NMR parameters of SiC-doped (6,0) zigzag single-walled boron phosphide nanotubes: a density functional study

Abstract  

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters including isotropic and anisotropic chemical shielding parameters and electronic structures were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) for silicon–carbide-doped boron phosphide nanotubes. Geometry optimizations were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory using the Gaussian 03 program suite. The isotropic and anisotropic chemical shielding parameters were calculated for the sites of various ¹³C, ²⁹Si, ¹¹B, and also ³¹P atoms in pristine and SiC-doped (6,0) zigzag boron phosphide nanotube models. The calculations indicated that doping of ¹¹B and ³¹P atoms by C and Si atoms had a more significant influence on the calculated shielding tensors than did doping of the B and P atoms by Si and C atoms. In comparison with the pristine model, Si- and C-doping of P and B sites of the zigzag nanotubes reduces the energy gaps of the nanotubes and increases their electrical conductance.     

Adsorption properties of OCN radical on (6,0), (8,0), and (10,0) zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes: a density functional study

Abstract  

The behavior of the OCN radical adsorbed on the external surface of H-capped (6,0), (8,0), and (10,0) zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes was studied by using density functional calculations. Geometry optimizations were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory using the Gaussian 98 suite of programs. We present the nature of the OCN radical–surface interaction in selected sites of the nanotubes. Binding energies corresponding to adsorption of the OCN radical are calculated to be in the range 280–315 kJ mol⁻¹. More efficient binding energies cannot be achieved by increasing the nanotube diameter. We also provide the effects of OCN radical adsorption on the electronic properties of the nanotubes.     

Adsorption properties of N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O on (6,0), (7,0), (8,0), and Al-doped (6,0) zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes: a density functional study

Abstract  

The behavior of N₂O adsorbed on the external surface of H-capped (6,0), (7,0), (8,0), and Al-doped (6,0) zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes was studied by using density functional calculations. Geometry optimizations were carried out at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory using the Gaussian 03 suite of programs. We present the nature of the N₂O interaction in selected sites of the nanotubes. Binding energies corresponding to adsorption of the N₂O are calculated to be in the range 4–21 kJ mol⁻¹. More efficient binding energies cannot be achieved by increasing the nanotube diameter. We also provide the effects of N₂O adsorption on the electronic properties of the nanotubes.     

DFT calculations on the catalytic oxidation of CO over Si-doped (6,0) boron nitride nanotubes

The oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) is important for a series of technological and environmental applications. In this work, the catalytic oxidation of CO on Si-doped (6,0) boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is investigated by using density functional theory calculations. Reaction barriers and corresponding thermodynamic parameters were calculated using the M06-2X, B3LYP and wB97XD density functionals with 6-31G* basis set. Our results indicate that a vacancy defect in BNNT strongly stabilizes the Si adatom and makes it more positively charged. This charging enhances the adsorption of reaction gases (O₂ and CO) and results in the change of the electronic structure properties of the tube. The calculated barrier of the reaction CO + O₂ → CO₂ + O_ads on Si-doped BNNTs following the Langmuir–Hinshelwood is lower than that on the traditional noble metal catalysts. The second step of the oxidation would be the Eley–Rideal reaction (CO + O_ads → CO₂) with an energy barrier of about 1.8 and 10.1 kcal/mol at M06-2X/6-31G* level. This suggests that the CO oxidation catalyzed by the Si-doped BNNTs is likely to occur at the room temperature. The results also demonstrate that the activation energies and thermodynamic quantities calculated by M06-2X, B3LYP and wB97XD functionals are consistent with each other.     

Density functional study of super cell N-doped (10,0) zigzag single-walled carbon nanotubes as CO sensor

N-doped SWCNT with different concentration of doped nitrogen atoms were investigated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations for detecting CO molecule. The CO molecule was adsorbed to different sites of the modified nanotubes and their geometric structures and electronic properties were investigated after full optimization. A significant change can be observed in adsorption energies and electronic properties of N-doped SWCNT after CO adsorption. By increasing the number of nitrogen atoms in each unit cell, these properties change more obviously. So these modified nanotubes can be used as CO sensors.     

Ge-doped (4,4) armchair single-walled boron phosphide nanotube as a semiconductor: a computational study

Abstract  

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to investigate the electronic structure properties of Ge-doped boron phosphide nanotubes (BPNTs) as a semiconductor at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory in order to evaluate the influence of Ge doping on (4,4) armchair BPNTs. We extended the DFT calculations to predict the electronic structure properties of Ge-doped boron phosphide nanotubes, which are very important for production of solid-state devices and other applications. The isotropic (CS^I) and anisotropic (CS^A) chemical shielding parameters for the sites of various ¹¹B and ³¹P atoms, and the quadrupole coupling constant (C _Q) and asymmetry parameter (η _Q) at the sites of various ¹¹B nuclei, were calculated in pristine and Ge-doped (4,4) armchair BPNT models. The calculations indicated that, in these two forms of Ge-doped BPNTs, the binding energies are not attractive and do not characterize a chemisorption process. In comparison with the pristine model, the band gap of the two forms of Ge-doped BPNTs is reduced and increases their electrical conductance. The dipole moments of the Ge-doped BPNT structures show notable changes with respect to the pristine model. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) results show that the Ge_B model is a more reactive material than the pristine or Ge_P model.     

A density functional study of the 13C NMR chemical shifts in functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes

The 13C NMR chemical shifts for functionalized (7,0), (8,0), (9,0), and (10,0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) have been studied computationally using gauge-including projector-augmented plane-wave (GIPAW) density functional theory (DFT). The functional groups NH, NCH3, NCH2OH, and CH2NHCH2 have been considered, and different sites where covalent addition or substitution may occur have been examined. The shifts of the carbons directly attached to the group are sensitive to the bond which has been functionalized and may, therefore, be used to identify whether the group has reacted with a parallel or a diagonal C-C bond. The addition of NH to a parallel bond renders the functionalized carbons formally sp3-hybridized, yielding shifts of around 44 ppm, independent of the SWNT radius. Reaction with a diagonal bond retains the formal sp2 hybridization of the substituted carbons, and their shifts are slightly lower or higher than those of the unsubstituted carbon atoms. The calculated 1H NMR shifts of protons in the functional groups are also dependent upon the SWNT-group interaction. Upon decreasing the degree of functionalization for the systems where the group is added to a parallel bond, the average chemical shift of the unfunctionalized carbons approaches that of the pristine tube. At the same time, the shifts of the functionalized carbons remain independent upon the degree of functionalization. For the SWNTs where N-R attaches to a parallel bond, the average shift of the sp2 carbons was found to be insensitive to the substituent R. Moreover, the shifts of the functionalized sp3 carbons, as well as of the carbons within the group itself, are independent of the SWNT radius. The results indicate that a wealth of knowledge may be obtained from the 13C NMR of functionalized SWNTs.     

Interaction of atomic hydrogen with single-walled carbon nanotubes: a density functional theory study

We have studied the interaction of atomic hydrogen with (5,5) and (10,0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) using density functional theory. These calculations use Gaussian orbitals and periodic boundary conditions. We compare results from the local spin density approximation, generalized gradient approximation (GGA), and hybrid density functionals. We have first kept the SWNT geometric structure fixed while a single H atom approaches the tube on top of a carbon atom. In that case, a weakly bound state with binding energies from -0.8 to -0.4 eV was found. Full geometry relaxation leads to a strong SWNT deformation, weakening the nearest C-C bonds and increasing the binding energy by about 1 eV. Full hydrogen coverage of the (5,5) SWNT converts this metallic nanotube into an insulator with a band gap of 3.4 eV for the GGA functional and 4.8 eV for the hybrid functional. Hybrid functionals perform similar to pure density functional theory functionals for the calculation of binding energies while band gaps critically depend on the functional choice.     

Hydrogen adsorption on zigzag (8,0) boron nitride nanotubes

The chemical adsorption of H atoms on an (8,0) zigzag boron nitride nanotube is studied using the density functional theory with the supercell method. One to four H atoms per 32 B and 32 N are considered. The results show that H atoms prefer to adsorb on the top sites of adjacent B and N atoms to form an armchair chain along the tube axis. An even-odd oscillation behavior of the adsorption energy of H atoms on the tube is found, and the average adsorption energy of even H atoms is obviously bigger than that of odd H atoms. The results can be understood with the frontier orbital theory. Based on this adsorption behavior, several high-symmetric structures of H adsorbed boron nitride nanotubes with 50% and 100% coverages are studied. The pairs of lines' pattern with 50% coverage has the biggest average adsorption energy per H(2) among the chosen configurations, corresponding to approximately 4 wt % hydrogen storage.     

First principle electric field response of single-walled boron nitride nanotube: a case study of zigzag (4,0) model

Structural and electrical responses of the (4,0) zigzag model of single-walled boron nitride (BN) nanotube (NT) (with edges terminated by H atoms) have been investigated under the external electric fields (parallel and transverse) with strengths 0−2.0 × 10⁻² a.u. using DFT-B3LYP/6-31G* method. Calculated electric dipole moment shows a significant change in the presence of the parallel and perpendicular external electric fields which result in much stronger interactions at higher electric field strengths. Natural bond orbital (NBO) atomic charges analysis shows that the separation of the center of the positive and the center of the negative electric charges of (4,0) zigzag BNNT increase with increase the applied parallel and transverse electric field strengths. The applied fields change the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energies and decrease the HOMO–LUMO gap (HLG) values. The calculated electronic spatial extent (ESE) showed small changes of <0.63% and <1.53% over the entire range of the applied parallel and perpendicular electric field strengths, respectively. Results of this study indicate that the properties of BNNTs can be controlled by applying the proper external electric field. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A computational study of oxygen-termination of a (6,0) boron nitride nanotube

Abstract  

We performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the properties of electronic structures of representative armchair and zigzag silicon carbide nanotubes (SiCNTs). The model structures were optimized and the NMR parameters were calculated at the sites of silicon-29 and carbon-13 atoms in these structures. Our results indicated that different electronic environments could be detected by using the atoms of nanotubes in which the atoms of tips, especially for zigzag SiCNT, exhibit distinctive properties among other atoms.     

Density functional calculations of the 13C NMR chemical shifts in (9,0) single-walled carbon nanotubes

The electronic structure and (13)C NMR chemical shift of (9,0) single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are investigated theoretically. Shielding tensor components are also reported. Density functional calculations were carried out for C(30)-capped and H-capped fragments which serve as model systems for the infinite (9,0) SWNT. Based on the vanishing HOMO-LUMO gap, H-capped nanotube fragments are predicted to exhibit "metallic" behavior. The (13)C chemical shift approaches a value of approximately 133 ppm for the longest fragment studied here. The C(30)-capped SWNT fragments of D(3d)/D(3h) symmetry, on the other hand, are predicted to be small-gap semiconductors just like the infinite (9,0) SWNT. The differences in successive HOMO-LUMO gaps and HOMO and LUMO energies, as well as the (13)C NMR chemical shifts, converge slightly faster with the fragment's length than for the H-capped tubes. The difference between the H-capped and C(30)-capped fragments is analyzed in some detail. The results indicate that (at least at lengths currently accessible to quantum chemical computations) the H-capped systems represent less suitable models for the (9,0) SWNT because of pronounced artifacts due to their finite length. From our calculations for the C(30)-capped fragments, the chemical shift of a carbon atom in the (9,0) SWNT is predicted to be about 130 ppm. This value is in reasonably good agreement with experimental estimates for the (13)C chemical shift in SWNTs.