Physical properties and DFT calculations of the hybrid organic polymeric nanocomposite thin film [P(An+o-Aph)+Glycine/TiO2/]HNC with 7.42% power conversion efficiency

Density functional theory for doped TiO2: current research strategies and advancements

Since the inception of the density functional theory (DFT) by Hohenberg and Kohn in 1964, it rapidly became an indispensable theoretical tool across various disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, and materials science, among others. This theory has ushered in a new era of computational research, paving the way for substantial advancements in fundamental understanding. Today, DFT is routinely employed for a diverse range of applications, such as probing new material properties and providing a profound understanding of the mechanisms underlying physical, chemical, and biological processes. Even after decades of active utilization, the improvement of DFT principles has never been slowed down, meaning that more accurate theoretical results are continuously generated with time. This work highlights the latest achievements acquired by DFT in the specific research field, namely the theoretical investigations of doped TiO2systems, which have not been comprehensively reviewed and summarized yet. Successful progress in this niche is currently hard to imagine without the support by DFT. It can accurately reveal new TiO2properties after introducing the desired dopant and help to find the optimal system design for a specific application prior to proceeding to more time-consuming and expensive experimental research. Hence, by evaluating a selection of the most recent research studies, we aim to highlight the pertinent aspects of DFT as they relate to the study of doped TiO2systems. We also aim to shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of DFT and present the primary strategies employed thus far to predict the properties of various doped TiO2systems reliably.

Study of the structural characteristics, optical properties, and electrical conductivity of doped [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF nanofiber composite using experimental data and TD-DFT/DMol3 computations

The powder form of the new nanofiber composite of poly(acrylonitrile-co-methylmethacrylate) (P(An-MMa)) with zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) was synthesized using the sol-gel method and subsequently converted to a thin film [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF via the physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. Numerous characterization techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) optical spectroscopy, were used to characterize [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF. Additionally, using density functional theory (DFT), optimization via time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT/DMol3) and Cambridge Serial Total Energy Bundle (TD-DFT/CASTEP) was developed. The TD-DFT calculations accurately matched the observed XRD and Raman spectra and validated the molecular structure of the examined materials. The average crystallite size of [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF, as determined by XRD calculations, is 171.04 nm. The SEM image depicts a one-dimensional morphological structure made up of tightly packed fibrous nanowires or brushes. The optical properties of the films were determined using optical absorbance spectrophotometric results in the 200-850-nm wavelength range. The optical energy bandgaps computed using Tauc's equation for [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]TF are 2.352 and 2.253 eV, respectively, whereas the isolated molecule of the composite [P(An-MMa)/ZrO2]Iso has a bandgap of 2.415 eV as determined by TD-DFT/DMol3. The optical characteristics predicted by CASTEP in TD-DFT are in good agreement with the experimental values. The investigated large optical energy bandgap nanofiber composite is advantageous for some energy storage applications.

Experimental and TDDFT materials simulation of thermal characteristics and entropy optimized of Williamson Cu-methanol and Al2O3-methanol nanofluid flowing through solar collector

Current investigation emphasizes the evaluation of entropy in a porous medium of Williamson nanofluid (WNF) flow past an exponentially extending horizontal plate featuring Parabolic Trough Solar Collector (PTSC). Two kinds of nanofluids such as copper-methanol (Cu-MeOH) and alumina-methanol (Al₂O₃-MeOH) were tested, discussed and plotted graphically. The fabricated nanoparticles are studied using different techniques, including TDDFT/DMOl³ method as simulated and SEM measurements as an experimental method. The centroid lengths of the dimer are 3.02 Å, 3.27 Å, and 2.49 Å for (Cu-MeOH), (Al₂O₃-MeOH), and (Cu-MeOH-αAl-MOH), respectively. Adequate similarity transformations were applied to convert the partial differential equation (PDEs) into nonlinear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) with the corresponding boundary constraints. An enhancement in Brinkmann and Reynolds numbers increases the overall system entropy. WNF parameter enhances the heat rate in PTSC. The thermal efficiency gets elevated for Cu-MeOH than that of Al₂O₃-MeOH among 0.8% at least and 6.6% in maximum for varying parametric values.