First-principles local density approximation + U and generalized gradient approximation + U study of plutonium oxides

The electronic structure and properties of PuO2 and Pu2O3 have been studied from first principles by the all-electron projector-augmented-wave method. The local density approximation+U and the generalized gradient approximation+U formalisms have been used to account for the strong on-site Coulomb repulsion among the localized Pu 5f electrons. We discuss how the properties of PuO2 and Pu2O3 are affected by the choice of U as well as the choice of exchange-correlation potential. Also, oxidation reaction of Pu2O3, leading to formation of PuO2, and its dependence on U and exchange-correlation potential have been studied. Our results show that by choosing an appropriate U, it is promising to correctly and consistently describe structural, electronic, and thermodynamic properties of PuO2 and Pu2O3, which enable the modeling of redox process involving Pu-based materials possible.     

Pu3M和PuM3 (M=Ga,In, Sn,Ge)化合物的电子结构和形成热

采用全势线性缀加平面波(FPLAPW)方法, 在广义梯度近似(GGA)+自旋轨道耦合(SOC)+自旋极化(SP)下计算了具有AuCu3构型的Pu3M和PuM3 (M=Ga, In, Sn, Ge)化合物的平衡结构、电子结构和形成热. 计算的晶格常数与实验值符合得很好; 态密度分析表明Pu 和M 原子轨道间的杂化作用决定于Pu 6d-Pu 5f、Mp-Pu 6d和Msp-M sp轨道杂化之间的竞争, 而这种竞争又依赖于M的含量; 电负性差和电子杂化效应是影响Pu3M和PuM3化合物形成热和稳定性的两个重要因素, 电负性差越大, M的s、p带中心距费米能级越远, Pu3M(PuM3)化合物的形成热越负, 稳定性越高.     

Lattice defects and magnetic ordering in plutonium oxides: a hybrid density-functional-theory study of strongly correlated materials

Experimental studies of actinide oxides are challenging, and conventional electronic structure calculations fail to qualitatively reproduce the scarce data. We employ a new generation of hybrid density functionals to model a defective plutonium dioxide lattice. The procedure is first tested against stoichiometric bulk PuO2 and Pu2O3, for which predictions agree well with experiment where known. The interstitial oxygen in PuO2.25 is found to be singly charged, consistent with experimental observations and contrary to the O2- previously proposed theoretically.     

Evolution of the bipolaronic structure in going from one- to two-dimensional pi model systems

Long neutral and doubly charged oligodiacetylenes (with a maximum of 30 repeat units) as well as some of their aggregates have been studied in a semiempirical framework. By analyzing the plots of the one-electron ground-state density matrices, we have shown that the 12-units long oligomer is the borderline between two different behaviors of the electronic structure of the isolated charged systems. For oligomers shorter than this limit the bipolaronic structure is the dominant one, while for larger oligomers the polaron-pair structure is preferred. The major conclusion of this work concerns the effects of the interchain interactions in bipolaron systems, which are usually neglected in theoretical works. It is predicted that as a consequence of the latter in the bulk system a bipolaron generated on a single polymer chain will soon split into two polarons on adjacent chains.     

A Structurally Characterized Organometallic Plutonium(IV) Complex

The blood‐red plutonocene complex Pu(1,3‐COT′′)(1,4‐COT′′) ( 4 ; COT′′=η⁸‐bis(trimethylsilyl)cyclooctatetraenyl) has been synthesized by oxidation of the anionic sandwich complex Li[Pu(1,4‐COT′′)₂] ( 3 ) with anhydrous cobalt(II) chloride. The first crystal structure determination of an organoplutonium(IV) complex revealed an asymmetric sandwich structure for 4 where one COT′′ ring is 1,3‐substituted while the other retains the original 1,4‐substitution pattern. The electronic structure of 4 has been elucidated by a computational study, revealing a probable cause for the unexpected silyl group migration.     

Theoretical study of Pu and Am tetracarbide molecules

The electronic structure and ground‐state molecular properties of Pu and Am tetracarbides have been investigated by relativistic multireference calculations using CASSCF/CASPT2 theory as well as by density functional theory in conjunction with relativistic pseudopotentials. The CASSCF/CASPT2 treatment has been extended by spin–orbit coupling effects for selected species using the CAS state‐interaction method. The five atoms can form various structural isomers, from which 12 ones have been identified in our study. The electronic ground state in both molecules corresponds to a planar fan‐type structure of C_2v symmetry, in which the actinide atom is connected to a bent C₄ moiety. The other structures are much higher in energy, the ones computed in this study appear between 250 and 1050 kJ/mol. The bonding characteristics in the most relevant structures have been analyzed on the basis of the valence molecular orbitals and natural bond orbital analysis. The most stable structures have been characterized by their spectroscopic (vibrational and electron) properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Metal-metal bonding in molecular actinide compounds: electronic structure of [M2X8](2-) (M = U, Np, Pu; X = Cl, Br, I) complexes and comparison with d-block analogues

Density functional and multiconfigurational (ab initio) calculations have been performed on [M(2)X(8)](2-) (X = Cl, Br, I) complexes of 4d (Mo, Tc, Ru), 5d (W, Re, Os), and 5f (U, Np, Pu) metals in order to investigate general trends, similarities and differences in the electronic structure and metal-metal bonding between f-block and d-block elements. Multiple metal-metal bonds consisting of a combination of sigma and pi interactions have been found in all species investigated, with delta-like interactions also occurring in the complexes of Tc, Re, Np, Ru, Os, and Pu. The molecular orbital analysis indicates that these metal-metal interactions possess predominantly d(z2) (sigma), d(xz) and d(yz) (pi), or d(xy) and d(x2-y2) (delta) character in the d-block species, and f(z3) (sigma), f(z2x) and f(z2y) (pi), or f(xyz) and f(z) (delta) character in the actinide systems. In the latter, all three (sigma, pi, delta) types of interaction exhibit bonding character, irrespective of whether the molecular symmetry is D(4h) or D(4d). By contrast, although the nature and properties of the sigma and pi bonds are largely similar for the D(4h) and D(4d) forms of the d-block complexes, the two most relevant metal-metal delta-like orbitals occur as a bonding and antibonding combination in D(4h) symmetry but as a nonbonding level in D(4d) symmetry. Multiconfigurational calculations have been performed on a subset of the actinide complexes, and show that a single electronic configuration plays a dominant role and corresponds to the lowest-energy configuration obtained using density functional theory.     

Continuum electrostatics for electronic structure calculations in bulk amorphous polymers: application to polylactide

The bond rotational energy landscapes of polylactide (PLA) oligomers were estimated using electron density functional theory (DFT) at the B3LYP/6-31G** level, both in vacuo and with a self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) method to simulate the electronic environment within the condensed phase. The SCRF method was evaluated for application to polymeric systems, and we demonstrate the difficulties involved in applying the method to bulk amorphous polymers with specific attention to the selection of the solvent probe radius. In addition, rotational isomeric states (RIS) calculations were performed, showing the effect of accounting for the bulk phase reaction field on the bond rotational energetics and characteristic ratio. We conclude that present methods of accounting for bulk environments in electronic structure calculations are not well suited for use with polymeric systems, and the development of improved methods is needed in this area.     

First Preparations and Characterization of Conductive Polymer Crystalline Nanoneedles

Single crystalline nanoneedles of three families of the most studied conductive organic polymers - polythiophene, polyaniline and polypyrrole - were synthesized for the first time using an interfacial polymerization process that takes place with simultaneous crystallization. As the crystal growth is concurrent with polymerization, more ordered crystal packing can be expected. Most of the bulk conducting-polymer systems studied contains regions that are inhomogeneous. Single nanocrystals of conducting polymers have not been reported, although needle-shaped bulk crystals of the quarterphenyl cation radical salt have previously been studied. The investigation of processes in a nanodomain of a single crystal is critical in ascertaining the inherent electronic properties of polymer nanoelements. The organic conductive nanoneedles were characterized using TEM, HRTEM, electron diffraction, EDS, and EPR to establish their crystal structure and composition. Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) investigation were conducted to examine their electronic behaviors, leading to the discovery of a field-induced conductance switching with response times on the millisecond level. The switch voltages are in the range of 3 to 4 volts in STM experiments, consistent with the trend of the band gap of the three polymers. The organic conductive nanoneedles with nano-tip having high density of mobile electron may serve as interesting elements for nanoscale electronics.     

Discotic liquid crystals: a new generation of organic semiconductors

Discotic (disc-like) molecules typically comprising a rigid aromatic core and flexible peripheral chains have been attracting growing interest because of their fundamental importance as model systems for the study of charge and energy transport and due to the possibilities of their application in organic electronic devices. This critical review covers various aspects of recent research on discotic liquid crystals, in particular, molecular design concepts, supramolecular structure, processing into ordered thin films and fabrication of electronic devices. The chemical structure of the conjugated core of discotic molecules governs, to a large extent, their intramolecular electronic properties. Variation of the peripheral flexible chains and of the aromatic core is decisive for the tuning of self-assembly in solution and in bulk. Supramolecular organization of discotic molecules can be effectively controlled by the choice of the processing methods. In particular, approaches to obtain suitable macroscopic orientations of columnar superstructures on surfaces, that is, planar uniaxial or homeotropic alignment, are discussed together with appropriate processing techniques. Finally, an overview of charge transport in discotic materials and their application in optoelectronic devices is given.     

PuN基态分子势能函数与热力学函数的理论计算

在Pu的相对论有效原子实势近似和N原子6-311G*全电子基函数下,用密度泛函B3LYP方法计算得到PuN分子基态X6∑+的结构与势能函数、力常数与光谱数据.同时计算得到PuN(g)分子在298 K时的标准生成热力学函数△fH0、△S0和△fG0,分别为-487.239 kJ/mol、95.345 J/mol K和-515.6661 kJ/mol.     

Pu4+分子离子的几何构型与Jahn-Teller

It demorstrates six stable geometrical configurations of electronic states for Pu4+ using the density functional method B3LYP with relativistic effective core potentials. The most stable electronic state of Pu4+ is of the planar C2v configuration. The Jahn-Teller distortions from the configurations Pu4+(Td) and Pu4+(D4h) exist. The analysis of the relationships among these various geometrical configurations, based on the Jahn-Teller effect, vibronic interaction and the resolution of group representations, is in agreement with the calculated results.     

Energetics of Ce and Pu incorporation into zirconolite waste-forms

The General Utility Lattice Program (GULP) has been used to model the zirconolite lattice, calculate the energies of substituting Ce(3+), Ce(4+), Pu(3+), Pu(4+) and Fe(3+) into the lattice both as single and multi-defect systems and model the formation of Ce(3+), Ce(4+), Pu(3+) and Pu(4+) doped zirconolite lattices. These results have been compared against experimental observations, with particular emphasis on those Ce containing solid solutions that exhibit Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) mixed valence characteristics. It is found that the Ce(3+)/Ce(4+) mixed valence is as a result of reduction within the lattice, with the Ce(3+) being stabilised on the Ca site, and that this behaviour would not be expected for the corresponding Pu solid solutions.     

Theoretical studies of solid bicyclo-HMX: effects of hydrostatic pressure and temperature

On the basis of density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD), the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of the energetic material bicyclo-HMX have been studied. The crystal structure optimized by the LDA/CA-PZ method compares well with the experimental data. Band structure and density of states calculations indicate that bicyclo-HMX is an insulator with the band gap of ca. 3.4 eV and the N-NO(2) bond is the reaction center. The pressure effect on the bulk structure and properties has been investigated in the range of 0-400 GPa. The crystal structure and electronic character change slightly as the pressure increases from 0 to 10 GPa; when the pressure is over 10 GPa, further increment of the pressure determines significant changes of the structures and large broadening of the electronic bands together with the band gap decreasing sharply. There is a larger compression along the c-axis than along the a- and b-axes. To investigate the influence of temperature on the bulk structure and properties, isothermal-isobaric MD simulations are performed on bicyclo-HMX in the temperature range of 5-400 K. It is found that the increase of temperature does not significantly change the crystal structure. The thermal expansion coefficients calculated for the model indicate anisotropic behavior with slightly larger expansion along the a- and c-axes than along the b-axis.     

Sampling Potential Energy Surfaces in the Condensed Phase with Many-Body Electronic Structure Methods

Sampling potential energy surfaces (PES) is pivotal for understanding chemical structure, energetics and reactivity and is of special importance for complex condensed-phase systems. Until recently such simulations based on electronic structure theory have been performed only by density functional theory and semiempirical methods. Many-body electronic structure methods, almost routinely used for molecules, have been practically unavailable for sampling PES in the condensed-phase. This has changed during the last few years, as efficient algorithms and software implementations for the evaluation of electronic energies and forces on atoms have been developed, allowing for geometry optimization, molecular dynamics and Monte-Carlo simulations, which was previously unthinkable. Herein, we introduce the theory and software developments and overview the applications in the field, the most encouraging results being obtained for aqueous chemistry. Requiring state-of-the-art computer resources PES sampling with many-body electronic structure methods in the condensed phase provides high-quality benchmarks and will gradually become more available due to fast progress in reduced scaling algorithms and computational technologies.     

Estimation of trace levels of plutonium in urine samples by fission track technique

Individual monitoring of radiation workers handling Pu in various nuclear installations requires the detection of trace levels of plutonium in bioassay samples. It is necessary to develop methods that can detect urinary excretion of Pu in fraction of mBq range. Therefore, a sensitive method such as fission track analysis has been developed for the measurement of trace levels of Pu in bioassay samples. In this technique, chemically separated plutonium from the sample and a Pu standard were electrodeposited on planchettes and covered with Lexan solid state nuclear track detector (SSNTD) and irradiated with thermal neutrons in APSARA reactor of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India. The fission track densities in the Lexan films of the sample and the standard were used to calculate the amount of Pu in the sample. The minimum amount of Pu that can be analyzed by this method using doubly distilled electronic grade (E. G.) reagents is about 12 μBq/L.     

Re-examining the properties of the aqueous vapor-liquid interface using dispersion corrected density functional theory

First-principles molecular dynamics simulations, in which the forces are computed from electronic structure calculations, have great potential to provide unique insight into structure, dynamics, electronic properties, and chemistry of interfacial systems that is not available from empirical force fields. The majority of current first-principles simulations are driven by forces derived from density functional theory with generalized gradient approximations to the exchange-correlation energy, which do not capture dispersion interactions. We have carried out first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of air-water interfaces employing a particular generalized gradient approximation to the exchange-correlation functional (BLYP), with and without empirical dispersion corrections. We assess the utility of the dispersion corrections by comparison of a variety of structural, dynamic, and thermodynamic properties of bulk and interfacial water with experimental data, as well as other first-principles and force field-based simulations.     

On the ground state of Pd13

First-principles electronic structure calculations within a gradient corrected density functional formalism have been carried out to investigate the electronic structure and magnetic properties of Pd(13) clusters. It is shown that a bilayer ground-state structure that can be regarded as a relaxed bulk fragment is most compatible with the experimental results from Stern-Gerlach measurements. An icosahedral structure, considered to be the ground state in numerous previous studies, is shown to be around 0.14 eV above the ground state. A detailed analysis of the molecular orbitals reveals the near degeneracy of the bilayer or icosahedral structures is rooted in the stabilization by p- or d-like cluster orbitals. The importance of low-lying spin states in controlling the electronic and magnetic properties of the cluster is highlighted.     

The any particle molecular orbital approach: A short review of the theory and applications

The any particle molecular orbital (APMO) approach extends regular electronic structure methods to study atomic and molecular systems in which electrons and other particles are treated simultaneously as quantum waves. A number of electronic structure methodologies have been extended under the APMO framework and applied to investigate nuclear quantum effects including isotope effects and nuclear delocalization and to calculate proton binding energies and affinities. In addition, APMO methodologies have been employed to analyze physical and chemical properties of atomic and molecular systems containing exotic subatomic particles.