注入和传输.理论计算结果表明,该D-A-D型共轭分子共平面性好和电荷离域程度高,对光电功能材料的分子界面组装、载流子的有效传输和器件量子效率的提高十分有利.     

Balanced carrier transports of electrons and holes in silole-based compounds--a theoretical study

By employing a diabatic model and a first-principle direct method, we have investigated the carrier transport properties of the highly efficient organic light-emitting materials 1,1,2,3,4,5-hexaphenylsilole (HPS) and 1-methyl-1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylsilole (MPPS). The electronic coupling constants and reorganization energies are calculated for a wide variety of nearest-neighbor charge transfer pathways. The theoretical calculations show that (i) the electron mobility is very close to that of the hole, which indicates a balanced carrier transport in these materials, and (ii) the carrier mobilities for MPPS are larger than those for HPS. These results help explain the underlying microscopic mechanism for the high electroluminescence efficiency.     

Ab initio study of NH3 and H2O adsorption on pristine and Na-doped MgO nanotubes

We have investigated, on the basis of density functional theory calculations, the structural and electronic properties of chemical modification of pristine and Na-doped MgONTs with NH₃ and H₂O molecules. We found that the NH₃ and H₂O molecules can be barrierlessly adsorbed on the Mg atom of the tube sidewall along with a charge transfer from the adsorbate to MgONT. The adsorption is chemical in nature with adsorption energies about ?22.3 and ?21.5 kcal/mol for H₂O and NH₃, respectively. The calculated density of state (DOS) shows that the chemical modification of MgONTs with these molecules can be generally classified as certain type of “harmless modification.” In other words, the electronic properties of the MgONT are little changed by the adsorption processes. The substitution of an Mg atom in the tube surface with an Na atom results in a semi-insulator to p-type semiconductor transition based on DOS analysis. It was also found that the doping process reduces the adsorption energies and the electronic properties of Na-doped MgONT is slightly more sensitive toward NH₃ and H₂O molecules, compared with the pristine one.