Characterization and surface reactivity of ferrihydrite nanoparticles assembled in ferritin

Ferrihydrite nanoparticles with nominal sizes of 3 and 6 nm were assembled within ferritin, an iron storage protein. The crystallinity and structure of the nanoparticles (after removal of the protein shell) were evaluated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). HRTEM showed that amorphous and crystalline nanoparticles were copresent, and the degree of crystallinity improved with increasing size of the particles. The dominant phase of the crystalline nanoparticles was ferrihydrite. Morphology and electronic structure of the nanoparticles were characterized by AFM and STM. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) measurements suggested that the band gap associated with the 6 nm particles was larger than the band gap associated with the 3 nm particles. Interaction of SO2(g) with the nanoparticles was investigated by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and results were interpreted with the aid of molecular orbital/density functional theory (MO/DFT) frequency calculations. Reaction of SO2(g) with the nanoparticles resulted primarily in SO(3)2- surface species. The concentration of SO3(2-) appeared to be dependent on the ferrihydrite particle size (or differences in structural properties).     

Structure and stability of molybdenum sulfide fullerenes

MoS2 nanooctahedra are believed to be the smallest stable closed-cage structures of MoS2, i.e., the genuine inorganic fullerenes. Here a combination of experiments and density functional tight binding calculations with molecular dynamics annealing are used to elucidate the structures and electronic properties of octahedral MoS2 fullerenes. Through the use of these calculations MoS2 octahedra were found to be stable beyond nMo > 100 but with the loss of 12 sulfur atoms in the six corners. In contrast to bulk and nanotubular MoS2, which are semiconductors, the Fermi level of the nanooctahedra is situated within the band, thus making them metallic-like. A model is used for extending the calculations to much larger sizes. These model calculations show that, in agreement with experiment, the multiwall nanooctahedra are stable over a limited size range of 104-105 atoms, whereupon they are converted into multiwall MoS2 nanoparticles with a quasi-spherical shape. On the experimental side, targets of MoS2 and MoSe2 were laser-ablated and analyzed mostly through transmission electron microscopy. This analysis shows that, in qualitative agreement with the theoretical analysis, multilayer nanooctahedra of MoS2 with 1000-25 000 atoms (Mo + S) are stable. Furthermore, this and previous work show that beyond approximately 105 atoms fullerene-like structures with quasi-spherical forms and 30-100 layers become stable. Laser-ablated WS2 samples yielded much less faceted and sometimes spherically symmetric nanocages.     

On the Thermodynamics and Experimental Control of Twinning in Metal Nanocrystals

This work demonstrates a new strategy for controlling the evolution of twin defects in metal nanocrystals by simply following thermodynamic principles. With Ag nanocrystals supported on amorphous SiO₂ as a typical example, we establish that twin defects can be rationally generated by equilibrating nanoparticles of different sizes through heating and then cooling. We validate that Ag nanocrystals with icosahedral, decahedral, and single‐crystal structures are favored at sizes below 7 nm, between 7 and 11 nm, and greater than 11 nm, respectively. This trend is then rationalized by computational studies based on density functional theory and molecular dynamics, which show that the excess free energy for the three equilibrium structures correlate strongly with particle size. This work not only highlights the importance of thermodynamic control but also adds another synthetic method to the ever‐expanding toolbox used for generating metal nanocrystals with desired properties.     

Structural and electronic trends among group 15 polyhedral fullerenes

We have investigated the structural and electronic characteristics of tetrahedral, octahedral, and icosahedral fullerenes composed of group 15 elements phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, and bismuth. Systematic quantum chemical studies at the DFT and MP2 levels of theory were performed to obtain periodic trends for the structural principles, stabilities, and electronic properties of the elemental nanostructures. Calibration calculations for polyhedral clusters with up to 20 atoms showed the applied theoretical approaches to be in good agreement with high-level CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ results. By studying fullerenes up to P₈₈₈, As₅₄₀, Sb₆₂₀, and Bi₆₂₀, we found their structures and stabilities to converge smoothly toward their experimental bulk counterparts. The diameters of the largest studied cages were 4.8, 3.7, 4.8, and 5.1?nm for the P, As, Sb, and Bi fullerenes, respectively. Comparisons with the experimentally known allotropes of the studied elements suggest the predicted polyhedral cages to be thermodynamically stable. All studied group 15 polyhedral fullerenes were found to be semiconducting, and density of states analysis illustrated clear periodic trends in their electronic structure. Relativistic effects become increasingly important when moving from P to Bi and taking the spin?Corbit effects into account by using a two-component procedure had a significant positive effect on the relative stability of bismuth clusters.     

Electronic and Chemical Characterization of Aluminum–Nitrogen (AlN) Substituted Fullerenes: C58AlN to C24Al12N12

Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP/6-311G*) are applied to devise a series of AlN-substituted C₆₀ fullerenes, avoiding weak homonuclear Al–Al and N–N bonds. The substitutional structures, energy gaps between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, ionization potentials, binding energies, as well as dipole moments have been systematically investigated. The band gap (HOMO–LUMO gap) is larger for all the AlN-substituted fullerenes than C₆₀. The properties of heterofullerenes, especially, the HOMO–LUMO strongly depend on the number of AlN units. Natural charge analyses indicate that doping of fullerene with AlN units exerts electronic environment diversity to the cage. High charge transfer on the surfaces of our heterofullerenes provokes more studies on their possible application for hydrogen storage.     

Polyhydroxy Fullerene-loaded ZIF-8 Nanocomposites for Better Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been received broad attentions as a cancer treatment, and fullerenes are potential photosensitizer owing to their unique electronic structures. However, fullerenes show insolubility in water for the special structure, which will induce aggregation to hinder the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, the size of fullerenes is not conducive to reach the tumors through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Herein, a polyhydroxy fullerene-loaded metal-organic framework is designed and prepared to address the mentioned problems encountering with fullerenes as photosensitizers. The nanocomposite PHF@ZIF-8, which is synthesized by a simple one-pot method, displays great biocompatibility and outstanding photodynamic performance under the 448 nm laser irradiation. This work provides strong evidence for PHF@ZIF-8 as a promising photosensitizer candidate.     

Enhancement of titanium dioxide photocatalysis by water-soluble fullerenes

Fullerenes are known for their unique electronic properties including high electron affinity. Although use of fullerenes for scavenging photo-generated electrons from titanium dioxide particles has been demonstrated, no attempts have been made to utilize the unique properties of fullerenes to increase the efficacy of photocatalysis. The present study has demonstrated that a mixture of water-soluble polyhydroxy fullerenes (PHF) and titanium dioxide (anatase polymorph) enhances photocatalytic degradation of organic dye. The PHF molecules adsorbed to the surface of titanium dioxide due to electrostatic forces, with adsorption density being higher at lower pH values. The surface coverage of titanium dioxide nanoparticles by PHF molecules determined the extent of enhancement, with an optimum dosed weight ratio of PHF to titanium dioxide at 0.001. Hydroxylation and concomitant solubilization of fullerenes allow their unique electronic properties to be harnessed for photocatalysis.     

Insertion of C50 into single-walled carbon nanotubes: Selectivity in interwall spacing and C50 isomers

The structures and electronic properties of nanoscale "peapods," i.e., C(50) fullerenes inside single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), were computationally investigated by density functional theory (DFT). Both zigzag and armchair SWCNTs with diameters larger than 1.17 nm can encapsulate C(50) fullerenes exothermically. Among the SWCNTs considered, (9,9) and (16,0) SWCNTs are the best sheaths for both D(3) and D(5h) isomers of C(50), corresponding to 0.32-0.34 nm tube-C50 distances. The orientation of C(50) inside nanotubes also affects the insertion energies, which depend on the actual tube-fullerene distances. The insertion of D(3) and D(5h) isomers of C(50) is somewhat selective; the less stable D(5h) isomer can be encapsulated more favorably inside SWCNTs at same tube-C(50) spacing. Because of the weak tube-C(50) interaction, the geometric and electronic structures of the peapods do not change greatly for the most stable configurations, but the selectivity in the interwall spacing and isomer encapsulation can be useful in separating various carbon fullerenes and their isomers.     

Probing Rapidly‐Ionizing Super‐Atom Molecular Orbitals in C60: A Computational and Femtosecond Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study

Super‐atom molecular orbitals (SAMOs) are diffuse hydrogen‐like orbitals defined by the shallow potential at the centre of hollow molecules such as fullerenes. The SAMO excited states differ from the Rydberg states by the significant electronic density present inside the carbon cage. We provide a detailed computational study of SAMO and Rydberg states and an experimental characterization of SAMO excited electronic states for gas‐phase C₆₀ molecules by photoelectron spectroscopy. A large band of 500 excited states was computed using time‐dependent density functional theory. We show that due to their diffuse character, the photoionization widths of the SAMO and Rydberg states are orders of magnitude larger than those of the isoenergetic non‐SAMO excited states. Moreover, in the range of kinetic energies experimentally measured, only the SAMO states photoionize significantly on the timescale of the femtosecond laser experiments. Single photon ionization of the SAMO states dominates the photoelectron spectrum for relatively low laser intensities. The computed photoelectron spectra and photoelectron angular distributions are in good agreement with the experimental results.     

Structure and electronic properties of deformed single-walled carbon nanotubes: quantum calculations

The electronic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) can be modified by deforming their structure under high pressure. The aim of this study was to use quantum calculations to investigate one such property, the energy band gap, in relation to molecular structures of armchair and zigzag SWCNTs of various sizes and shapes deformed by applied forces. To model the increase in pressure, the degree of flatness (η) of the SWCNTs was adjusted as the primary parameter. The calculations gave accurate C-C bond lengths of the SWCNTs in their distorted states; these distortions significantly affected the electronic properties, especially the energy band gap of the SWCNTs. These results may contribute to a more refined design of new nano-electronic devices.     

M4 @Si28 (M=Al,Ga): metal-encapsulated tetrahedral silicon fullerene

It is known that silicon fullerenes cannot maintain perfect cage structures like carbon fullerenes. Previous density-functional theory calculations have shown that even with encapsulated species, nearly all endohedral silicon fullerenes exhibit highly puckered cage structures in comparison with their carbon counterparts. In this work, we present theoretical evidences that the tetrahedral fullerene cage Si(28) can be fully stabilized by encapsulating a tetrahedral metallic cluster (Al(4) or Ga(4)). To our knowledge, this is the first predicted endohedral silicon fullerene that can retain perfectly the same cage structure (without puckering) as the carbon fullerene counterpart (T(d)-C(28) fullerene). Density-functional theory calculations also suggest that the two endohedral metallosilicon fullerenes T(d)-M(4)@Si(28) (M=Al and Ga) can be chemically stable because both clusters have a large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap ( approximately 0.9 eV), strong spherical aromaticity (nucleus-independent chemical shift value of -36 and -44), and large binding and embedding energies.     

Mechanistic and kinetic insights into size-dependent activity in ultra-small Pt/CNTs nanozymes during antibacterial process

In enzyme-like catalytic reactions, the size effect of nanoparticles has been an essential yet unclear factor for the catalytic activity of nanozymes. Moreover, the synthesis of nanozymes with controllable size and electronic structures represents a grand challenge, which limits the systemic exploration the underlying nature of their structure–property relations and practical application. In this work, we proposed a novel strategy to regulate the size of Pt (0.55 ～ 2.81 nm) by atomic layer deposition for precisely tailoring Pt-based nanozymes. The size-dependent electronic and kinetic effects have been observed for the peroxidase-like reaction and antibacterial process, revealing a volcano-type dependence of intrinsic activity on Pt nanoparticle sizes, and the optimum Pt nanoparticle size was found to be ca. 1.69 nm. A combination of kinetic study and XPS analyses, as well as multiple nanozyme characterizations, demonstrates that Pt nanoparticles with an appropriate size contribute to proper affinity to the substrates, relating to a high ratio of Pt⁰/Pt²⁺ on the surface of Pt nanoparticles, which is beneficial to obtain the excellent catalytic performance and antibacterial activity. Our work provides insights for an in-depth understanding size-dependent catalytic mechanism of nanozymes during antibacterial processes.     

以C60为媒介的网状金纳米粒子聚集体的构筑

通过全甲基化环糊精和卟啉之间的"Click"反应,合成了一种不对称环糊精修饰的卟啉衍生物,并对其结构进行了表征.该化合物与氯金酸作用可以形成平均粒径为5 nm的水溶性金纳米粒子,该金纳米粒子进一步与C60作用形成网状纳米聚集体,并通过紫外光谱和透射电子显微镜验证了聚集体的结构.     

Doping effects on structural and electronic properties of ladderanes and ladder polysilanes: a density functional theory investigation

Doping effects on the structural and electronic properties of ladderanes and ladder polysilanes have been studied using density functional theory. Two types of doping: substitution with isoelectronic atoms or heteroatoms (or radicals), have been used to design low band gap ladderanes. It is found that the B-doped [n]-ladderanes and 1,2 P-doped [n]-silaladderanes exhibit a very noticeable bent conformation, whereas the 1,2 and 1,3 N-doped ladderanes, P-doped ladderanes, and silaladderanes keep the relatively straight ladder shapes. The isoelectronic atom doping reduces the HOMO-LUMO (H-L) gaps of [n]-ladderanes but increases those of [n]-silaladderanes with n > 5. The present results show that isoelectronic atom doping is not an effective way to decrease the H-L gaps of ladderanes and silaladderanes. Heteroatom doping has a more pronounced effect than the isoelectronic atom doping. The HOMOs of heteroatom-doped ladderanes and silaladderanes are destabilized and LUMOs are stabilized, leading to significant reduction of H-L gaps. Most of the B-, N-, and P-doped [n]-silaladderanes we designed have H-L gaps below 1.5 eV. Therefore, it is expected that these silaladderanes are promising candidates of conductive or semiconductive materials. The heteroatom doping is a viable approach to reduce H-L gaps for the silaladderanes. In addition, it is found that nine different density functionals, including B3LYP, SVWN LDA, four pure GGAs, and three hybrid GGAs, as well as the time-dependent B3LYP method, all lead to the same predictions on the H-L gaps of ladderanes, silaladderanes, as well as their doped derivatives.     

The self‐consistent charge density functional tight‐binding theory study of carbon adatoms using tuned Hubbard U parameters

The self‐consistent charge density functional tight‐binding (DFTB) theory is a useful tool for realizing the electronic structures of large molecular complex systems. In this study, the electronic structure of C₆₁ formed by fullerene C₆₀ with a carbon adatom is analyzed, using the fully localized limit and pseudo self‐interaction correction methods of DFTB to adjust the Hubbard U parameter (DFTB + U). The results show that both the methods used to adjust U can significantly reduce the molecular orbital energy of occupied states localized on the defect carbon atom and improve the gap between highest occupied molecular orbital(HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital(LUMO) of C₆₁. This work will provide a methodological reference point for future DFTB calculations of the electronic structures of carbon materials.     

Joint experimental and theoretical analysis of order-disorder effects in cubic BaZrO3 assembled nanoparticles under decaoctahedral shape

Periodic first-principles calculations based on density functional theory at the B3LYP level has been carried out to investigate the photoluminescence (PL) emission of BaZrO(3) assembled nanoparticles at room temperature. The defect created in the nanocrystals and their resultant electronic features lead to a diversification of electronic recombination within the BaZrO(3) band gap. Its optical phenomena are discussed in the light of photoluminescence emission at the green-yellow region around 570 nm. The theoretical model for displaced atoms and/or angular changes leads to the breaking of the local symmetry, which is based on the refined structure provided by Rietveld methodology. For each situation a band structure, charge mapping, and density of states were built and analyzed. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, UV-vis measurements, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images are essential for a full evaluation of the crystal structure and morphology.     

Electronic and Optical Properties of Hydrogenated Si Clusters

The geometric, electronic, and photoabsorption properties of some hydrogenated silicon clusters are investigated. The density functional theory with generalized gradient approximation fimctional is applied. Our study shows that the geometric structures of them relax with their increasing sizes. Synchronously, the polarizations of Si-H bonds become weak slowly but overlap populations increase. In Mulliken population analysis, we find a distinctive passivation effect （some electrons are transferred from outer Si atoms to the central Si with four-coordinate Si atoms）. Owing to the quantum confinement, the energy gap and the lowest excitation energy increase with the decreasing sizes. For nanometer scale cluster, the transition from the highest occupied molecular orbital to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital state is usually prohibited.     

基于曲率和电子结构的掺杂C50和C70富勒烯的稳定性研究

使用密度泛函理论(DFT)-B3LYP/6-31G^*方法研究了B、N、Si、P和Co在C₅₀和C₇₀中的掺杂能和电子结构, 并基于曲率理论和电子结构探讨了掺杂富勒烯的结构稳定性. 计算结果表明, 掺杂能随着原子曲率的增大而减小, 随着掺杂物种原子半径的增大而增大, B、N、P和Co的掺杂有利于C₅₀结构的稳定, 而B和N的掺杂不利于C₇₀结构的稳定; 除了用于反映原子活性的曲率主要决定掺杂反应性, 各不等价碳原子在C₅₀和C₇₀的最高占据分子轨道(HOMO)中所占成分对掺杂能的影响也很大, 且其成分越大越有利于掺杂. 此外, 掺杂原子得失电子情况与其电负性有关. 本工作将为富勒烯结构稳定性的研究提供理论依据.     

Thorium encapsulated caged clusters of germanium: Th@Ge(n), n = 16, 18, and 20

We report from ab initio calculations that thorium encapsulation can be used to stabilize highly symmetric cages of germanium with 16 and 20 atoms. The lowest energy structures of these clusters are different from the recently found silicon fullerenes and are similar to clusters found in bulk metallic alloys. The binding energies of these clusters are higher compared with the values for the elemental germanium clusters of comparable sizes, and this suggests a strong possibility of their experimental realization in large quantities. Also, Th@Ge(16) has a large highest occupied-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gap of 1.72 eV that makes it interesting for optoelectronic applications.     

Nanoparticle films as electrodes: voltammetric sensitivity to the nanoparticle energy gap

Electron-transfer reactions of redox solutes at electrode/solution interfaces are facilitated when their formal potentials match, or are close to, the energy of an electronic state of the electrode. Metal electrodes have a continuum of electronic levels, and redox reactions occur without restraint over a wide span of electrode potentials. This paper shows that reactions on electrodes composed of films of metal nanoparticles do have constraints when the nanoparticles are sufficiently small and molecule-like so as to exhibit energy gaps, and resist electron transfers with redox solutes at potentials within the energy gap. When solute formal potentials are near the electronic states of the nanoparticles in the film, electron-transfer reactions can occur. The electronic states of the nanoparticle film electrodes are reflected in the formal potentials of the electrochemical reactions of the dissolved nanoparticles at naked metal electrodes. These ideas are demonstrated by voltammetry of aqueous solutions of the redox solutes methyl viologen, ruthenium hexammine, and two ferrocene derivatives at films on electrodes of 1.1 nm core diameter Au nanoparticles coated with protecting monolayers of phenylethanethiolate ligands. The methyl viologen solute is unreactive at the nanoparticle film electrode, having a formal potential lying in the nanoparticle's energy gap. The other solutes exhibit electron transfers, albeit slowed by the electron hopping resistance of the nanoparticle film. The nanoparticles are not linked together, being insoluble in the aqueous medium; a small amount of an organic additive (acetonitrile) facilitates observing the redox solute voltammetry.