First-principles investigation on the geometry and electronic structure of the three-dimensional cuboidal C(60) polymer

The structural stability and electronic properties of the recently characterized three-dimensional (3D) cuboid-shaped C(60) polymer are studied using periodic ab initio density functional methods. It is shown that the experimentally observed structure is metastable and not fully relaxed from the high pressure state. A second polymorph, which is more stable than the experimental structure, is identified from the calculations. This new structure differs from the observed structure in the number of fourfold-coordinated atoms per C(60) molecule. Both structures are found to be metallic with bulk moduli only about one-third that of diamond. The cuboidal C(60) is not the long sought after superhard 3D carbon polymer; however, the two polymorphs studied here reveal unusual electronic band structures that might suggest interesting electronic properties.     

Electronic structure, chemical bonding, and spin polarization in ferromagnetic MnAl

The electronic structure of ferromagnetic τ-MnAl has been calculated using density-functional techniques (TB-LMTO-ASA, FLAPW) and quantum-chemically analyzed by means of the crystal orbital Hamilton population tool. While all observable quantities are in good agreement with experiment, the tetragonal structure of ferromagnetic MnAl is interpreted to arise from a nonmagnetic cubic structure by two subsequent steps, namely (a) an electronic distortion due to spin polarization followed by (b) a structural distortion into the tetragonal system. The various strengths of interatomic bonding have been calculated in order to elucidate the competition between electronic and structural distortion.     

光系统Ⅱ抑制剂—反式氰基丙烯酸酯比较分子场和电子结构研究

对反式氰基丙烯酸酯系列活性分子采用限制性系统搜索方法确定的药效团模型 ,与 9类不同骨架结构的光系统 抑制剂 DISCO模型中的反式氰基丙烯酸酯分子(M- 2 2 )的活性构象为模板所确定的药效团模型是非常相近的。对两种方法所获得的活性构象分子进行了 Co MFA研究 ,其结果是一致的。采用 PM3方法进行了量子化学计算 ,计算结果表明两种模型的构象分子具有相近的电子结构 ,根据分子静电场、立体场和电子结构探讨了该类抑制剂的构效关系。     

On Theoretical Study of a Molecular Dimer System

In this paper, the vibronic structure of a dimer system is studied both theoretically and numerically. To construct adiabatic potential surfaces and electronic and vibrational wave functions for a dimer system, the adiabatic approximation is applied to two identical molecules, each of which has two electronic states with one vibrational mode. In this scheme, the excitonic splitting results not only from the electronic coupling of two molecules, but also from the vibronic coupling in each molecule. By using the resulting wavefunctions and the corresponding energies, the absorption and fluorescence spectra are studied. The effect of temperature on these spectra is also studied.     

Density functional calculations for modeling the active site of nickel-iron hydrogenases. 2. Predictions for the unready and ready States and the corresponding activation processes

ZORA relativistic DFT calculations are presented which aim to model the geometric and electronic structure of the active site of NiFe hydrogenases in its EPR-active oxidized states Ni-A (unready state) and Ni-B (ready state). Starting coordinates are taken from the X-ray structure of a mutant of Desulfovibrio fructosovorans hydrogenase refined at 1.81 A resolution. Nine possible candidates for Ni-A and Ni-B are analyzed in terms of their geometric and electronic structure. Comparison of calculated geometric and magnetic resonance parameters with available experimental data indicates that both oxidized states have a micro-hydroxo bridge between the two metal centers. The different electronic structures of both forms can be explained by a modification of a terminal cysteine in Ni-B, best modeled by protonation of the sulfur atom. A possible mechanism for the activation of both oxidized forms is presented.     

Theoretical Investigation on Triplet Excitation Energy Transfer in Fluorene Dimer

Triplet-triplet energy transfer in fluorene dimer is investigated by combining rate theories with electronic structure calculations. The two key parameters for the control of energy transfer, electronic coupling and reorganization energy, are calculated based on the diabatic states constructed by the constrained density functional theory. The fluctuation of the electronic coupling is further revealed by molecular dynamics simulation. Succeedingly, the diagonal and off-diagonal fluctuations of the Hamiltonian are mapped from the correlation functions of those parameters, and the rate is then estimated both from the perturbationtheory and wavepacket diffusion method. The results manifest that both the static and dynamic fluctuations enhance the rate significantly, but the rate from the dynamic fluctuation is smaller than that from the static fluctuation.     

Charge transfer in organic molecules for solar cells: theoretical perspective

This tutorial review primarily illustrates rate theories for charge transfer and separation in organic molecules for solar cells. Starting from the Fermi's golden rule for weak electronic coupling, we display the microcanonical and canonical rates, as well as the relationship with the Marcus formula. The fluctuation effect of bridges on the rate is further emphasized. Then, several rate approaches beyond the perturbation limit are revealed. Finally, we discuss the electronic structure theory for calculations of the electronic coupling and reorganization energy that are two key parameters in charge transfer, and show several applications.     

Infrared spectra of two sexithiophenes in neutral and doped states: a theoretical and spectroscopic study

The FT-infrared spectra of two sexithiophenes having their end ,′-positions substituted by n-hexyl or -thiohexyl groups, in neutral and doped states, are studied with the main aim of deriving information about the π-electrons delocalization and about the electronic structure of the charged defects created upon doping with iodine. The analysis of the experimental data is aided by Density Functional Theory calculations. The modifications in the electronic structure of the sexithiophene backbone induced by the n-thiohexyl encapsulation are discussed from the point of view of single molecule interactions in thiol-terminated π-conjugated oligomers bound to metallic or cluster electrodes.     

Theoretical characterization of titanyl phthalocyanine as a p-type organic semiconductor: short intermolecular pi-pi interactions yield large electronic couplings and hole transport bandwidths

The charge-transport properties of the triclinic phase II crystal of titanyl phthalocyanine (alpha-TiOPc) are explored within both a hopping and bandlike regime. Electronic coupling elements in convex- and concave-type dimers are calculated using density functional theory, and the relationship between molecular structure and crystal packing structure in model dimer configurations is considered. Hole transport bandwidths derived from crystal structure dimers are compared to those obtained from electronic band structure calculations; very good agreement between the two approaches is found. The calculations predict large hole bandwidths, on the order of 0.4 eV, and correspondingly very low hole reorganization energies.     

The effects of substituents and solvents on the ground-state π-electronic structure and electronic absorption spectra of a series of model merocyanine dyes and their theoretical interpretation

Two series of new merocyanine dyes have been synthesised and the dependence of their electronic structure on substituents and solvents has been studied by NMR spectroscopy, by using both the NMR (13)C chemical shifts between adjacent C atoms in the polymethine chain and the (3)J(H,H) coupling constants for trans-vicinal protons. The widely used valence bond (VB) model based on two contributing structures cannot account theoretically for the observed alternating π-electron density in the polymethine chain. In addition, the prediction of zero-π-bond order alternation (or zero-bond length alternation) by this model is also incorrect. However, the results are consistent with the predictions of a qualitative VB model which considers the resonance of a positive charge throughout the whole polymethine chain. Based on this model and the Franck-Condon principle the effect of substituents and solvents on the fine structure of the electronic spectra of these dyes can be explained as vibronic transitions from the vibrational state v = 0 to v', where v is the vibrational quantum number of the totally symmetric C=C valence vibration of the polymethine chain in the electronic ground state and v' is that in the electronic excited state. In contrast, neither the effects of substituents or solvents on the electronic structure of merocyanines and their electronic spectra can be accounted for by the simple two state VB model.     

Electronic and atomistic structures of clean and reduced ceria surfaces

The atomistic and electronic structures of oxygen vacancies on the (111) and (110) surfaces of ceria are studied by means of periodic density functional calculations. The removal of a neutral surface oxygen atom leaves back two excess electrons that are shown to localize on two cerium ions neighboring the defect. The resulting change of valency of these Ce ions (Ce4+ --> Ce3+) originates from populating tightly bound Ce 4f states and is modeled by adding a Hubbard U term to the traditional energy functionals. The calculated atomistic and electronic structures of the defect-free and reduced surfaces are shown to agree with spectroscopic and microscopic measurements. The preferential defect segregation and the different chemical reactivity of the (111) and (110) surfaces are discussed in terms of energetics and features in the electronic structure.     

Röntgenographische und spektroskopische Untersuchungen an zwei Modifikationen von Dichloro-2,2′-dipyridyl-platin(II)

X-ray and Spectroscopic Studies on the two Modifications of Dichloro-2,2′-bipyridyl Platinum(II) Two modifications of PtCl₂(2,2′-bipyridyl) are investigated by X-ray diffraction and spectroscopic methods. The difference between both forms consists only in the packing of the planar complex units within the crystal. For the red coloured modification a columnar structure is derived from X-ray single crystal data, in which the nearest distance between planar complex units stacked above each other is 3.40 Å. The yellow form, however, does not form a columnar structure. It is built up from essentially isolated complex molecules without any feasible Pt–Pt-interaction (shortest Pt–Pt-distance: ca. 4.5 Å). Infrared and electronic spectra confirm the proposed structures. In the visible range only electronic transitions of the type 5d(Pt) → π*(bipyridyl) are observed which are also responsible for the different colours of the two modifications.     

Single and double photoionizations of methanal (formaldehyde)

Single and double photoionization spectra of formaldehyde have been measured at 40.81 and 48.37 eV photon energy and the spectrum of the doubly charged cation has been interpreted using high-level electronic structure calculations. The adiabatic double-ionization energy is determined as 31.7+/-0.25 eV and the vertical ionization energy is 33 eV. The five lowest excited electronic states are identified and located. The potential-energy surfaces of the accessible states explain the lack of stable H2CO2+ dications and the lack of vibrational structure. The experimental double-ionization spectrum can be decomposed into two distinct contributions, one from direct photoionization and the second from indirect double photoionization by an inner-valence shell Auger effect.     

Diagrammatic valence bond studies on hemocyanin

Summary The Diagrammatic Valence Bond studies on the active sites of hemocyanin, consisting of two Cu(I) ions and an oxygen molecule, are performed to find out the stable geometrical pattern and electronic structure. Different parameters used in this theoretical approach are taken from existing literature on highT _c superconductors. Attempts have been made to find out the differences in electronic structure of [Cu₂O₂]⁺² and [Cu₂O₂N₄]⁺² as it is observed that coordination of nitrogen ligand do affect electronic structure i.e. spin excitation gaps and charge and spin density distribution. A comparison of our results with earlier theoretical results are also presented.     

Local electronic states in chains with two atoms in the unit cell

The method of local perturbations is applied to the local levels arising from distortion (substitution, deviation from coplanarity) in a polymer chain composed of two types of atoms. Allowance is made for possible bond alternation. The minimum perturbation needed to produce such a state is related to the number of the perturbing atom or bond. The condition for local states in the forbidden band is found to be substantially dependent on whether there is bond alternation, so the local levels provide a convenient means of studying the electronic structure of the upper unperturbed chain. Experiments are proposed to elucidate the relative contributions from bond alternation and difference in type of atom to the formation of a forbidden band. The results can be used to decide between different models for the electronic structure of a polyene.     

Switching mechanism of photochromic diarylethene derivatives molecular junctions

The electronic transport properties and switching mechanism of single photochromic diarylethene derivatives sandwiched between two gold surfaces with closed and open configurations are investigated by a fully self-consistent nonequilibrium Green's function method combined with density functional theory. The calculated transmission spectra of two configurations are strikingly distinctive. The open form lacks any significant transmission peak within a wide energy window, while the closed structure has two significant transmission peaks on both sides of the Fermi level. The electronic transport properties of the molecular junction with closed structure under a small bias voltage are mainly determined by the tail of the transmission peak contributed unusually by the perturbed lowest perturbed unoccupied molecular orbital. The calculated on-off ratio of currents between the closed and open configurations is about two orders of magnitude, which reproduces the essential features of the experimental measured results. Moreover, we find that the switching behavior within a wide bias voltage window is extremely robust to both substituting F or S for H or O and varying end anchoring atoms from S to Se and Te.     

Molecular structure and electronic spectrum of taspine: Semiempirical calculations

AM1 calculations show that taspine has the three energy-minima along the rotation-like nuclear displacement of the dimethylaminoethyl group. They correspond to two enantiomeric structures and a Cs structure, which have nearly equal energies. The energy barrier between the enantiomeric structures and the Cs structure is calculated to be about 1 kcal/mol. The small barrier readily causes an intramolecular interconversion of the two enantiomers through the Cs structure and thus results in the optical inactivity of taspine. CNDO/S calculations show that the electronic spectra of the enantiomer and the Cs structure are quite similar. These calculated spectra are in good agreement with the observed electronic spectra.     

Spectral differences in real-space electronic structure calculations

Real-space grids for electronic structure calculations are efficient because the potential is diagonal while the second derivative in the kinetic energy may be sparsely evaluated with finite differences or finite elements. In applications to vibrational problems in chemical physics a family of methods known as spectral differences has improved finite differences by several orders of magnitude. In this paper the use of spectral differences for electronic structure is studied. Spectral differences are implemented in two electronic structure programs PARSEC and HARES which currently employ finite differences. Applications to silicon clusters and lattices indicate that spectral differences achieve the same accuracy as finite differences with less computational work.     

Electronic spectroscopy of molecules in superfluid helium nanodroplets: an excellent sensor for intramolecular charge redistribution

Electronic spectra of molecules doped into superfluid (4)He nanodroplets reveal important details of the microsolvation in superfluid helium. The vibrational fine structure in the electronic spectra of phthalocyanine derivatives and pyrromethene dye molecules doped into superfluid helium droplets have been investigated. Together with previous studies on anthracene derivatives [J. Chem. Phys.2010, 133, 114505] and 3-hydroxyflavone [J. Chem. Phys.2009, 131, 194307], the line shapes vary between two limiting cases, namely, sharp Lorentzians and nonresolved vibrational fine structure. All different spectral signatures are initiated by the same effect, namely, the change of the electron density distribution initiated by the electronic excitation. This change can be quantified by the difference of the electrostatic moments of the molecule in the electronic ground state and the corresponding Franck-Condon point in the excited state. According to the experimental data, electronic spectroscopy suffers from drastic line broadening when accompanied by significant changes of the charge distribution, in particular, changes of the dipole moment. Vice versa, the vibrational fine structure in electronic spectra of molecules doped into helium droplets is highly sensitive to changes of the electron density distribution.