Si‐Doped B12N12 Nanocage as an Adsorbent for Dissociation of N2O to N2 Molecule

Adsorption of N₂O molecule by using density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6–31G* level onto pristine and Si‐doped B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage in terms of energetic, geometric, and electronic properties was investigated. The results of calculations showed that the N₂O molecule is physically adsorbed on the pristine and Si‐doped B₁₂N₁₂ (Si_N) models, releasing energies in the range of –1.13 to –2.02 kcal mol⁻¹. It was found that the electronic properties of the models have not changed significantly upon the N₂O adsorption. On the other hand, the adsorption energy of N₂O on the Si‐doped B₁₂N₁₂ (Si_B model) was about –67.20 kcal mol⁻¹and the natural bond orbital charge of 0.58|e| is transferred from the nanocage to the N₂O molecule. In the configuration, the O atom of N₂O molecule is bonded to the Si atom of the nanocage, so that an N₂ molecule escapes from the wall of the nanocage. The results showed that the Si_B model can be an adsorbent for dissociation of the N₂O molecule.     

B12N12 Nano-cage as Potential Sensor for NO2 Detection

The NO₂ molecule adsorption on B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage was investigated using density func-tional theory calculations in terms of adsorption energy, HOMO/LUMO energy gap (Eg) changes, charge transfer, structural deformation, etc. Furthermore, some aspects of stability and properties of B₁₂N₁₂ including calculation of binding electronic and Gibbs free energies, density of states, and molecular electrostatic potential surfaces are investigated. Three pos-sible configurations for NO₂ adsorption on the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage are energetically found. Interestingly, the results reveals that the Eg of B₁₂N₁₂ cluster is very sensitive to the pres-ence of NO₂ molecules as its value reduces from 6.84 eV in free cluster to 3.23 eV in the most stable configuration of NO₂/cluster complex. This phenomenon dramatically increases the electrical conductivity of the cluster, suggesting that the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cluster may be potential sensor for NO₂ gaseous molecule detection.     

Penicillamine functionalized B12N12 and B12CaN12 nanocages act as potential inhibitors of proinflammatory cytokines: A combined DFT analysis,ADMET and molecular docking study

The adsorption of penicillamine (PCA) on pure B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₂CaN₁₂ nanocages in aqueous and chloroform solvents has been evaluated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The interaction of PCA on B₁₂N₁₂ nanocages is chemisorption through its four nucleophilic sites: amine, carbonyl, hydroxyl and thiol. The most stable adsorption configuration was achieved when zwitterionic PCA adsorbs via its carbonyl group in water with value of ?1.723 eV, in contrast, when neutral PCA adsorbs via its amine group in chloroform with value of ?1.68 eV. Intercalated calcium ion within B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage (B₁₂CaN₁₂) was shown to attract PCA onto nanocage surface, resulting in higher solubility and adsorption energy after their complexation in water and chloroform. The adsorption of multiple PCA molecules from their amine and carbonyl groups on pure and B₁₂CaN₁₂ nanocages were also evaluated where two and three molecules can be chemisorbed on boron atoms of the nanocage surfaces with the adsorption energy per PCA reduces slightly with the increasing the amount of drugs due to the curvature effects. Molecular docking study indicates that PCA from its NH₂ group on B₁₂CaN₁₂ nanocage has the best binding affinity and inhibition potential of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptors as compared with the other adsorption systems. Molecular docking and ADMET analysis displayed that the chosen compounds pass Lipinski Rule and have appropriate pharmacokinetic features suitable as models for developing anti-inflammatory agents.     

2,3,5,6‐Tetrakis[3,5‐bis(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]‐2,5‐bis(dimethylamino)2,3,5,6‐tetrabora‐1,4‐dioxane diethyl ether 0.667‐solvate

The title compound, C₃₆H₂₆B₄F₂₄N₂O₆·0.667C₄H₁₀O, has centrosymmetric tetraboradioxane molecules, half each of three of these comprising the asymmetric unit together with a molecule of diethyl ether. Disorder affects most of the CF₃ groups and one ethyl group of the solvent molecule. The B₄O₂ rings are approximately planar and contain two B atoms with trigonal geometry and two with distorted tetrahedral geometry, the B—O bonds for the four‐coordinate B atoms being longer than those for the three‐coordinate B atoms. N—H...O hydrogen bonds link two of the crystallographically independent molecules together in chains, while the third molecule forms discrete trimolecular clusters with two solvent molecules via N—H...O hydrogen bonds. This is the first crystallographically characterized example of a tetrabora‐dioxane molecule containing both four‐ and three‐coordinate B atoms.     

A DFT study on electronic and optical properties of aspirin-functionalized B<Subscript>12</Subscript>N<Subscript>12</Subscript> fullerene-like nanocluster

In this work, the interaction of an aspirin (AS) molecule with the external surface of a boron nitride fullerene-like nanocage (B₁₂N₁₂) is studied by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Equilibrium geometry, electronic properties, adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability are identified for all of the adsorbed configurations. Four stable configurations are obtained for the interaction of AS molecule with the B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage, with adsorption energies in the range of ?10.1 to ?37.7 kcal/mol (at the M06-2X/6-31 + G** level). Our results clearly indicate that Al-doping of the B₁₂N₁₂ tends to increase the adsorption energy and thermodynamic stability of AS molecule over this nanocage. We further study the adsorption of AS over the B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₁N₁₂Al in the presence of a protic (water) or aprotic (benzene) solvent. It is found that the calculated binding distances and adsorption energies by the PCM and CPCM solvent models are very similar, especially for the B₁₂N₁₂ complexes. According to time-dependent DFT calculations, the Al-doping can shift estimated λ _max values toward longer wavelengths (redshift). Solvent effects also have an important influence on the calculated electronic absorption spectra of AS-B₁₂N₁₂ complexes.     

An asymmetrically substituted borazine

The B₃N₃ ring in the title compound, 1,3,5‐tri‐tert‐butyl‐2,4‐difluoro‐6‐phenyl­cyclo­triborazane, [PhF₂B₃N₃^tBu₃] or C₁₈H₃₂B₃F₂N₃, an asymmetrically substituted borazine, is distorted from planarity. The molecule resides on a twofold axis. The N atoms of the N—B(Ph)—N group lie on opposite sides of the least‐squares plane formed by the four remaining ring atoms, due to steric accommodation of the tert‐butyl groups, a conformation not previously observed for a borazine. The B—N bond lengths are in the range 1.4283 (14)–1.4493 (12) Å, due to the F substituents residing on two of the B atoms, which also produce a large deviation from 120° in one of the B—N—B angles [ca 113.6 (1)°]. The phenyl group is twisted with respect to the B₃N₃ ring, the interplanar angle being 62.87 (5)°.     

BN Nanotube Serving as a Gas Chemical Sensor for N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O by Parallel Electric Field

Density functional theory calculations were performed to understand the electronic properties of C₂₄, B₁₂N₁₂, B₁₂P₁₂, and (6, 0) BNNT interacted with N₂O molecule in the presence and absence of an external electric field using the B3LYP method and 6-31G** basis set. The adsorption of N₂O from O-side on the surface of (6, 0) BNNT has high sensitivity in comparison with B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage. The adsorption energy of N₂O (O-side) on the sidewalls of B₁₂N₁₂ and BNNT in the presence of an electric field are ?21.01 and ?15.48 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Our results suggest that in the presence of an electric field, the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage is the more energetically notable upon the N₂O adsorption than (6, 0) BNNT, C₂₄, and B₁₂P₁₂. Whereas, our results indicate that the electronic property of BNNT is more sensitive to N₂O molecule at the presence of an electric field than B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage. It is anticipated that BNNT could be a favorable gas sensor for the detection of N₂O molecule.     

Theoretical studies on structures and nonlinear optical properties of alkali doped electrides B12N12–M (M = Li,Na, K)

The structures and nonlinear optical properties of a novel class of alkali metals doped electrides B₁₂N₁₂–M (M = Li, Na, K) were investigated by ab initio quantum chemistry method. The doping of alkali atoms was found to narrow the energy gap values of B₁₂N₁₂ in the range 3.96–6.70 eV. Furthermore, these alkali metals doped compounds with diffuse excess electron exhibited significantly large first hyperpolarizabilities (β₀) as follows: 5571–9157 au for B₁₂N₁₂–Li, 1537–18,889 au for B₁₂N₁₂–Na, and 2803–11,396 au for B₁₂N₁₂–K. Clearly, doping of the alkali atoms could dramatically increase the β₀ value of B₁₂N₁₂ (β₀ = 0). Furthermore, their transition energies (ΔE) were also calculated. The results showed that these compounds had low ΔE values in the range 1.407–2.363 eV, which was attributed to large β₀ values of alkali metals doped B₁₂N₁₂ nanocage. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Surface interaction of H2O and H2S onto Ca12O12 nanocluster: Quantum‐chemical analyses

To find the selectivity of H₂S, we explicate the adsorption properties of water (H₂O) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) molecules on the external surfaces of free Ca₁₂O₁₂ nanocages using the density functional theory method. More specifically, binding energies, natural bond orbital charge transfer, dipole moment, molecular electrostatic potential, frontier molecular orbitals, density of states, and global indices of activities are calculated to deeply understand the impacts of the aforementioned molecules on the electronic and chemical properties of Ca₁₂O₁₂ nanocages. Our theoretical findings indicate that although H₂O seems to be adsorbed in molecular form, the H₂S molecule is fully dissociated during the adsorption process because of the weak bond between sulfur and hydrogen atoms of the molecule. Interestingly, the highest occupied molecular orbital–lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gap of the nanocage is decreased by 1.87 eV upon H₂S adsorption, indicating that the electrical conductivity of the nanocage is strongly increased by the dissociation process. In addition, the values of softness and electrophilicity for the H₂S‐Ca₁₂O₁₂ complex are higher than those for the free nanocage. Our results suggest that Ca₁₂O₁₂ nanoclusters show promise in the adsorption/dissociation of H₂S molecules, which can be used further for designing its selective sensor.     

Li2B12 and Li3B12: Prediction of the Smallest Tubular and Cage‐like Boron Structures

An intriguing structural transition from the quasi‐planar form of B₁₂ cluster upon the interaction with lithium atoms is reported. High‐level computations show that the lowest energy structures of LiB₁₂, Li₂B₁₂, and Li₃B₁₂ have quasi‐planar (C_s), tubular (D_6d), and cage‐like (C_s) geometries, respectively. The energetic cost of distorting the B₁₂ quasi‐planar fragment is overcompensated by an enhanced electrostatic interaction between the Li cations and the tubular or cage‐like B₁₂ fragments, which is the main reason of such drastic structural changes, resulting in the smallest tubular (Li₂B₁₂) and cage‐like (Li₃B₁₂) boron structures reported to date.     

Adsorption properties of hydrazine on pristine and Si-doped Al12N12 nano-cage

The interaction of hydrazine (N₂H₄) molecule with pristine and Si-doped aluminum nitride (Al₁₂N₁₂) nano-cage was investigated using the density functional theory calculations. The adsorption energy of N₂H₄ on pristine Al₁₂N₁₂ in different configurations was about –1.67 and –1.64 eV with slight changes in its electronic structure. The results showed that the pristine nano-cage can be used as a chemical adsorbent for toxic hydrazine in nature. Compared with very low sensitivity between N₂H₄ and Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage, N₂H₄ molecule exhibits high sensitivity toward Si-doped Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage so that the energy gap of the Si-doped Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage is changed by about 31.86% and 37.61% for different configurations in the Si_Al model and by about 26.10% in the Si_N model after the adsorption process. On the other hand, in comparison with the Si_Al model, the adsorption energy of N₂H₄ on the Si_N model is less than that on the Si_Al model to hinder the recovery of the nano-cage. As a result, the Si_N Al₁₂N₁₁ is anticipated to be a potential novel sensor for detecting the presence of N₂H₄ molecule.     

Probing the Chemical Functionalization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Multiple Carbon Ad‐Dimer Defects

Drying‐tube‐shaped single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with multiple carbon ad‐dimer (CD) defects are obtained from armchair (n,n,m) SWCNTs (n=4, 5, 6, 7, 8; m=7, 13). According to the isolated‐pentagon rule (IPR) the drying‐tube‐shaped SWCNTs are unstable non‐IPR species, and their hydrogenated, fluorinated, and chlorinated derivatives are investigated. Interestingly, chemisorptions of hydrogen, fluorine, and chlorine atoms on the drying tube‐shaped SWCNTs are exothermic processes. Compared to the reaction energies for binding of H, F, and Cl atoms to perfect and Stone–Wales‐defective armchair (5,5) nanotubes, binding of F with the multiply CD defective SWCNTs is stronger than with perfect and Stone–Wales‐defective nanotubes. The reaction energy for per F₂ addition is between 85 and 88 kcal mol^?1 more negative than that per H₂ addition. Electronic structure analysis of their energy gaps shows that the CD defects have a tendency to decrease the energy gap from 1.98–2.52 to 0.80–1.17 eV. After hydrogenation, fluorination, and chlorination, the energy gaps of the drying‐tube‐shaped SWCNTs with multiple CD defects are substantially increased to 1.65–3.85 eV. Furthermore, analyses of thermodynamic stability and nucleus‐independent chemical shifts (NICS) are performed to analyze the stability of these molecules.     

Predicting adsorption behavior of Triacanthine anticancer drug with pure B12N12 nano-cage: A theoretical study

Predicting adsorption behavior of the Triacanthine (TRC) anticancer drug on the surface of B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage was investigated using DFT and TD-DFT methods by B3LYP/6-311+G(d) level in the water solution. The adsorption energies of the TRC-B₁₂N₁₂ complexes (A-C) were shown that the adsorption process is exothermic. The UV/Vis absorption and IR spectra analysis were calculated to investigate the changes happening in adsorption of TRC over nano-cage. According to the results, the interaction of the TRC drug from the N9 atom on the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage (model A) has the most chemical stability rather than models B and C. Based on NBO analysis, the charge transfer process has happened between the TRC drug and B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage. Recovery time, charge difference (ΔN), and ELF analysis were calculated. It was understood that the B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cage can be a good carrier for the delivery of TRC anticancer medicine.     

Adsorption and decomposition of HMX and CL‐20 on Al(111) surface by DFT investigation

The adsorption and decomposition of HMX and CL‐20 molecules on the Al(111) surface were investigated by the generalized gradient approximation of density functional theory. The calculations employed a supercell (6 × 6 × 3) slab model and three‐dimensional periodic boundary conditions. The strong attractive forces between HMX (or CL‐20) molecule and Al atoms induce the breaking of N‐O and N‐N bonds in nitro group. Subsequently, the dissociated oxygen atoms, NO₂ groups, and radical fragments of HMX or CL‐20 oxidize the Al surface. The largest adsorption energy is ?1792.7 kJ/mol in B1, where CL‐20 decomposes into four O atoms and a CL‐20 fragment. With the number of the radical species in adsorption configurations increases, the corresponding adsorption energy increases greatly. We also investigated the decomposition mechanism of HMX and CL‐20 molecules on the Al(111) surface. The activation energies (E _a) for the dissociations A2, A3, B1, and B6 are 31.2, 47.9, 75.5, and 75.9 kJ/mol, respectively. Although CL‐20 is more sensitive than HMX in its gaseous state, the E _a of CL‐20 is higher than that of HMX when they adsorb and decompose on the Al(111) surface, which indicates that the HMX is even easier to decompose on Al(111) surface as compared with CL‐20. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

O3 and SO2 sensing concept on extended surface of B12N12 nanocages modified by Nickel decoration: A comprehensive DFT study

Adsorption of SO₂ and O₃ molecules on pristine boron nitride (B₁₂N₁₂) and Ni-decorated B₁₂N₁₂ nano-cages has been systemically investigated through density functional theory (DFT) methods. Adsorption energies (thermodynamics), bond distances, charge analysis, dipole moments, orbital analysis and density of states are calculated by van der Waals DFT method (MPW1PW91) functional. The adsorption energies of O₃ and SO₂ on pristine B₁₂N₁₂ are about −143.8 and −14.0 kJ mol⁻¹, respectively. The interaction energies of O₃ and SO₂ with pristine B₁₂N₁₂ are indicative of chemisorption and physisorption, respectively. Ni-decorated B₁₂N₁₂ (Ni@BN) enhances adsorption of both O₃ and SO₂ species. The interaction energies for adsorption of SO₂ are about −166 and −277 kJ mol⁻¹ whereas the corresponding energies for O₃ are −362 and −396 kJ mol⁻¹ for configuration A and B, respectively. These observations show that functionalized B₁₂N₁₂ are highly sensitive toward SO₂ and O₃ molecules.     

Comparative DFT study of N2 and no adsorption on vanadium clusters Vn (n = 2–13)

Using gradient‐corrected density functional theory, we have comparatively studied the adsorption properties of diatomic molecules N₂ and NO on vanadium clusters up to 13 atoms. Spontaneous dissociation is found for N₂ adsorbing on V_n with n = 4–6, 12, and for NO with n = 3–12, respectively, whereas for the rest of the clusters, N₂ (NO) molecularly adsorbs on the cluster for all the possible sites. The incoming N₂ retains the magnetism of V_n except for V₂ and V₆ whose moments are quenched from 2 μ_B to zero. Consequently, the moments of V_nN₂ (n = 2–13) show even/odd oscillation between 0 and 1 μ_B. On the adsorption of NO, the magnetic moments of V_n with closed electronic shell are raised to 1 μ_B at n = 4, 8, and 10, and 3 μ_B at n = 12, whereas for open shell clusters, their magnetic moments increase for n = 5 and 9 and decrease for n = 2, 3, 5–7, 11, and 13 by 1 μ_B. These findings are rationalized by combinatory analysis from several aspects, for example, the geometry and stability of bare clusters, charge transfer induced by the adsorption, feature of frontier orbitals, and spin density distribution. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A DFT study of H2O dissociation on metal‐precovered Fe (100) surface

The H₂O adsorption and dissociation on the Fe (100) surface with different precovered metals are studied by density functional theory. On both kinds of metal‐precovered surface, H₂O molecules prefer adsorb on hollow sites than bridge and top sites. The impurity energy difference is proportional to the adsorption energy, but the adsorbates are not sensitive to the adsorption orientation and height relative to the surface. The Hirshfeld charge analysis shows that water molecules act as an electron donor while the surface Fe atoms act as an electron acceptor. The rotation and dissociation of H₂O molecule occur on the Co‐ and Mn‐precovered surfaces. Some H₂O molecules are dissociated into OH and H groups. The energy barriers are about 0.5 to 1.0 eV, whose are consistence with the experimental data. H₂O molecules can be dissociated more easily at the top site on Co‐precovered surface 1 than that at bridge site on Mn‐precovered surface 2 because of the lower reaction barrier. The dispersion correction effects on the energies and adsorption configurations on Co‐precovered surface 1 were calculated by OBS + PW91. The dispersion contributions can improve a bit of the bond energy of adsorbates and weaken the hydrogen bond effect between adsorption molecules a little.     

The Fock Matrix Analysis for Atomic Orbitals in Molecular Orbitals II. The Electronic Structure of N2 Molecules

Weinhold's natural hybrid orbitals can be chosen as the molecular adapted atomic orbitals to build the canonical molecular orbitals of N₂ molecules. The molecular Fock matrix expanded in the natural hybrid orbitals can reveal deeper insight of the electronic structure and reaction of the N₂ molecule. For example, the magnitude of F_ab can signify the bonding character of the paired electrons as well as the diradical character of the unpaired electrons for both σ‐ and π‐types. Discarding the concept of the overlap between non‐orthogonal atomic orbitals, the different orbitals for different spins in the unrestricted Hartree‐Fock wavefunction reveal that there are three pairs of opposite spin density flows between two atoms, which proceed until the bonding molecular orbitals form.     

Study on the surface interaction of Furan with X12Y12 (X = B,Al, and Y = N,P) semiconductors: DFT calculations

Chemisorption of Furan on the surfaces of four different semiconductors (Al₁₂N₁₂, Al₁₂P₁₂, B₁₂N₁₂, and B₁₂P₁₂) has been investigated, and the results have been compared using density functional theory in terms of energetic, geometric, and electronic property. Two functionals, dispersion corrected (wB97XD) and non‐corrected (B3LYP), have been used for calculation of binding energy. The results show that chemisorption of Furan on these semiconductors is in the order of Al₁₂N₁₂ (−98.4 kJ mol⁻¹) > Al₁₂P₁₂ (−77.5 kJ mol⁻¹) > B₁₂N₁₂ (−46.6 kJ mol⁻¹) > B₁₂P₁₂ (−18.3 kJ mol⁻¹), while the order of change in the HOMO–LUMO gap of semiconductors upon adsorption of Furan is found as B₁₂N₁₂ > B₁₂P₁₂ > Al₁₂P₁₂ > Al₁₂N₁₂, which implies to the higher changes in the electronic structure of B‐containing clusters (B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₂P₁₂) compared to Al‐containing clusters (Al₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂P₁₂). The NBO charge analyses reveal maximum and minimum charge transfer upon adsorption of Furan on B₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₂P₁₂, respectively. Based on the results, it was found that Al₁₂N₁₂ and B₁₂N₁₂ as the most appropriate adsorbent and the most sensitive sensor for Furan, respectively.     

A layered fluorinated gallium phosphate organically templated by propane‐1,3‐diaminium,an analog of the aluminophosphate MIL‐12: Ga2(PO4)F5·C3H12N2

Crystals of the oxyfluorinated gallium phosphate MIL‐12 (digallium phosphate penta­fluoride propane‐1,3‐diaminium), (C₃H₁₂N₂)[Ga₂(PO₄)F₅], were synthesized hydro­thermally at 453 K under autogenous pressure using propane‐1,3‐diamine as the structure‐directing agent. The title compound is isomorphous with the aluminium phosphate having the MIL‐12 structural type. The structure is built up from a two‐dimensional anionic network inter­calated by the diamine species. The inorganic layer is composed of corner‐linked GaO₂F₄ octa­hedra and PO₄ tetra­hedra. The diprotonated diamine group is located on a mirror plane, between the inorganic sheets, and inter­acts preferentially via hydrogen bonding through the ammonium groups and the terminal F and bridging O atoms of the inorganic layer. One of the Ga atoms lies on an inversion centre and the other lies on a mirror plane, as does the P atom, two of the phosphate O atoms and one of the F atoms.