The cyclic cluster model at hartree–fock level

We present the implementation of the cyclic cluster model (CCM) formalism at the Hartree–Fock (HF) level. In contrast to other periodic models, the CCM is a Γ‐point approach. Integration is carried out in real space within a finite interaction area determined by the size and the shape of the cluster that corresponds to a supercell of the solid, surface, or polymer. Particular care has to be taken for the proper treatment of three‐ and four‐center integrals that involve basis functions located at the boundaries of the Wigner–Seitz supercell, which defines the interaction region. The similarity between the CCM formalism and molecular approaches allows in principle the application of sophisticated post HF methods to solid‐state problems with only moderate modification of the molecular code. We show for selected model systems, that with our approach, the electronic structure and energetics obtained by the conventional supercell model is fully reproduced. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Development of novel graphene-like layered hexagonal boron nitride for adsorptive removal of antibiotic gatifloxacin from aqueous solution

Graphene-like layered hexagonal boron nitride (g-BN) was prepared and characterized. The performance of using g-BN as an adsorbent for removal of fluoroquinolone antibiotic gatifloxacin (GTF) from aqueous solution was evaluated. g-BN showed an excellent adsorption capability with notable GTF adsorption ratio of more than 90%. Data of equilibrium adsorption of GTF onto g-BN at different temperatures were represented by Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin isotherm models, and Langmuir exhibited the best fitting with the maximum adsorption capacity of 88.5 mg·g^?1 at 288 K. GTF adsorption was insignificantly affected by solution pH. Competitive role of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ in the solution inhibited the adsorption of GTF and decreased the adsorption capacity a bit. The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. The adsorption was probably governed by π–π interaction between GTF and g-BN, and electrostatic interaction may also exist in the adsorption process.     

Effects of post-deposition annealing on chemical composition of SiNx film in SiO2/SiNx/SiO2/Si stacked structure

To systematically evaluate the quality of SiN_x films in multi-stacked structures, we investigated the effects of post-deposition annealing (PDA) on the film properties of SiN_x within the SiO₂/SiN_x/SiO₂/Si stacked structure by performing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscope–electron energy loss spectroscopy (STEM-EELS) analyses. The XPS results showed that PDA induces the oxidation of the SiN_x layer. In particular, new finding is that Si-rich SiN_x in the SiN_x layer is preferentially oxidized by PDA even in multi-stacked structure. The XRR results showed that the SiN_x layer becomes thinner, whereas the interface layer between the SiN_x layer and Si becomes thicker. It is concluded by STEM-EELS and XPS that this interface layer is SiON layer. The density of N–H and Si–H bonding within the stacked structure strongly depends on the PDA temperature. Our study helps elucidate the properties of SiN_x films in stacked structures from various perspectives.     

Interpretation of TOF-SIMS data based on information entropy of spectra

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), when used for the analysis of complex material samples, typically provides data that are complicated and challenging to understand. Therefore, additional data analysis techniques, such as multivariate analysis, are often required to facilitate the interpretation of TOF-SIMS data. In this study, a new method based on the information entropy (Shannon entropy) is proposed as an indicator of the outline characteristics of an unknown sample, such as changes in the material within the sample and mixing conditions. The Shannon entropy values are calculated using the relative intensity of every secondary ion normalized to the total ion count and reflect the diversity of secondary ions in the spectrum. Mixed samples containing two organic electroluminescence materials of different ratios, multilayers of Irganox 1010, and other organic materials were employed to evaluate the utility of Shannon entropy in the analysis of TOF-SIMS data. The findings demonstrate that the Shannon entropy of a spectrum indicates differences in materials and changes in the conditions of a material in a sample without the need for peak identification or the knowledge of specific peaks corresponding to the materials in the sample.     

N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers Encapsulating CoO@Co9S8 Nanoparticles: Preparation from S-Rich Co32 Coordination Cluster Precursors by Electrospinning and Application for Superior Li-ion Storage

Thiacalixarene-supported Co₃₂nanoclusters encapsulated in polyacrylonitrile nanofibers(Co₃₂@PAN-NFs) by electrospinning have been utilized as precursors to fabricate N-doped CoO@Co₉S₈ carbon nanofibers(CoO@Co₉S₈@CNFs) for superior Li-ion storage. The S-rich Co₃₂ clusters capped by organic sheets afforded the well dispersed cobalt oxide/sulfide nanoparticles embedded in carbon nanofiber composites by direct calcination. The N-doped CoO@Co₉S₈@CNFs nanocomposites have been utilized as anode materials for lithium ion battery with the reversible capabilities being of 1051.8, 967.6, 894.7, 782.7, 669.5 and 525.4 mA·h/g at 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 A/g, respectively. The CoO@Co₉S₈@CNFs also showed a relatively high stable capacity of 551.7 mA·h/g at the current density of 1 A/g after 200 cycles of rate experiments. The as-obtained N-doped CoO@Co₉S₈@CNFs nanocomposites exhibited superior reversible capacity, rate performance, Coulomb efficiency(74.5% vs. 63.9%) and cyclic stability comparing with the CoO@Co₉S₈@C derived from simple annealing of Co₃₂ templates.     

Metal-Organic Frameworks-derived Indium Clusters/Carbon Nanocomposites for Efficient CO2 Electroreduction

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide into value-added products is a promising way to recycle the greenhouse gas, thus solving the crisis of global warming. Pressing challenges remain in regulating the catalytic selectivity. In this work, we demonstrated a metal-organic frameworks-assisted approach to synthesizing In species loaded on the surface of N doped carbon matrix. By controlling the particle sizes, the catalytic selectivity can be easily altered. The obtained In_c/NC possesses the outstanding capability for converting CO₂ into CO. And 80.09% Faraday efficiency (FE) of CO can be achieved at 0.8 V vs. RHE. While the In₂O₃/C exhibits different catalytic behaviors, the main product is formic acid and the FE is more than 50% at 0.8 V vs. RHE. The selectivity reversal can be attributed to the strong interactions between In clusters and N atoms of carbon supports, which efficiently inhibits the formation of the by-product, formic acid. Our research has paved a new way to modulate catalytic selectivity by manipulating the fine structures of the catalysts.     

A Simple Homoleptic Gallium(I) Olefin Complex: Mimicking Transition‐Metal Chemistry at a Main‐Group Metal?

The earth‐metal olefin complex [Ga ^I (COD)₂]⁺[Al(OR^F)₄]^? (COD=1,5‐cyclooctadiene; R^F=C(CF₃)₃) constitutes the first homoleptic olefin complex of any main‐group metal accessible as a bulk compound. It is straight forward to prepare in good yield and constitutes an olefin complex of a main‐group metal that—similar to many transition‐metals—may adopt the +1 and +3 oxidation states opening potential applications. Crystallographic‐, vibrational‐ and computational investigations give an insight to the atypical bonding between an olefin and a main‐group metal. They are compared to classical transition‐metal relatives.     

A Novel Carbon Nitride Nanosheets-based Electrochemical Sensor for Determination of Hydroxychloroquine in Pharmaceutical Formulation and Synthetic Urine Samples

This study introduces modified carbon paste electrodes with carbon nitride nanosheets (CNNS) and outlines their application for the determination of hydroxychloroquine sulfate (HCQ) in tablets and synthetic urine samples. CNNS were synthesized by hydrothermal route (200 °C, 10 h) using melamine and citric acid as their precursors. The carbon nitride nanosheets-based electrode (CNNS/E) presented a linear dynamic range for HCQ (LDR), ranging from 10.0 nmol l⁻¹ to 6.92 μmol l⁻¹, and detection (LOD) and quantification limits (LOQ) of 0.16 nmol l⁻¹ and 0.52 nmol l⁻¹, respectively. LOD and LOQ were calculated by the equations: LOD=3(S_d/b), and LOQ=10(S_d/b). The modified sensor presented excellent relative standard deviations for parameters such as repeatability (2.39 % and 1.87 %) and reproducibility (3.22 % and 2.32 %) in HCQ oxidation peaks (1 and 2). The CNNS/E has not shown significant variations in its anodic signal intensity in the presence of some organic and inorganic substances. It is worth bearing in mind that CNNS/E can be easily manufactured and the sensor has the lowest HCQ detection limits reported so far. The proposed sensor was successfully applied for HCQ determination in tablets and synthetic urine, showing good recovery values and an error of 0.60 % about comparative method in tablet samples, assuring the quality of the method.     

The effect of applied negative bias voltage on the structure of Ti-doped a-C:H films deposited by FCVA

Ti-doped hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) method using Ar and CH₄ as the feedstock. The composition and microstructure of the films were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and IR spectroscopy. The internal stress was determined by the radius of curvature technique. The influence of the bias voltage on the microstructure of the as-deposited films was investigated. It was found that the graphite-like bonds was dominated in the Ti-doped DLC film deposited at 0 V bias voltage. When bias voltage was increased to −150 V, more diamond-like bond were produced and the sp³ content in film reached the maximum value, after which it decreased and more graphite-like bonds feature produced with further increase of the negative bias voltage. The compressive internal in the Ti-doped DLC films also exhibited a maximum value at −150 V bias voltage. IR results indicated that CH bonded intensity reduced, and H atoms bonded with C atoms were substituted for the Ti atoms as the negative bias voltage increasing. All the composition and microstructure change can be explained by considering the plasma conditions and the effect of negative bias voltage applied to the substrate.     

低能C36团簇在金刚石(100)晶面沉积时的影响因素

"使用Brenner-LJ拟合势描述了金刚石与C36团簇原子间的相互作用,并用分子动力学模拟的方法研究单个C36(D6h)在金刚石(100)晶面的沉积机制．通过仿真实验分析了C36团簇的入射能量、入射点位置、入射姿势、入射角度等因素对其成核初期化学吸附过程以及沉积后其稳定性的影响．研究发现：由于C36入射点位置及入射姿势的不同,其在金刚石(100)晶面沉积时的沉积阈值最小值为20 eV,最大值为60 eV;在入射角不超过60o斜射时,由于水平运动分量的存在,C36可能翻滚及平滑至成键能量较小的区域后再成键