Mapping the frontier electronic structures of triphenylamine based organic dyes at TiO2 interfaces

The frontier electronic structures of a series of organic dye molecules containing a triphenylamine moiety, a thiophene moiety and a cyanoacrylic acid moiety have been investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy (PES), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and resonant photoelectron spectroscopy (RPES). The experimental results were compared to electronic structure calculations on the molecules, which are used to confirm and enrich the assignment of the spectra. The approach allows us to experimentally measure and interpret the basic valence energy level structure in the dye, including the highest occupied energy level and how it depends on the interaction between the different units. Based on N 1s X-ray absorption and emission spectra we also obtain insight into the structure of the excited states, the molecular orbital composition and dynamics. Together the results provide an experimentally determined energy level map useful in the design of these types of materials. Included are also results indicating femtosecond charge redistribution at the dye/TiO(2) interface.     

Dependence of DNA electronic structure on environmental and structural variations

We present experimental and theoretical evidence that varying the local environment and physical structure of dried DNA has a direct impact on its electronic structure. By preparing samples of DNA in various solutions, it was possible to alter the type of ions present during the production of the DNA samples. These variations resulted in differences in the local chemical environment of the dried DNA molecules. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) were used to probe the variations in the electronic structure of DNA samples. DFT calculations of a stack of 10 adenine (A)-thymine (T) nucleobase pairs show that slight structural variations in stacking height have a direct influence on the electronic structure and result in changes to the HOMO-LUMO gap. The effects of these differences in the local environment on the electronic structure are discussed and are related to the results of conductivity measurements of DNA.     

X-ray spectroscopy study of lithiated graphite obtained by thermal deposition of lithium

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy are used for in situ studies of the electronic structure of lithiated natural graphite produced by thermal deposition of lithium upon graphite in a vacuum. By XPS and NEXAFS spectroscopy it is found that lithium vapor thermal deposition results in the formation of a lithiated graphite surface layer and a change in its electronic structure. Based on the quantum chemical simulation of the experimental СK_α XES spectrum of lithiated graphite, it is found that lithium atoms are located mostly on the edges of graphite crystallites. Atomic force microscopy reveals that the size of natural graphite flakes varies from 50 nm to 200 nm.     

From pure C(60) to silicon carbon fullerene-based nanotube: an ab initio study

The energetics, geometrical, and electronic properties of the silicon carbon fullerene-based materials, obtained from C(60) by replacing 12 carbon atoms of the C(60) cage with silicon atoms, are studied based on ab initio calculations. We have found that, of the two C(48)Si(12) isomers obtained, the one with the carbon atoms and the silicon atoms located in separated region, i.e., with a phase-separated structure is more stable. Fullerene-based C(36)Si(24) cluster, C(36)Si(24)-C(36)Si(24) dimer, and the nanotube constructed from the clusters are then studied. The calculations on the electronic properties of these silicon carbon fullerene-based nanomaterials demonstrate that the energy gaps are greatly modified and show a decreasing trend with increasing the size of the clusters. The silicon carbon fullerene-based nanotube has a narrow and direct energy band gap, implying that it is a narrow gap semiconductor and may be a promising candidate for optoelectronic devices.     

Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy offers unique chemical bonding insights: revisiting the electronic structure of ferrocene

Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) is emerging as a powerful tool for the study of chemical bonding. Analyses of the Kβ XES of ferrocene (Fc) and ferrocenium (Fc(+)) are presented as further demonstrations of the capabilities of the technique. Assignments of the valence to core (V2C) region of these spectra as electric dipole-allowed cyclopentadienyl (Cp) → Fe 1s transitions demonstrate that XES affords electronic structural insight into the energetics of ligand-based molecular orbitals (MOs). Combined with K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), we show that XES can provide analogous information to photoemission spectroscopy (PES). Density functional theory (DFT) analyses reveal that the V2C transitions in Fc/Fc(+) derive their intensity from Fe 4p admixture (on the order of 5-10%) into the Cp-based MOs from which they originate. These 4p admixtures confer bonding character to the Cp-based a(2u) and e(1u) MOs to at least the extent of backbonding contributions to frontier MOs from higher-lying Cp π* MOs.     

AlMCM-41介孔分子筛的合成及表征

以拟薄水铝石为铝源、水玻璃为硅源、十六烷基三甲基溴化铵为模板剂,在110℃时水热晶化合成了含Al的MCM-41介孔分子筛.采用X射线衍射(XRD)、N2吸附-脱附、固体29Si、27Al魔角旋转核磁共振技术(MASNMR)、扫描电镜(SEM)及吡啶吸附傅里叶变换红外(FTIR)光谱技术对AlMCM-41分子筛进行了表征.结果表明:AlMCM-41分子筛具有六方排列的孔道结构,同时具有很高的相对结晶度、比表面积和孔容,且孔分布单一;AlMCM-41分子筛中Si原子在骨架内键合的程度更高,使AlMCM-41分子筛具有更好的骨架晶化程度;同时具有四配位骨架铝,使AlMCM-41介孔分子筛具有适当的酸性.     

Chemical modification of a porous silicon surface induced by nitrogen dioxide adsorption

The effect of gaseous and liquid nitrogen dioxide on the composition and electronic properties of porous silicon (PS) is investigated by means of optical spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance. It is detected that the interaction process is weak and strong forms of chemisorption on the PS surface, and the process may be regarded as an actual chemical reaction between PS and NO(2). It is found that NO(2) adsorption consists in forming different surface nitrogen-containing molecular groups and dangling bonds of Si atoms (P(b)-centers) as well as in oxidizing and hydrating the PS surface. Also observed are the formation of ionic complexes of P(b)-centers with NO(2) molecules and the generation of free charge carriers (holes) in the volume of silicon nanocrystals forming PS.     

Identification of a single light atom within a multinuclear metal cluster using valence-to-core X-ray emission spectroscopy

Iron valence-to-core Fe Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy (V2C XES) is established as a means to identify light atoms (C, N, O) within complex multimetallic frameworks. The ability to distinguish light atoms, particularly in the presence of heavier atoms, is a well-known limitation of both crystallography and EXAFS. Using the sensitivity of V2C XES to the ionization potential of the bound ligand, energetic shifts of ~10 eV in the ligand 2s ionization energies of bound C, N, and O may be observed. As V2C XES is a high-energy X-ray method, it is readily applicable to samples in any physical form. This method thus has great potential for application to multimetallic inorganic frameworks involved in both small molecule storage and activation.     

Synthesis and characterization of mesoporous molecular sieves

In the synthesis of mesoporous molecular sieves of the type MCM-41, different cationactive surfactants and sources of silicon were used. Moreover, Al-MCM-41 samples with different content of aluminium were synthesized. MCM-41 and Al-MCM-41 were synthesized at elevated temperature in stainless-steel autoclaves. Prepared mesoporous molecular sieves were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), physical adsorption of nitrogen at the temperature of −197°C, sorption capacity of benzene, and by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Acidity was measured for Al-MCM-41 by temperature programmed desorption of ammonia (TPDA) and by FTIR of adsorbed pyridine. Acid catalytic activity of Al-MCM-41 was tested by isomerization of o-xylene. Influence of the synthesis reproducibility, surfactant used, source of silicon, synthesis time, source of aluminium, and Si to Al mole ratio on the properties of mesoporous molecular sieves were evaluated.     

Electronic structure of the nucleobases

We present a comparison between experimental and calculated soft X-ray spectra of DNA's nucleobases, adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T) using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). Spectra of the 1s thresholds of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen give a complete picture of the occupied and unoccupied partial density of states of the nucleobases. A combination of both Hartree-Fock and density functional theory calculations are used in the comparison to experimental results. Most experimental results agree well with our theoretical calculations for the XAS and XES of all bases. All spectral features are assigned. A comparison of the experimental highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energy gaps is made to the diverse values predicted in the literature.     

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.     

A Neutral Three-Membered 2π Aromatic Disilaborirane and the Unique Conversion into a Four-Membered BSi2N-Ring

We report the design, synthesis, structure, bonding, and reaction of a neutral 2π aromatic three-membered disilaborirane. The disilaborirane is synthesized by a facile one-pot reductive dehalogenation of amidinato-silylene chloride and dibromoarylborane with potassium graphite. Despite the tetravalent arrangement of atoms around silicon, the three-membered silicon-boron-silicon ring is aromatic, as evidenced by NMR spectroscopy, nucleus independent chemical shift calculations, first-principles electronic structure studies using density functional theory (DFT) and natural bond orbital (NBO) based bonding analysis. Trimethylsilylnitrene, generated in situ, inserts in the Si−Si bond of disilaborirane to obtain a four-membered heterocycle 1-aza-2,3-disila-4-boretidine derivative. Both the heterocycles are fully characterized by X-ray crystallography.     

X-ray emission spectroscopy and theoretical study of the electronic structure of hexamethyldisiloxane and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane

Electronic structure of hexamethyldisiloxane and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane has been studied by means of X-ray emission spectroscopy and quantum-chemical simulation at the density functional theory level. From the analysis of the fine structure of X-ray emission SiKβ₁-spectra and simulated densities of electronic states, the special features of chemical interactions of Si, O, and C atoms in these molecules are determined.     

Tuning the metal-adsorbate chemical bond through the ligand effect on platinum subsurface alloys

Scratching beneath the surface: Pt-M(3d)-Pt(111) (M(3d) = Co, Ni) bimetallic subsurface alloys have been designed to show the ligand effect tunes reactivity in oxygen and hydrogen adsorption systems. The platinum-oxygen bond order was investigated by oxygen atom projection in the occupied and unoccupied space using X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS).     

Silicon surfaces as electron acceptors: dative bonding of amines with Si(001) and Si(111) surfaces.

The bonding of the trimethylamine (TMA) and dimethylamine (DMA) with crystalline silicon surfaces has been investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and density-functional computational methods. XPS spectra show that TMA forms stable dative-bonded adducts on both Si(001) and Si(111) surfaces that are characterized by very high N(1s) binding energies of 402.2 eV on Si(001) and 402.4 eV on Si(111). The highly ionic nature of these adducts is further evidenced by comparison with other charge-transfer complexes and through computational chemistry studies. The ability to form these highly ionic charge-transfer complexes between TMA and silicon surfaces stems from the ability to delocalize the donated electron density between different types of chemically distinct atoms within the surface unit cells. Corresponding studies of DMA on Si(001) show only dissociative adsorption via cleavage of the N-H bond. These results show that the unique geometric structures present on silicon surfaces permit silicon atoms to act as excellent electron acceptors.     

Structural characterization of 4-bromostyrene self-assembled monolayers on si(111)

Organic functionalization of silicon holds promise for a variety of applications ranging from molecular electronics to biosensing. Because the performance and reliability of organosilicon devices will be intimately tied to the detailed structure of the organic adlayers, it is imperative to develop systematic strategies for forming and characterizing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on silicon with submolecular spatial resolution. In this study, we use 4-bromostyrene for the photochemical growth of Br-terminated SAMs on Si(111). A variety of experimental and theoretical techniques including atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), X-ray standing waves (XSW), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and density functional theory (DFT) have been employed to determine the coverage and conformation of the 4-bromostryene molecules within the SAM. In particular, AFM verifies a continuous and atomically flat SAM, and the XRR data indicate a SAM thickness of 8.50 A and a molecular coverage of 46% of the surface silicon atoms. Because the DFT calculations indicate a molecular length of 8.89 A, the measured XRR thickness implies a molecular tilt angle of approximately 17 degrees. The XRR analysis also suggests that the Br atoms are preserved on top of the SAM in agreement with XPS measurements that show bromine bound solely to carbon and not to silicon. XRF reveals a Br atomic coverage of 50%, again in close agreement to that found by XRR. Single-crystal Bragg diffraction XSW is used to generate a three-dimensional map of the Br distribution within the SAM, which in conjunction with the XRR result suggests that the 4-bromostyrene molecules are tilted such that the Br atoms are located over the T4 sites at a height of 8.50 A above the top bulklike Si(111) layer. The direction of molecular tilt toward the T4 sites is consistent with that predicted by the DFT calculation. Overall, through this unique suite of complementary structural characterization techniques, it is concluded that the Br functional handle is preserved at the top of the SAM and is available for further substitutional chemistry.     

Incorporation of organic groups within the channel wall of spin-on mesostructured silica films by a vapor infiltration technique

Organically functionalized mesoporous silica films have been prepared by a novel synthetic procedure that involves spin-coating of mesostructured silica films and a vapor infiltration (VI) technique, using organosiloxanes, before the removal of surfactant. The VI-treated mesostructured films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM). Nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements were performed using films attached with a silicon substrate. The XRD and FE-SEM measurements show that the mesochannel wall, densified and modified with organosilyl groups by the VI treatment, hardly contracts under calcination. FE-SEM observations for the films' cross section support the view that organosiloxane vapor is not deposited on the surface of the film. These results show that organosiloxane molecules penetrate the film and are selectively incorporated into the silica wall. Thus, hydrophobic mesoporous silica films can be synthesized without a reduction in pore size, a result that cannot be attained by conventional grafting and co-condensation methods. The excellent high porosity and hydrophobicity of the mesostructured composite films may be of advantage for next-generation low-k dielectric films.     

High-resolution X-ray emission spectroscopy of molybdenum compounds

High-resolution molybdenum K-edge X-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) was used to characterize the K beta(4) and K beta' ' valence-to-core transition bands in the oxo-Mo compounds K(2)MoO(4), MoO(S(2)CNEt(2))(2), and MoO(2)(S(2)CNEt(2))(2). The K beta(4) and K beta' ' emission bands are attributed to transitions to the Mo 1s core hole from molecular orbitals possessing primarily molybdenum 4d and oxygen 2s character, respectively. This communication describes the first assignment of the K beta' ' interatomic band in the emission spectra of molybdenum complexes. Additionally, the K beta(4) and K beta' 'transitions are shown to be sensitive to the chemical and electronic environment of the metal, suggesting that high-resolution XES might be an effective method for elucidating the nature of the molybdenum centers in biological systems.     

第一性原理模拟氢气分子在氧化硅团簇上的吸附

基于密度泛函理论,采用广义梯度近似(GGA)分析了H2分子吸附在氧化硅团簇上的几何结构、电子性质以及吸附能.结果发现:H2分子与Si3O4团簇相互作用时,H2分子被分解,游离的H原子优先吸附在末端Si原子上,表明Si3O4团簇体系对氢气的存储主要依赖于末端存在悬挂键的Si原子,接着H2分子才以分子的形式以较小吸附能吸附在Si3O4H4团簇上.氢气分子主要引起与其邻近的原子电荷的重新分布.该团簇体系的红外、拉曼光谱图有效地鉴定了H2分子的吸附状态,为理论上确定团簇的稳定结构和实验上对观测结果的分析提供有力的途径.     

Comparative study on pore structures of mesoporous ZSM-5 from resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel and carbon aerogel templating

Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels of different mesoporosities have been used as templates for preparing bimodal zeolites of mesopores. Samples were thoroughly characterized with X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption at 77 K, as well as FT-IR spectroscopy and (29)Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The mesoporous ZSM-5 zeolites have additional mesopores of 9-25 nm in widths and 0.07-0.2 cm(3)/g in volumes, besides their perfect inherent micropores. Experimental results show the mesoporous systems of the finally obtained zeolites can be influenced by proper preparation of resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogels and carbon aerogels through solution chemistry. Consequently, zeolites of tunable mesoporosities can be prepared with this unique methodology.