Structured water chains in external electric fields

ABSTRACT

We study the structural, energetic and electronic properties of the structured water chain clusters within the density functional theory. We refer the structured water chains to those water clusters that have specific geometric patterns stretched along one direction. External electric field required to keep the structures open chain, thereby preventing them to form closed structures, is applied along the length of the chain. The structures are essentially periodic with basic repeating unit consisting of the corner- or edge-sharing 4-, 5- or 6-membered ring water clusters. Our calculations underscore the possible existence of such structured water clusters in the electrostatic environments, which we simulate in its simplicity employing a dipolar, uniform and static electric field. Analysis reveals that the 5-membered ring water chain clusters, i.e. the pentamer chain clusters have the lowest average dipole moment per water molecule while the threshold field, that marks the onset of the field-induced closure of the HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital)-LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) energy gap, is highest, followed by that for the tetramer and hexamer chains. The results suggest that the pentamer chains are the most stable clusters over a wide range of electric fields.     

Structure of Mg<Subscript>n</Subscript> and Mg<Stack><Subscript>n</Subscript><Superscript>+</Superscript></Stack> clusters up to n = 30

We present structure calculations of neutral and singly ionized Mg clusters of up to 30 atoms, as well as Na clusters of up to 10 atoms. The calculations have been performed using density functional theory (DFT) within the local (spin-)density approximation, ion cores are described by pseudopotentials. We have utilized a new algorithm for solving the Kohn-Sham equations that is formulated entirely in coordinate space and, thus, permits straightforward control of the spatial resolution. Our numerical method is particularly suitable for modern parallel computer architectures; we have thus been able to combine an unrestricted simulated annealing procedure with electronic structure calculations of high spatial resolution, corresponding to a plane-wave cutoff of 954 eV for Mg. We report the geometric structures of the resulting ground-state configurations and a few low-lying isomers. The energetics and HOMO-LUMO gaps of the ground-state configurations are carefully examined and related to their stability properties. No evidence for a non-metal to metal transition in neutral and positively charged Mg clusters is found in the regime of ion numbers examined here.     

Stability of gold cages (Au<Subscript>16</Subscript> and Au<Subscript>17</Subscript>) at finite temperature

We have employed ab initio molecular dynamics to investigate the stability of the smallest gold cages, namely Au₁₆ and Au₁₇, at finite temperatures. First, we obtain the ground state structure along with at least 50 distinct isomers for both the clusters. This is followed by the finite temperature simulations of these clusters. Each cluster is maintained at 12 different temperatures for a time period of at least 150 ps. Thus, the total simulation time is of the order of 2.4 ns for each cluster. We observe that the cages are stable at least up to 850 K. Although both clusters melt around the same temperature, i.e. around 900 K, Au₁₇ shows a peak in the heat capacity curve in contrast to the broad peak seen for Au₁₆.      

Water percolation governs polymorphic transitions and conductivity of DNA

We report on the first computer simulation studies of the percolation transition of water at the surface of the DNA double helix. With increased hydration, the ensemble of small clusters merges into a spanning water network via a quasi-two-dimensional percolation transition. This transition occurs strikingly close to the hydration level where the B form of DNA becomes stable in experiment. Formation of spanning water networks results in sigmoidlike acceleration of long-range ion transport in good agreement with experiment.     

Comparative study on the structure and properties of small C<Subscript>n</Subscript> and NaC<Subscript>n</Subscript> clusters

The structures, binding energies, and electronic properties of C_n and NaC_n (n=2–12) clusters have been systematically investigated using density functional theory (DFT). A number of previously undiscovered isomers of NaC_n clusters are reported, including fan-like, linear and three-dimensional structures. Moreover, NaC_n clusters with even n are found to be more stable than those with odd n, in contrast with the case of C_n clusters.     

Ab initio study of neutral (TiO2)n clusters and their interactions with water and transition metal atoms

We have systematically investigated the growth behavior and stability of small stoichiometric (TiO(2))(n) (n = 1-10) clusters as well as their structural, electronic and magnetic properties by using the first-principles plane wave pseudopotential method within density functional theory. In order to find out the ground state geometries, a large number of initial cluster structures for each n has been searched via total energy calculations. Generally, the ground state structures for the case of n = 1-9 clusters have at least one monovalent O atom, which only binds to a single Ti atom. However, the most stable structure of the n = 10 cluster does not have any monovalent O atom. On the other hand, Ti atoms are at least fourfold coordinated for the ground state structures for n ≥ 4 clusters. Our calculations have revealed that clusters prefer to form three-dimensional structures. Furthermore, all these stoichiometric clusters have nonmagnetic ground state. The formation energy and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gap for the most stable structure of (TiO(2))(n) clusters for each n have also been calculated. The formation energy and hence the stability increases as the cluster size grows. In addition, the interactions between the ground state structure of the (TiO(2))(n) cluster and a single water molecule have been studied. The binding energy (E(b)) of the H(2)O molecule exhibits an oscillatory behavior with the size of the clusters. A single water molecule preferably binds to the cluster Ti atom through its oxygen atom, resulting an average binding energy of 1.1 eV. We have also reported the interaction of the selected clusters (n = 3, 4, 10) with multiple water molecules. We have found that additional water molecules lead to a decrease in the binding energy of these molecules to the (TiO(2))(n) clusters. Finally, the adsorption of transition metal (TM) atoms (V, Co and Pt) on the n = 10 cluster has been investigated for possible functionalization. All these elements interact strongly with this cluster, and a permanent magnetic moment is induced upon adsorption of Co and V atoms. We have observed gap localized TM states leading to significant HOMO-LUMO gap narrowing, which is essential to achieve visible light response for the efficient use of TiO(2) based materials. In this way, electronic and optical as well as magnetic properties of TiO(2) materials can be modulated by using the appropriate adsorbate atoms.     

Cluster Structure of Liquid Alcohols,Water, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-Hexane

The processes of cluster formation in liquid alcohols, water, methanol, n-hexanol, and n-hexane have been investigated by the method of flicker-noise spectroscopy. Two types of clusters — clusters with a close-packed structure and clusters with a loose structure — have been detected. The energy of formation of different clusters in methanol and n-hexane ranges, respectively, from −250 to +250 J/mole and from −50 to +50 J/mole. The smallest clusters of methanol, n-hexanol, water, and n-hexane consist, respectively, of six, two, eleven, and two molecules, and their largest clusters represent oscillators consisting, respectively, of 50,400, 17,200, 93,500, and 33,150 molecules at 274 K. In methanol at 271 K, more than 44 types of clusters consisting of 6, 97, 152, 219, 297, 492, 1029, 1368, 1560, etc. molecules were detected. In n-hexanol at 273 K, 57 types of clusters were detected. Models of small clusters are proposed. In water, the content of close-packed clusters is maximum at 277 K. The energy of formation/decomposition of small clusters in water ranges from −0.4 to +0.4 kJ/mole and increases with increase in the water temperature. The hysteresis of transformation of the (H₂O)₂₈₀ cluster in the process of heating and cooling of water in the temperature range 273–280 K was detected. Series of energy spectra of clusters in liquids at different temperatures are presented and discussed. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 3, pp. 305–312, May–June, 2005.     

第一性原理对Al_mSi_n(m=1,2;n=1～6)团簇结构与性质的研究

本文运用第一性原理对Al_mSi_n（m=1,2;n=1～6）团簇的结构与性质进行了研究.在BLYP的水平上进行了结构优化和频率分析,得到了团簇的最低能量结构.同时计算和讨论了A1_msi_n团簇的束缚能、总能的二阶能量差分和分裂能以及费米能随原子数的变化.研究结果表明:Al_mSi_n团簇在m+n<4时的几何结构是平面结构,从4个原子开始转为空间的立体结构;除AlSi₃和Al₂Si₂团簇外,Al_mSi_n（m=1,2;n=1～6）团簇的束缚能随原子数增加而减小;分析A1_mSi_n（m=1,2;n=1～6）团簇的二阶能量差分和分裂能发现:在m+n=3,5时,团簇都出现较稳定的结构.     

Anions of xenon clusters bound by long-range electron correlations

In contrast with the single atom, atomic van der Waals clusters can form stable anions where the excess electron is bound due to long-range correlations with the electrons of the cluster. We report on extensive all-electron many-body ab initio studies on Xe clusters. Three-dimensional, planar, and linear structures of the clusters are investigated and compared. In particular, we find that the minimal number of Xe atoms in the cluster required to form a stable anion is 5 independently of the dimensionality of the cluster. We provide electron affinities for clusters made of 5, 6, and 7 atoms in all dimensions and find that the planar clusters form the most stable anions. The Dyson orbitals of the excess electrons are computed and analyzed.     

Clustering of arrays of chaotic chemical oscillators by feedback and forcing

Feedback and external forcing are applied to an array of chaotic electrochemical oscillators through variations in the applied potential. We see transitions from intermittent clusters to stable chaotic clusters to stable periodic clusters to synchronized states as the feedback gain and forcing amplitude, respectively, are varied. With forcing up to four clusters are observed in stable states. The transition to synchronization with feedback occurs by the increase in the size of one cluster at the expense of the others.     

Weakly bonded cluster structures of N,N′-dimethylethyleneurea and water

Intermolecular interactions between a single water and two N,N′-dimethylethyleneurea (DMEU) molecules have been investigated using ab initio quantum chemistry method. The local and density-fitting approximations of the standard Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (DF-LMP2) have been employed together with the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set. Several trimeric systems were built where the water molecule, through the O-H?N hydrogen bond interactions, played the role of the bridge between the two DMEU molecules. The results show that the presence of the water molecule does not increase the stability of the trimeric systems. In the first three configurations the water molecule intercalates between two DMEU molecules, forming stable clusters. In the next three configurations, the water molecule is attached to a plane-parallel stacked DMEU dimer through the C=O?H-O hydrogen bond, and these structures are more stable than the first three. Small-angle neutron scattering data show clustering of DMEU molecules in their dilute aqueous solutions, and the ab initio results suggest that DMEU molecules could form contact pairs in dilute aqueous solutions.     

Structures and stability of Ag clusters on Ag(1 1 1) and Ni(1 1 1) surfaces

The structures of the lowest total energy for small Ag_N clusters with N = 2-20, which are grown on Ag(1 1 1) and Ni(1 1 1) surfaces, have been determined using a combination of the embedded-atom method and the basin-hopping algorithm. It is found that the particularly stable Ag clusters with N<18 have similar geometries on both surfaces when comparing clusters of the same size. On the other hand, the geometries of the less stable Ag clusters in the same size range differ for the two surfaces. From N?18, the sizes of the particularly stable structures are different for the two different substrates. Due to the large size mismatch of the two types of atoms it is energetically unfavorable for Ag to form a pseudomorphic monolayer structures on Ni(1 1 1) and there is considerable strain produced at the interface. The effect of this strain and the increased adatom-substrate interactions lead to irregular and elongated structures of the adsorbed Ag clusters.     

Experimental and theoretical studies of interactions between Si<Subscript>7</Subscript> clusters

The possibility of using magic Si₇ clusters to form a cluster material was studied experimentally and theoretically. In experiments Si₇ clusters were deposited on carbon surfaces, and the electronic structure and chemical properties of the deposited clusters were measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A non bulk-like electronic structure of Si₇ was found in the Si 2p core level spectra. Si₇ is suggested to form a more stable structure than the non-magic Si₈ cluster and Si atoms upon deposition on carbon surfaces. Theoretically it was possible to study the interaction between the clusters without the effect of a surface. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of potential curves of two free Si₇ clusters approaching each other in various orientations hint at the formation of cluster materials rather than the fusion of clusters forming bulk-like structures.     

The concentration effect on the ‘hydrophobic’ and ‘hydrophilic’ behaviour around DMSO in dilute aqueous DMSO solutions. A computer simulation study

We have carried out a molecular dynamics study of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in water at 298 K at two different densities by simulating two different concentrations: 0.055 and 0.19 mole fraction. We have found an enhancement in the structure of water, an effect that becomes more pronounced as the concentration of DMSO increases. At both concentrations there is a well-defined hydration structure around the oxygen atom of DMSO, which is able to establish strong hydrogen bonds with surrounding water molecules. An increase in the concentration of DMSO depletes the solution of bulk water molecules, reducing the number of hydrogen bonds that water can have in the immediate vicinity of DMSO but increasing the strength of the hydrogen bonds made between the oxygen atom of DMSO and water. There is clear evidence of ‘hydrophobic’ hydration around the methyl groups of DMSO, which is enhanced as the concentration of DMSO increases.     

团簇的第一原理分子动力学计算研究：价键优选法

根据团簇价键结构的特点，结合第一原理分子动力学模拟，提出价键优选法；可以在有限的 计算量之下，得到其可计算的最大团簇体系Xm的性质，以及所有团簇Xi(i关键词： 价键优选法 团簇 第一原理分子动力学 Jahn_Teller效应 Rennet_Teller效应     

Destruction of the ozone protecting layer: Charge-separation mechanism in clusters

A model is constructed that explains the intense accumulation of chlorine in stratospheric ice microclusters. The model is approved in detail for quantitative consistency using Monte-Carlo computer simulation. A complex interparticle-interaction model is used that includes nonpair forces, charge transfer, and corrections for the quantum-statistical uncertainty in nuclear positions. In the presence of thermal fluctuations, two thermodynamically stable states of the HCl molecule—bound and dissociated—occur in water clusters. In clusters containing more than 35 water molecules, molecular dissociation into ions becomes thermodynamically favorable under the conditions of the polar stratosphere.     

Nucleation of ordered Fe islands on Al2O3/Ni3Al(1 1 1)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used to investigate the nucleation and stability of iron clusters on the Al₂O₃/Ni₃Al(1 1 1) surface as a function of coverage and annealing temperature. We show that atomic beam deposition of iron leads to hexagonally ordered cluster arrangements with a distance of 24 Å between the clusters evidencing the template effect of the alumina film. The shape of the iron clusters is two-dimensional (2D) at deposition temperatures from 130 K to 160 K and three-dimensional (3D) at 300 K. However, the 2D iron clusters grown between 130 K and 160 K are stable up to 350 K.     

New tetramer structures in the initial process of Si homoepitaxial growth on Si (0 0 1)

We have studied the interaction between Si ad-dimers in the initial process of Si homoepitaxial growth on Si (0 0 1) surface by molecular dynamics simulations using the Stillinger-Weber potential. The interactions determine the formation of larger clusters from diffusing dimers. We show different pathways for the formation of multiple-dimer clusters and propose two new tetramer structures (T_BB and T_CC) formation by two diffusing dimers interacting. These tetramer structures have been found to be energetically stable with respect to isolated ad-dimers. Moreover, their local bonding configuration is very similar to the B-type step edge which is known to be the favored adsorption site for epitaxial growth. The proposed tetramers may play a crucial role as the nucleus of the new epitaxial layer on Si (0 0 1).     

Investigation of the stability of Mn<Subscript>12</Subscript> single molecule magnets

The stability of single crystals and monolayers of Mn₁₂ single molecule magnets under the influence of X-ray radiation and other possibly disruptive influences has been investigated by means of synchrotron radiation. Clear evidence for radiation induced sample degradation was found for both single crystals and monolayers. The comparison with spectra obtained after damaging the molecules by Ar⁺ sputtering, metal evaporation or water moistening indicates a possibility to distinguish between radiation damage and other external influences. The results clarify some of the previous conflicting reports on the integrity of Mn₁₂ molecules deposited on surfaces and are linked to the investigations aiming at studies of the electronic and magnetic properties of individual Mn₁₂ clusters.