Atomic carbon adsorption on Ni nanoclusters: a DFT study

Atomic carbon is a key intermediate interacting with transition metal clusters during the growth of carbon nanotube (CNT). Present density functional calculations studied the initial carbon adsorption on four Ni nanoclusters (N₁₃, N₁₅, N₃₈, and N₅₅). Our results show that carbon atoms preferentially adsorb on high-coordination sites, and carbon adsorption energies are larger on smaller Ni clusters. Ni cluster reconstruction plays an important role in creating more stable subsurface adsorption sites. The migration of adsorbed carbon atom on the surface threefold hollow site into the underlying interstitial subsurface positions is thermodynamically and kinetically feasible. The results indicate that the investigation of CNT growth mechanism should include both surface and subsurface carbon atoms, coupled with surface reconstruction of Ni nanoclusters.     

Hydrogen abstraction of methanimine by X12N12 (X = B,Al) nanoclusters: a DFT study

Structural Chemistry - In this work, dissociative adsorption of methanimine (CH2NH) on the surface of B12N12 and Al12N12 nanoclusters is studied at wB97XD/6-31G(d) computational level. The results...     

Adsorption of sarin and chlorosarin onto the Al12N12 and Al12P12 nanoclusters: DFT and TDDFT calculations

This study provides details of the electronic and optical structures and binding energies of sarin (SF) and chlorosarin (SC) with Al–N and Al–P surfaces of Al₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂P₁₂ nanoclusters in the gas phase. The adsorption mechanism of SF and SC on these nanoclusters containing the Al³⁺ central cation was studied. Optimized geometries and thermodynamic parameters of SF and SC adsorption complexes were calculated. SF and SC are chemisorbed on these nanoclusters because of the formation of PO···Al bonds. The chemical bond is formed between an oxygen atom of SF and SC and an aluminum atom of fullerene-likes (chemisorption). However, the binding energies of the complexes with the Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocluster are larger than these values for the Al₁₂P₁₂ nanocluster. The interaction enthalpy and Gibbs free energy of all studied systems were found to be negative. We can conclude that SF and SC will be adsorbed preferably on Al₁₂N₁₂ nanocluster.     

DFT study on a fullerene doped with Si and N

DFT calculations are applied for some stable C₆₀, C₅₉Si, and C₅₉N hetero fullerenes. Sn and Ge atoms are doped at the same position of C₆₀. Computations are carried out at the B3LYP/cc pVDZ levels. In this work the effects of the heteroatoms, Si and N, on the structural properties of the fullerene have been studied. The structure, energetic and relative stabilities of the compounds were compared and analyzed with each other. In addition, vibrations spectra of proposed stable neutral species, as well as the infrared intensities are calculated. From the data obtained from calculation, we found that there is strong correlation between the stability of pure C₆₀ fullerene molecule and the numbers of different C-C bonds.     

A DFT study on electronic and optical properties of aspirin-functionalized B<Subscript>12</Subscript>N<Subscript>12</Subscript> fullerene-like nanocluster

In this work, the interaction of an aspirin (AS) molecule with the external surface of a boron nitride fullerene-like nanocage (B₁₂N₁₂) is studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Equilibrium geometry, electronic properties, adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability are identified for all of the adsorbed configurations. Four stable configurations are obtained for the interaction of AS molecule with the B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage, with adsorption energies in the range of ?10.1 to ?37.7 kcal/mol (at the M06-2X/6-31 + G** level). Our results clearly indicate that Al-doping of the B₁₂N₁₂ tends to increase the adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability of AS molecule over this nanocage. We further study the adsorption of AS over the B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₁N₁₂Al in the presence of a protic (water) or aprotic (benzene) solvent. It is found that the calculated binding distances and adsorption energies by the PCM and CPCM solvent models are very similar, especially for the B₁₂N₁₂ complexes. According to time-dependent DFT calculations, the Al-doping can shift estimated λ _max values toward longer wavelengths (redshift). Solvent effects also have an important influence on the calculated electronic absorption spectra of AS-B₁₂N₁₂ complexes.     

Stable highly doped C60-mSim heterofullerenes: a first principles study of C40Si20, C36Si24, and C30Si30

Geometry optimization within the framework of density functional theory provides clear evidence of stable fullerene-like cage structures for C(40)Si(20), C(36)Si(24), and C(30)Si(30). In the case of C(40)Si(20), an extensive isomer search shows that the most stable arrangements are those in which the Si atoms and the C atoms form two distinct homogeneous subnetworks. Any other configuration corresponding to spatially separated sets of Si atoms leads to a decrease of the binding energy. Due to charge transfer from Si to C atoms, opposite charges are found in neighboring Si and C sites. Structural stability is ensured via the predominant occurrence of 3-fold bonding for both species.     

Microsolvation of glycine: a DFT study

PBE1PBE/6-311+G(d,p) computations exploring the microsolvation of neutral and zwitterionic glycine are reported. A broad configuration search was performed to identify the lowest energy clusters of glycine with one to seven water molecules. The structures of the clusters are analyzed on the basis of the hydrogen-bonding network established between the water molecules and between water and glycine. Neutral glycine is favored when associated with zero to six water molecules, but with seven water molecules the two structures are isoenergetic.     

DFT calculations as a powerful tool for ESR spin trapping experiments

A combined electron spin resonance (ESR) and density functional theory study has been carried out to obtain deeper insight in the reaction mechanism of the photorearrangement of 3‐hydroxyindolic nitrones. Also, in this case, the combination of these techniques constitutes a powerful tool when discriminating between different reaction pathways. In particular, density functional theory calculations played an important role for unraveling the overlapping of signals coming from different species in the ESR spin trapping experiments. In the present study, the computed energies and the corresponding ESR parameters of each possible isomer hypothesized have been considered, taking also into account their different possibilities of intramolecular H‐bond formation. However, the results obtained indicate that the possibility of intramolecular H‐bonding did not play a determinant role in this case. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geometrical and electronic structure of small copper nanoclusters: XANES and DFT analysis

The geometrical and electronic structure of small copper nanoclusters was studied by density functional theory (DFT) and analysis of X-ray absorption spectra. It was shown that the icosahedral geometry of small copper nanoclusters of 13 atoms was energetically more stable than cuboctahedral geometry. The binding energies in these structures were compared; the theoretical XANES spectra were compared with experiment. The paper gives the results of ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of copper clusters differing in size.     

Interaction of porphine and its metal complexes with C60 fullerene: a DFT study

We performed DFT calculations (BLYP general-gradient approximation in conjunction with a double numerical basis set) for the interaction of free porphine ligand and a number of its metal complexes with C60 molecule to analyze how the nature of a central metal ion influences the geometry and electronic characteristics (electrostatic potential and spin density distribution and highest-occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) structure). We found that the presence of a central metal ion is crucial for a strong interaction. The energy of interaction between H2P and C60 is -0.3 kcal mol(-1) only, whereas the formation energies for the metal complexes vary from -27.3 kcal mol(-1) for MnClP.C60 to -45.8 kcal mol(-1) for MnP.C60. As a rule, the formation energy correlates with the separations between porphinate and fullerene molecules; the Mn and Fe complexes exhibit the closest approach of ca. 2.2 A between the metal ion and carbon atoms of C60. In most porphine-C60 complexes studied, the two closest contacts of central metal ion or H are those with carbon atoms of the (6,6) bond; VOP.C60 is the only exception, where the closest V...C contacts involve the (5,6) bond. The macrocycle geometry changes, and the magnitude of the effect depends on the central atom, being especially dramatic for Mn, MnCl, and Fe complexes. The shape of LUMOs in most complexes with C60 is not affected notably as compared to the LUMO of the isolated C60 molecule. In the case of Fe, the HOMO extends from the central atom to two opposite pyrrol rings. At the same time, the HOMO-LUMO gap energy decreases drastically in most cases, by ca. 20-30 kcal mol(-1). For electrostatic potential distribution, we systematically observed that the negative lobe contacting C60 shrinks, whereas the opposite one becomes notably bigger. In the case of paramagnetic complexes of VO, Mn, FeCl, Co, and Cu, spin density distribution was analyzed as well.     

Novel Triplet Ground State Silylenes: H–N = C = Si, CN–N = C = Si, and MeO–N = C = Si at DFT Levels

Summary.  DFT calculations predict the existence of three new triplet ground state silylenes: [(imino)-methylene]silylene, [(cyanoimino)methylene]silylene, and [(methoxyimino)methylene]silylene, with CNSiX formula (X = H, CN, and OMe, respectively). Discrepancies are found between DFT and some ab initio results.     

A quantum chemical study of silsesquioxanes: H8Si8O12, Me8Si8O12, H@Me8Si8O12, He@Me8Si8O 12 + , and He@Me8Si8O12

Quantum chemical PBE0 and B3LYP/cc-pVTZ, PBE0, B3LYP, RHF and MP2/6-31G(d,p) methods are employed to calculate the structural parameters of octa(silsesquioxane) H₈Si₈O₁₂ and octa(methylsilsesquioxane) Me₈Si₈O₁₂. These molecules and complexes H@Me₈Si₈O₁₂, He@Me₈Si₈O ₁₂ ⁺ , and He@Me₈Si₈O₁₂ have highly symmetric (O _h ) equilibrium configurations. With the use of the PBE0 method and a cc-pVTZ multicenter basis set common for the complex and its components coincidence is achieved between the calculated polarizability of a free He atom and the experimental value of 0.21 ų and the polarizability depression of 0.17 ų was found for He@Me₈Si₈O₁₂. In order to avoid the false conclusion about molecular symmetry the calculations of the structure of silsesquioxanes must be performed with sufficiently high accuracy (Int = ultrafine and Opt = tight in the use of the GAUSSIAN program).     

Polar bromination of cyclopropane: a DFT study

Hitherto the polar addition of bromine to cyclopropane has been considered as a two-step process. Current calculations have established the energetics for the proposed cation-anion pairs required by these mechanisms. An energetically lower pathway is proposed here in the form of a syn-cycloaddition process. Compared to the two-step process, a significantly lower activation enthalpy for this process has been found. The stereochemical consequences of the cyclic mechanism are retention-retention for the two adding moieties. This result is consistent with published experimental data on the bromination of a deuterated cyclpropane.     

Novel bi-transition metallic encapsulated naphthalene-like Si20 prismatic cage: a DFT investigation

A theoretical investigation of stabilities and electronic properties of novel transition bimetallic atoms (BTMAs) encapsulated naphthalene-like Si(20) prismatic cage is being reported for the first time. The symmetry and electronic state of naphthalene-like TMA(2)@Si(20) is significantly affected by the type of encapsulated TMA from 3d, 4d to 5d series. Because of high binding energies, relative high HOMO-LUMO gaps, large charge-reverse transferring from naphthalene-like Si(20) cage to BTMAs at the centre of the 5d series, the most stable species of TMA(2)@Si(20) cage is favorable to form new 1D-TMA(n)@Si(m) nanotube, which is based on array of the novel naphthalene-like structure.     

ChemInform Abstract: A DFT Based Prediction of Gold Fullerene Au92Si12 with the Aid of Silicon.

The structure, stability, and effect of doping Au_n (n = 1—16) clusters with Si is investigated by DFT calculations.