Composition-induced structural transitions in mixed Lennard-Jones clusters: global reparametrization and optimization

As extended benchmarks to global cluster structure optimization methods, we provide a first systematic point of entry into the world of strongly mixed rare gas clusters. A new set of generalized Lennard-Jones pair potentials is generated for this purpose, by fitting them to high-end ab initio reference data. Employing these potentials in our genetic algorithm-based global structure optimization framework, we examined various systems from binary to quinary mixtures of atom types. A central result from this study is that the famous fcc structure for 38 atoms can survive for certain binary mixtures but appears to be prone to collapsing into the dominating icosahedral structure, which we observed upon introduction of one single atom of a ternary type.     

A machine learning technique toward generating minimum energy structures of small boron clusters

The search for a global minimum related to molecular electronic structure and chemical bonding has received wide attention based on some theoretical calculations at various levels of theory. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm and modified PSO have been used to predict the energetically stable/metastable states associated with a given chemical composition. Out of a variety of techniques such as genetic algorithm, basin hopping, simulated annealing, PSO, and so on, PSO is considered to be one of the most suitable methods due to its various advantages over others. We use a swarm‐intelligence based parallel code to improve a PSO algorithm in a multidimensional search space augmented by quantum chemical calculations on gas phase structures at 0 K without any symmetry constraint to obtain an optimal solution. Our currently employed code is interfaced with Gaussian software for single point energy calculations. The code developed here is shown to be efficient. Small population size (small cluster) in the multidimensional space is actually good enough to get better results with low computational cost than the typical larger population. But for larger systems also the analysis is possible. One can try with a large number of particles as well. We have also analyzed how arbitrary and random structures and the local minimum energy structures gravitate toward the target global minimum structure. At the same time, we compare our results with that obtained from other evolutionary techniques.     

Low‐energy structures of benzene clusters with a novel accurate potential surface

The benzene‐benzene (Bz‐Bz) interaction is present in several chemical systems and it is known to be crucial in understanding the specificity of important biological phenomena. In this work, we propose a novel Bz‐Bz analytical potential energy surface which is fine‐tuned on accurate ab initio calculations in order to improve its reliability. Once the Bz‐Bz interaction is modeled, an analytical function for the energy of the clusters may be obtained by summing up over all pair potentials. We apply an evolutionary algorithm (EA) to discover the lowest‐energy structures of clusters (for ), and the results are compared with previous global optimization studies where different potential functions were employed. Besides the global minimum, the EA also gives the structures of other low‐lying isomers ranked by the corresponding energy. Additional ab initio calculations are carried out for the low‐lying isomers of and clusters, and the global minimum is confirmed as the most stable structure for both sizes. Finally, a detailed analysis of the low‐energy isomers of the n = 13 and 19 magic‐number clusters is performed. The two lowest‐energy isomers show S₆ and C₃ symmetry, respectively, which is compatible with the experimental results available in the literature. The structures reported here are all non‐symmetric, showing two central Bz molecules surrounded by 12 nearest‐neighbor monomers in the case of the five lowest‐energy structures. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Generation and characterization of low‐energy structures in atomic clusters

Factors relevant for controlling the structures determined in the local optimization of argon clusters are investigated. In particular, the role of volume and shape for the box where initial structures are generated is assessed. A thorough characterization of the optimization is also presented, based on a nearest‐neighbor analysis, in clusters ranging from 30 to 55 atoms. This includes the assessment of the degree of preservation of aspects of the initial randomly generated structure in the final optimized counterpart, and the correlation between optimized energy and the number of nearest neighbors and average departure from the diatomic reference distance. The usefulness of this analysis to explore the energy landscape of atomic clusters is also highlighted. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Theoretical study of spectroscopic constants and molecular properties of rare‐gas diatomic cations

Ab initio and density functional methods are applied to study the spectroscopic constants and molecular properties of the diatomic cations He, Ne, Ar, HeNe⁺, and HeAr⁺. Among these cations, HeAr⁺ is found to be weakly bound and its spectroscopic constants are calculated using the Lennard‐Jones potential. The other molecules that are strongly bound obey Morse potential, and their spectroscopic constants are calculated accordingly. The calculated spectroscopic constants agree very well with the theoretical and experimental values wherever available. Most of the spectroscopic constants and molecular properties are reported for the first time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Spectroscopic constants and molecular properties of rare‐gas diatomic molecule in Lennard‐Jones potential: Ab initio and density functional study

Ab initio and density functional theory (DFT) are applied to study the spectroscopic constants, molecular properties, and nature of force between two rare gas atoms of the weakly bound diatomic molecules He₂, Ne₂, Ar₂, HeNe, and HeAr in the Lennard‐Jones potential. A simple method is developed to calculate the spectroscopic constants of these molecules. The calculated spectroscopic constants and molecular properties agree very well with the experimental and theoretical results wherever available. Most of the spectroscopic constants and molecular properties are reported for the first time. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

A topological method for global optimization of clusters: application to (TiO2)n (n = 1-6)

A new topological method is presented to generate the isomer structures of compound clusters with well defined covalent bonds. This method, combined with density functional theory, has been used to perform global optimization of (TiO(2))(n) (n = 1-6) clusters. Our comprehensive search not only reproduces all of the known lowest-energy structures reported in previous works but also reveals some new low-energy structures. Some energetically unfavorable motifs that induce energy penalties are obtained and discussed. Based on the ground state structures of the anionic (TiO(2))(n). clusters, the electron affinities and photoelectron spectra are simulated and compared with available experimental data.     

Ionized water clusters,n = 2 to 6: A high-accuracy study of structures and energetics

Ionized water clusters, , have been of remarkable interest owing to their crucial roles in many chemical and biological processes. Small cationic water clusters , n = 2 to 6 serve as reasonable models for understanding the nature of the ionized water. In this study, employing high-level ab initio quantum chemical methods, such as the density-fitted orbital-optimized linearized coupled-cluster doubles (DF-OLCCD), coupled-cluster singles and doubles (CCSD), and coupled-cluster singles and doubles with perturbative triples [CCSD(T)], a high-accuracy study of structures and energetics for cationic water clusters [, n = 2-6] is presented. In this study, 2 dimer, 8 trimer, 18 tetramer, 23 pentamer, and 25 hexamer clusters are reported. Most of the structures considered are reported for the first time. Relative, binding, and vertical attachment energies (VAEs), for the first time, are presented at the complete basis set (CBS) limit, extrapolating energies of the aug-cc-pVTZ and aug-cc-pVQZ basis sets, to provide the most accurate energetics to date. Our results demonstrate that as cluster size increases, the VAE value decreases, which indicates that large-size clusters better compensate for the electron deficiency compared with small-size clusters. The VAE values for pentamer and hexamer clusters are 118.5 to 165.5 and 121.9 to 153.7 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. Further, our binding energy results, at the CCSD(T)/CBS level, indicate strong bindings in cationic clusters due to hydrogen bond interactions. The average binding energy per water molecule varies from −16.6 to −21.8 kcal mol⁻¹ for the clusters considered. Hence, we present the most extensive and accurate study on ionized water clusters to date. Further, our results indicate that the DF-OLCCD method is very promising for ionic molecular clusters, and its accuracy approaches the CCSD(T) quality. The inexpensive analytic gradients of DF-OLCCD, compared with CCSD(T), make it very helpful for high-accuracy studies of molecular geometries.     

Theoretical prediction for the structures of gas phase lithium oxide clusters: (Li2O)n (n = 1–8)

We apply genetic algorithm combining directly with density functional method to search the potential energy surface of lithium‐oxide clusters (Li₂O)_n up to n = 8. In (Li₂O)_n (n = 1–8) clusters, the planar structures are found to be global minimum up to n = 2, and the global minimum structures are all three‐dimensional at n ≥ 3. At n ≥ 4, the tetrahedral unit (TU) is found in most of the stable structures. In the TU, the central Li is bonded with four O atoms in sp³ interactions, which leads to unusual charge transformation, and the probability of the central Li participating in the bonding is higher by adaptive natural density partitioning analysis, so the central Li is in particularly low positive charge. At large cluster size, distortion of structures is viewed, which breaks the symmetry and may make energy higher. The global minimum structures of (Li₂O)₂, (Li₂O)₆, and (Li₂O)₇ clusters are the most stable magic numbers, where the first one is planar and the later both have stable structural units of tetrahedral and C_4v. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An investigation on the structure,spectroscopy, and thermodynamic aspects of clusters: A combined Parallel tempering and DFT based study

The problem of identifying low-energy structures of (n = 1-6) was investigated, and the evaluation of important properties like heat capacity, solvation energy, and vertical detachment energy for each of the clusters was carried out. The problem was handled at two different theoretical levels. First, an adequately chosen empirical potential energy surface was used to account for the major interactions between the constituents of the cluster studied. Once the surface was chosen, the Parallel tempering algorithm was employed to search out the low-energy critical points on this surface, which gave geometries at this level. To refine the structures further, these pre-optimized structures were used as inputs for quantum chemical evaluation to complete the final refinement. To check whether the structures found were reasonable, sensitive properties like heat capacity, solvation energy, and vertical detachment energy were calculated. Then, an effort was made to understand and explain the variations in these properties with change in the cluster size. To understand the process of cluster formation further, thermodynamic aspects like △H (298.15 K), △G (298.15 K), and heat capacity (C_v) changes were also evaluated. Infrared spectroscopic features were also studied to see whether the introduction of the ion caused reasonable shifts compared to a pure water cluster.     

Gas‐phase reactions of SiHn+ (n = 1,2) with NF3: A computational investigation on the detailed mechanistic aspects

The mechanism of the gas‐phase reactions of SiH_n⁺ (n = 1,2) with NF₃ were investigated by ab initio calculations at the MP2 and CAS‐MCSCF level of theory. In the reaction of SiH⁺, the kinetically relevant intermediates are the two isomeric forms of fluorine‐coordinated intermediate HSi‐F‐NF₂⁺. These species arise from the exoergic attack of SiH⁺ to one of the F atoms of NF₃ and undergo two competitive processes, namely an isomerization and subsequent dissociation into SiF⁺ + HNF₂, and a singlet‐triplet crossing so to form the spin‐forbidden products HSiF⁺ + NF₂. The reaction of SiH₂⁺ with NF₃ involves instead the concomitant formation of the nitrogen‐coordinated complex H₂Si‐NF₃⁺ and of the fluorine‐coordinated complex H₂Si‐F‐NF₂⁺. The latter isomer directly dissociates into NF₂⁺ + H₂SiF, whereas the former species preferably undergoes the passage through a conical intersection point so to form a H₂SiF‐NF₂⁺ isomer, which eventually dissociates into H₂SiF⁺ and NF₂. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Optimizing the formula of rare earth‐bearing materials: A computational chemistry investigation

We present a computational investigation into the nature of bonds formed by rare earth elements (REE) in materials. This study focuses on the incorporation of neodymium in minerals called apatites, which are derived from fluorapatite: Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆F₂. These minerals, which allow many substitutions on all three Ca, P, and F sites, are considered as potential host phases for radioactive elements separated from nuclear waste. Nd and trivalent actinides have very similar physical and chemical properties, and Nd is not radioactive and much more easily handled. It is therefore very often used as a surrogate for actinides with oxidation degree three in experimental studies. Several formulas can be considered to substitute Nd³⁺ to Ca²⁺ and maintain charge balance of the apatite. Existing experimental and theoretical studies, however, mostly concern the Ca₉Nd(PO₄)₅SiO₄F₂ formula, where the Nd incorporation is compensated by the replacement of one PO by a SiO group. Moreover, only the cation position has been studied, whereas the silicate position and its influence on stability are unknown. We present a more general investigation of possible charge compensations on the one hand, and of the various resulting configurations on the other. All possible configurations of the two formulas Ca₉Nd(PO₄)₅ SiO₄F₂ and Ca₈NdNa(PO₄)₆F₂ have been considered. Calculations have been performed within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). A computation scheme that permits good accuracy in these systems within reasonable computation times is determined. The results obtained for cohesion energies, geometries, and electronic densities are discussed. As for the formulation, it is shown that the Ca₈NdNa(PO₄)₆F₂ formula is less stable than the fluorapatite, while Ca₉Nd(PO₄)₅ SiO₄F₂ is more stable. For the structures, it is found that Nd substitutes preferably in the second cationic site. Moreover, the most stable structures exhibit the shortest Na–Nd or Nd–Si distances. Local charge balance therefore seems favorable. Then, it is shown that Nd forms covalent bonds both in apatite and in britholite, while Na forms ionic bonds. Finally, a first correlation between the material stability and the covalent character of the bonds formed is established. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Simulated tempering based on global balance or detailed balance conditions: Suwa–Todo,heat bath,and Metropolis algorithms

Simulated tempering (ST) is a useful method to enhance sampling of molecular simulations. When ST is used, the Metropolis algorithm, which satisfies the detailed balance condition, is usually applied to calculate the transition probability. Recently, an alternative method that satisfies the global balance condition instead of the detailed balance condition has been proposed by Suwa and Todo. In this study, ST method with the Suwa–Todo algorithm is proposed. Molecular dynamics simulations with ST are performed with three algorithms (the Metropolis, heat bath, and Suwa–Todo algorithms) to calculate the transition probability. Among the three algorithms, the Suwa–Todo algorithm yields the highest acceptance ratio and the shortest autocorrelation time. These suggest that sampling by a ST simulation with the Suwa–Todo algorithm is most efficient. In addition, because the acceptance ratio of the Suwa–Todo algorithm is higher than that of the Metropolis algorithm, the number of temperature states can be reduced by 25% for the Suwa–Todo algorithm when compared with the Metropolis algorithm. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Effect of substituent polarity,bulk, and substitution site toward enhancing gas permeation in dibromohexafluorobisphenol‐a based polyarylates

The gas permeation properties of polyarylates were tuned by varying nature and site of substituents present on both of its monomers, viz., bisphenol and dicarboxylic acid. The phenyl rings of hexafluorobisphenol‐A were substituted in asymmetric manner by polar bromine to obtain dibromohexafluorobisphenol‐A. This bisphenol was polymerized with equimolar mixture of iso‐ and terephthalic acid (base case), bromo‐ and nitroterephthalic acid (polar group substituted acids), 4,4′‐hexafluoroisopropylidene bis(benzoic acid), and t‐butyl isophthalic acid (bulky group containing acids). Physical properties and gas permeation properties of these polyarylates were investigated to assess combined effects of asymmetric nature of bisphenol substitution, polar nature of substituent bromine, hexafluoroisopropylidene group present at the bridge position of bisphenol, and substituent present on the acid moiety. The combination of these substituent types led these polyarylates to lie near Robeson upper bound. The gas sorption analysis and estimation of diffusivity in these polyarylates shed a light on observed variations in gas permeation properties by attempted structural variations. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 3156–3168, 2007     

Specific fragmentation of the K‐shell excited/ionized pyridine derivatives studied by electron impact: 2‐, 3‐ and 4‐methylpyridine

Fragmentation of the pyridine ring upon K‐shell excitation/ionization has been studied with gaseous 2‐, 3‐ and 4‐methylpyridine by the electron‐impact method. Ab initio molecular orbital (MO) calculations were also carried out to explore electronic states correlating with specific fragments. Some specific fragmentation channels were identified from the ionic fragments enhanced characteristically at the N 1s edge. Yields of the C₂HN⁺ and C₅H₅⁺/C₅H₆⁺ ions show that the fission of the N? C2 and C4? C5/C5? C6 bonds of the ring is likely to occur after the N 1s excitation and ionization. Ab initio MO calculations for the 2‐methylpyridine molecule indicate that the dissociation channels to produce these ions are only accessible through the excited states of the parent molecular dication, which can be formed by Auger decays after the N 1s ionization. Fragment ions via hydrogen rearrangement are produced as well, but the rearrangement is not a phenomenon specific to the K‐shell excitation/ionization. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A real‐time Mooney‐viscosity prediction model of the mixed rubber based on the Independent Component Regression‐Gaussian Process algorithm

With the rapid development of rubber industry, it becomes more and more important to improve the performance of the quality control system of rubber mixing process. Unfortunately, the large measurement time delay of Mooney viscosity, one of the most important quality parameters of mixed rubber, badly blocks the further development of the issue. The independent component regression‐Gaussian process (ICR‐GP) algorithm is used to solve such typical nonlinear “black‐box” regression problem for the first time to predict Mooney viscosity. In the ICR‐GP method, the non‐Gaussian information is extracted by the independent component regression method firstly, and then the residual Gaussian information is extracted by the Gaussian process method. Meanwhile, both the linear and nonlinear relationships between the input and output variables can be extracted through the ICR‐GP method. With the fact that there is no need to optimize parameters, the ICR‐GP method is especially suitable for “black‐box” regression problems. The highest prediction accuracy was achieved at M = 0.8765 (the root mean square error), which was high enough considering the measuring accuracy (M = ±0.5) of the Mooney viscometer. It is by using the online‐measured rheological parameters as the input variables that the measurement time delay of Mooney viscosity could be dramatically decreased from about 240 to 2 min. Consequently, such Mooney‐viscosity prediction model is very helpful for the development of the rubber mixing process, especially of the emerging one‐step rubber mixing technique. The practical applications performed on the rubber mixing process in a large‐scale tire factory strongly proved the outstanding regression performance of this ICR‐GP Mooney‐viscosity prediction model. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Syntheses and gas transport properties of polyarylates based on isophthalic and terephthalic acids and mixtures of bisphenol A and 1, 1 bi‐2‐naphthol

Polyarylates based on isophthalic (IA) and terephthalic (TA) acids and an equimolar mixture of the diols Bisphenol A (BPA) and 1,1 bi‐2‐naphthol (BN) were synthesized to produce BPA‐BN/IA and BPA‐BN/TA polymers and to measure their gas permeability coefficients, P(i), at several pressures and 35 °C, to the gases O₂, N₂, CH₄, and CO₂. For the BPA‐BN/IA membranes, at a 2 atm up‐stream pressure, the P(O₂) and P(CO₂) are 0.93 and 4.0 Barrers with O₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ ideal separation factors of 6.7 and 27. For the BPA‐BN/TA, at a 2 atm up‐stream pressure, the P(O₂) and P(CO₂) are 2.0 and 9.9 Barrers with O₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ ideal separation factors of 5.6 and 21. Comparing the selectivity–permeability balance of properties shown by the BPA/TA membranes with that shown by the copolymer BPA‐BN/TA, the balance moves in the direction of higher selectivity and lower permeability because of the incorporation of BN, which is a more rigid monomer than BPA. However, when the balance of properties for the pair O₂/N₂ shown by BPA‐BN/TA is compared with the one shown by other membranes such as those based on mixtures of diols and diacids, that is the bisphenol A‐naphthalene/I‐T polymers reported in the literature, the balance moves up and to the right of the typical selectivity–permeability trade‐off observed in the BPA‐polyarylate family. Thus, simultaneous incorporations of flexible and rigid monomers in both the diols and the diacids lead to more productive and more selective membranes. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 256–263, 2006