Density functional study of zigzag BN nanotubes with equivalent ends

A density functional theory (DFT) study was performed on representative model of zigzag boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) with equivalent ends. Two models of (6,0) BNNTs were considered in the calculations in which a belt composed of carbon atoms was substituted instead of boron and nitrogen atoms in the middle of the nanotube. Hence, model 1 was created with two equivalent B-ends and model 2 was created with two equivalent N-ends. The optimization process and also the calculated electric field gradient (EFG) tensors in two models of BNNT remarkably revealed that the electronic structure properties of those nuclei located at the end of nanotube are duplicated in the considered models of BNNTs. The calculations were performed at the level BLYP method and 6-31G* standard basis set using GAUSSIAN 98 package of program.     

Density functional theory calculations of nuclear quadrupole coupling constants with calibrated 14N quadrupole moments

Density functional calculations of the electric field gradient tensor at the nitrogen nucleus in 13 test molecules, containing 14 nitrogen sites, have been performed using the linear combination of Gaussian-type orbital Kohn-Sham density functional theory (LCGTO-KSDFT) approach. Local and gradient corrected functionals were used for all-electron calculations. All the molecular structures were optimized at their respective levels of theory with extended basis sets. Calibrated ¹⁴N nuclear quadrupole moments were obtained through a fitting procedure between calculated electric field gradients and experimental nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of the test set of molecules for each basis set and functional considered. With these calibrated ¹⁴N nuclear quadrupole moments, the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of the following selected systems were determined: fluoromethylisonitrile, pyridine, pyrrole, imadazole, pyrazole, 1,8-bis(dimethyl-amino)naphthalene, cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine, cocaine and heroin.     

第一性原理研究电场对BN纳米管电子结构的影响

采用基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算研究了电场对BN纳米管的电子结构的影响.首先对在不同电场强度下的纳米管几何结构进行了优化,可以看出纳米管沿轴方向层间距出现了不规则的变化.电子能带结构显示,在电场作用下,zigzag型和armchair型两种结构纳米管的能带向低能方向移动,并且导致纳米管的带隙有显著的减小.电场使得armchair型纳米管的带隙发生了从间接带隙向直接带隙的转变.在电场作用下,纳米管的两端态密度呈现出明显的差异,正负电荷沿轴向出现了沿轴向的空间分离,Mulliken电荷分布图揭示出最高占据轨道和最低未占据轨道分居在纳米管的两端.     

Effect of intrinsic defects on the electronic structure of BN nanotubes

The effect of intrinsic defects on the electronic structure of boron-nitrogen nanotubes (5, 5) and (9, 0) is investigated by the method of linearized associated cylindrical waves. Nanotubes with extended defects of substitution N _B of a boron atom by a nitrogen atom and, vice versa, nitrogen by boron BN with an impurity concentration of 1.5 to 5% are considered. It is shown that the presence of such defects significantly affects the band structure of boron-nitrogen nanotubes. A defect band D^π(B, N) is formed in the bandgap, which sharply reduces the width of the gap. The presence of impurities also affects the valence band: the widths of s, sp, and p_π bands change and the gap between s and sp bands is partially filled. These effects may be detected experimentally by, e.g., optical and photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Influence of isoelectronic impurities on the electronic structure of BN nanotubes

Via the example of a (5, 5) boron-nitrogen armchair nanotube, the influence of isoelectronic substitutional impurities on the electronic structure of BN nanotubes has been investigated with the use of linear augmented cylindrical waves. The treatment is based on the local density approximation and the muffin-tin approximation for the electron potential. In this method, the electronic spectrum of a system is governed by the free motion of electrons in the interatomic space between cylindrical barriers and the electron scattering on atomic centers. It has been found that the substitution of one atom of N by P leads to the splitting of all twofold degenerate bands by 0.2 eV on average, a decrease in the energy gap from 3.5 to 2.8 eV, the separation of the s(P) band from the high-energy region of the s(B, N) band, as well as to the formation of the impurity π(P) and π*(P) bands, which form the valence-band top and conduction-band bottom in the doped system. The influence of an As atom on the electronic structure of (5, 5) BN nanotubes is qualitatively similar to the case of phosphorus, but the energy gap is smaller by 0.5 eV. The optical gap in the nanotubes is closed due to the effect of the Sb atom impurity. A substitution of one B atom by an Al atom results in the strong perturbation of the band structure and the energy gap in this case is only 1.6 eV in contrast to the weak indium-induced perturbation of the band structure of the BN nanotube. In the latter case, the energy gap is 2.9 eV. The above effects can be detected by the optical and photoelectron spectroscopy methods, as well as by measuring the electrical properties of the nanotubes. They can be used to create electronic devices based on boron-nitrogen nanotubes.     

Structural and electronic properties of the TiC nanotubes: Density functional-based tight binding calculations

Atomic models of the hypothetical single- and multi-walled cylindrical- and prismatic-like TiC nanotubes have been constructed and their structural and electronic properties have been studied by means of density functional-based tight binding (DFTB) method. The electronic bands, densities of states and binding energies are analyzed as a function of the TiC tubes sizes. Our calculations showed that TiC nanotubes are semiconducting, in contrary to the metallic-like crystalline TiC, and the band gaps tend to vanish as the number of tube walls increase.     

Optimization of the calculations of the electronic structure of carbon nanotubes

A method is proposed for calculating the electronic structure and physical properties (in particular, Young’s modulus) of nanotubes, including single-walled carbon nanotubes. This method explicitly accounts for the periodic boundary conditions for the geometric structure of nanotubes and makes it possible to decrease considerably (by a factor of 10–10³) the time needed to calculate the electronic structure with minimum error. In essence, the proposed method consists in changing the geometry of the structure by partitioning nanotubes into sectors with the introduction of the appropriate boundary conditions. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce substantially the size of the unit cell of the nanotube in two dimensions, so that the number of atoms in a new unit cell of the modified nanotube is smaller than the number of atoms in the initial unit cell by a factor equal to an integral number. A decrease in the unit cell size and the corresponding decrease in the number of atoms provide a means for drastically reducing the computational time, which, in turn, substantially decreases with an increase in the degree of partition, especially for nanotubes with large diameters. The results of the calculations performed for carbon and non-carbon (boron nitride) nanotubes demonstrate that the electronic structures, densities of states, and Young’s moduli determined within the proposed approach differ insignificantly from those obtained by conventional computational methods.     

A DFT studies of structural and quadrupole coupling constants properties in C-doped BeO nanotubes

In the framework of density functional theory (DFT), we calculated the electronic structures and the quadrupole coupling constants (CQ) in the pristine and carbon doped (C-doped) beryllium oxide nanotubes (BeONTs) for the first time. The pristine and C-doped forms of representative (10, 0) zigzag and (5, 5) armchair models of BeONTs were considered in this study. The structures are allowed to relax by performing all atomic optimization. Formation energies indicate that C-doping of Be atom (CBe form) could be more favorable than C-doping of O atom (CO form) in both zigzag and armchair BeONTs. Gap energies and dipole moments detected the effects of dopant in the (5, 5) armchair models; however, those parameters did not detect any significant changes in the C-doped (10, 0) zigzag BeONT models. The calculated nuclear quadrupole coupling constant for the Be and O nuclei reveal that the pristine models can be divided into layers of nuclei with an equivalent electrostatic environment such that those nuclei at the ends of tubes end up in a strong electrostatic environment when compared to the other nuclei along the length of tubes. Comparison with the available data on the pristine BeONTs reveals the influence of C-doping on the CQ parameters of Be and O atoms in the C-doped structures. For most lattice sites, the degree of influence on the CQ parameters of the zigzag model is larger than that of the armchair model. The calculations were performed based on the B3LYP DFT method and 6-31G^∗ standard basis sets using the Gaussian 09 program package.     

Magnetic and electronic properties of zigzag BN nanoribbons with nonmetallic atom terminations: A first-principles study

The boron nitride (BN) nanosheet is an isostructural analog of graphene and can be viewed as the structure that C atoms in graphene are replaced with alternating B and N. The easily modulated band-gap of BN nanosheet by simply passivating its edge(s) makes it is promising for many potential applications in nanodevices and nanoelectronics. We further systematically theoretically study the magnetic and electronic properties of passivated-ZBNNR by nonmetallic atom(s), here. According to our calculations, all considered structures show magnetic feature, and the ZBNNRs can be metal or half-metal or semiconductor depending on the termination details. The great application-potential of the passivated-ZBNNRs is further confirmed based on our results.     

Domain boundaries in silicene:Density functional theory calculations on electronic properties

By using density functional theory(DFT)-based first-principles calculations, the structural stability and electronic properties for two kinds of silicene domain boundaries, forming along armchair edge and zigzag edge, have been investigated. The results indicate that a linkage of tetragonal and octagonal rings(4|8) appears along the armchair edge, while a linkage of paired pentagonal and octagonal rings(5|5|8) appears along the zigzag edge. Different from graphene, the buckling properties of silicene lead to two mirror symmetrical edges of silicene line-defect. The formation energies indicate that the 5|5|8 domain boundary is more stable than the 4|8 domain boundary. Similar to graphene, the calculated electronic properties show that the 5|5|8 domain boundaries exhibit metallic properties and the 4|8 domain boundaries are half-metal.Both domain boundaries create the perfect one-dimensional(1D) metallic wires. Due to the metallic properties, these two kinds of nanowires can be used to build the silicene-based devices.     

Density functional study of the electronic structure and properties of lithium intercalated graphite

Ab initio electronic-structure calculations are performed using density functional theory (DFT) with polarized basis set (LanL2DZ and 6-311G⁺⁺) within the spin polarized generalized gradient approximation for lithium intercalated graphite. Initially different benzene-Li⁺ model clusters are optimized on the basis of their total energy at room temperature. These model clusters are used to calculate the optimized structure of lithium intercalated graphite clusters. The resultant optimized structures are used to calculate dipole moment, ionization potential (IP), electron affinity (EA), binding energy (BE) and vibrational spectra (IR and Raman). For an idea of the band gap of the clusters in the ground state, the HOMO-LUMO gap (ΔE_g) has been calculated. To compare the electron transfer ability of different clusters, chemical potential (μ), hardness (η) and their ratio for different clusters have also been determined.     

Variation of the electronic properties of zigzag boron nitride nanotubes by Al-doping: a DFT study

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are semiconductors with a wide band gap. In comparison with carbon nanotubes (CNTs), BNNTs have higher chemical stability, excellent mechanical properties and higher thermal conductivity. In this paper, we study the effect of diameters and substituting B and N atoms of various zigzag BNNTs with Al, on structural and electronic properties of BNNTs in solid state using the density functional theory method. The results of calculations of density of states and band structure (band) showed that the band gap between the valence and conduction level increases as a result of the enhancement of tube diameter of BNNTs. Finally, the results showed that the electronic properties of the pristine BNNTs can be improved by doping Al atom in the zigzag configuration of tubes.     

Refined quantum chemical calculations of deuterium quadrupole coupling constants and their contribution to the resolution of experimental ambiguities

Previously, a special basis set for the ab initio SCF calculation of deuterium quadrupole coupling constants was developed. Here it was applied to the acetylenes DCCH, DCCCH₃, DCCCl, DCCF, and DCCCN to resolve an experimental ambiguity. The calculated values are consistently larger than the experimental values by about 10 kHz but are otherwise in good agreement, except for the case of a beam maser measurement for DCCCH₃ which should be checked.     

含铀化合物UAl3和USn3电子结构的密度泛函研究

用第一性原理的全势能LMTO密度泛函能带计算方法研究了具有简单立方Cu3Au结构的含U化合物UX3(X=Al,Sn)的电子结构.对于重原子U的相对论效应,除了用标量相对论加以修正外,还加入了自旋-轨道耦合的修正.研究结果定性地说明了由于不同的交换关联电子势场的作用,在这两种结构相同的含U合金中,U的5f电子态具有完全不同的性质,即在UAl3和USn3中U的5f态分别表现为巡游扩展态和局域态行为,通过Stuttgart-fatband分析,定量地对上述结论予以佐证.同时,还解决了现存的有关理论研究之间的分歧,得出了与实验结果更为相符的上述两种含U合金体系电子结构的计算结果.     

Density functional study on the electronic properties of ZnS:Te

We performed density functional calculations on the electronic properties of zincblende ZnS with various impurities and defects involved. Our extensive calculations do not provide straightforward support for Te isoelectronic center being the origin for the high photoluminescence observed in the ZnS:Te system, while Te anti-site may be a possibility.     

Microwave spectrum,structure, dipole moment,and quadrupole coupling constants of isopropylamine

The microwave spectra of (CH₃)₂CHNH₂, (CH₃)₂CHNHD, and (CH₃)₂CHND₂ have been assigned and analyzed. Only c-type, R-branch transitions were identified. The observed spectra correspond to the trans rotamer, as shown by planar moments, the deuterium isotope effect, dipole moment components, and the N quadrupole coupling constants. The CN bond distance is shorter than that observed in methyl amine, as expected, and significantly longer than that in the analogous closed-ring compound cyclopropylamine.     

Electronic structure of arsabenzene: Microwave spectrum,dipole moment,and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants

The microwave spectrum of arsabenzene was analyzed; a dipole transitions were observed. The following rotational constants were obtained; A = 4871.03 ± 0.18 MHz, B = 2295.87 ± 0.01 MHz, C = 1560.10 ± 0.01 MHz. The dipole moment was 1.10 ± 0.04 D. The nuclear quadrupole coupling constants due to the ⁷⁵As nucleus were χ_aa = ?186.4 ± 0.1 MHz, χ_bb = 43.5 ± 0.2 MHz, χ_cc = 142.9 ± 0.2 MHz, and the asymmetry parameter, η = 0.533 ± 0.002. Analysis of the quadrupole coupling constants indicated that the population of the 4p orbitals on arsenic decrease in the order n_a > n_b > n_c.     

Microwave spectrum,molecular structure,and nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of 3-bromopropene

The microwave spectra of the two ⁷⁹Br and ⁸¹Br isotopic species of 3-bromopropene were measured in the frequency region 14–23 GHz. The R and Q branches for a- and b-type rotational transitions of one conformer, skew, have been assigned and the rotational constants of the ground state have been determined to be A = 19 247.56 MHz, B = 1975.339 MHz, and C = 1914.761 MHz for ⁷⁹Br species, and A = 19 234.26 MHz, B = 1961.417 MHz, and C = 1901.563 MHz for ⁸¹Br species, respectively. By the analysis of the second-order perturbation treatment of the quadrupole interaction, it is found that the χ_ab element of the χ tensor primarily contributes to the anomalous hyperfine splittings. The matrix elements of products of direction cosines in terms of the symmetric top wavefunctions have been derived. The nuclear quadrupole coupling constants have been determined χ_aa = 384.2 MHz, χ_bb = ?71.9 MHz, χ_cc = ?276.3 MHz, and |χ_ab| = 358.7 MHz for ⁷⁹Br species and χ_aa = 283.2 MHz, χ_bb = ?55.6 MHz, χ_cc = ?227.6 MHz, and |χ_ab| = 296.0 MHz for ⁸¹Br species.     

Zigzag型石墨纳米带电子结构和输运性质的第一性原理研究

采用第一性原理电子结构和输运性质计算研究了zigzag型单层石墨纳米带(具有armchair 边缘)的电子结构和输运性质及其边缘空位缺陷效应. 研究发现,完整边缘的zigzag型石墨纳米带是具有一定能隙的半导体带,边缘空位缺陷的存在使得纳米带能隙变小,且缺陷浓度越大,能隙越小,并发生了半导体-金属转变. 利用这些研究结果,将有助于在能带工程中实现其电子结构裁剪. 关键词： 石墨纳米带 空位缺陷 电子结构 输运性质