Polyacenes electronic properties and their dependence on molecular size

Energy Decomposition Scheme for Rectangular Graphene Flakes

We show-to our own surprise-that total electronic energies for a family of m × n rectangular graphene flakes can be very accurately represented by a simple function of the structural parameters m and n with errors not exceeding 1 kcal/mol. The energies of these flakes, usually referred to as multiple zigzag chains Z(m,n), are computed for m, n < 21 at their optimized geometries using the DFTB3 methodology. We have discovered that the structural parameters m and n (and their simple algebraic functions) provide a much better basis for the energy decomposition scheme than the various topological invariants usually used in this context. Most terms appearing in our energy decomposition scheme seem to have simple chemical interpretations. Our observation goes against the well-established knowledge stating that many-body energies are complicated functions of molecular parameters. Our observations might have far-reaching consequences for building accurate machine learning models.

Applications of Hückel-Su-Schrieffer-Heeger method

The equilibrium carbon-carbon (C-C) bond lengths in π-electron hydrocarbons are very sensitive to the electronic ground-state characteristic. In the recent two papers by Stolarczyk and Krygowski (J Phys Org Chem, 34:e4154,e4153, 2021) a simple quantum approach, the Augmented Hückel Molecular Orbital (AugHMO) model, is proposed for the qualitative, as well as quantitative, study of this phenomenon. The simplest realization of the AugHMO model is the Hückel-Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (HSSH) method, in which the resonance integral β of the HMO model is a linear function the bond length. In the present paper, the HSSH method is applied in a study of C-C bond lengths in a set of 34 selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is exactly the set of molecules analyzed by Riegel and Müllen (J Phys Org Chem, 23:315, 2010) in the context of their electronic-excitation spectra. These PAHs have been obtained by chemical synthesis, but in most cases no diffraction data (by X-rays or neutrons) of sufficient quality is available to provide us with their geometry. On the other hand, these PAHs are rather big (up to 96 carbon atoms), and ab initio methods of quantum chemistry are too expensive for a reliable geometry optimization. That makes the HSSH method a very attractive alternative. Our HSSH calculations uncover a modular architecture of certain classes of PAHs. For the studied molecules (and their fragments – modules), we calculate the values of the aromaticity index HOMA.

Calculation of Raman parameters of real-size zigzag (n, 0) single-walled carbon nanotubes using finite-size models

Structural and selected Raman features of real-size single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were studied using finite-size pristine SWCNT models at the DFT level.

A DFT study on dihydropyrazine annulated linear polyacenes: aromaticity, stability and HOMO–LUMO energy modulation

Linear polyacene (LPA) mimics containing up to 34 rings have been designed by annulating dihydropyrazine units to LPA cores and they showed enhanced aromatic character than the LPA due to significant mixing of the N-lone pairs with the carbon π-orbitals.

Low-lying excited states in armchair polyacene within Pariser-Parr-Pople model: a density matrix renormalization group study

We studied the nature of the ground state and low-lying excited states of armchair polyacene oligomers (Polyphenanthrene) within long-range Pariser-Parr-Pople model Hamiltonian with up to 14 monomers using symmetrized density matrix renormalization group technique. The ground state of all armchair polyacenes studied is found to be singlet. The results show that lowest singlet dipole allowed excited state has higher energy for armchair polyacenes as compared to linear fused polyacenes. Moreover, unlike linear fused polyacenes, the lowest singlet excited state of these oligomers is always found to lie below the lowest dipole forbidden two-photon state indicating that these armchair polyacene oligomers strongly fluoresce. The calculations of low-lying excitations on singly and triply electron doped armchair polyacene oligomers show a low energy band with strong transition dipole moment that coupled to charge conductivity. This implies armchair polyacene posses novel field-effect transistor properties.

DFT calculations of structures, (13)C NMR chemical shifts, and Raman RBM mode of simple models of small-diameter zigzag (4,0) carboxylated single-walled carbon nanotubes

Linearly conjugated benzene rings (acenes), belt-shaped molecules (cyclic acenes), and models of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with one carboxylic group at the open end were fully optimized at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. These models were selected to obtain some insight into the nuclear isotropic changes resulting from systematically increasing the basic building units of open-tip-monocarboxylated SWCNTs. In addition, the position of radial breathing mode (RBM), empirically correlated with the SWCNT diameter, was directly related with the radius of model cyclic acene rings. A regular convergence of selected structural, NMR, and Raman parameters with the molecular system size increase was observed, and a simple two-parameter mathematical formula enabled their estimation in infinity. The predicted (13) C NMR chemical shifts of carbon atoms close to the substituted rim of carboxylated models of zigzag (4,0) SWCNTs differed significantly from the pristine nanotubes.

DFT calculation of structures and NMR chemical shifts of simple models of small diameter zigzag single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)

Linearly conjugated benzene rings (acenes), belt-shape molecules (cyclic acenes) and model single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were fully optimized at the unrestricted level of density functional theory (UB3LYP/6-31G*). The models of SWCNTs were selected to get some insight into the potential changes of NMR chemical shift upon systematic increase of the molecular size. The theoretical NMR chemical shifts were calculated at the B3LYP/pcS-2 level of theory using benzene as reference. In addition, the change of radial breathing mode (RBM), empirically correlated with SWCNT diameter, was directly related with the radius of cyclic acenes. Both geometrical and NMR parameters were extrapolated to infinity upon increase in the studied systems size using a simple two-parameter mathematical formula. Very good agreement between calculated and available experimental CC bond lengths of acenes was observed (RMS of 0.0173 Å). The saturation of changes in CC bond lengths and (1)H and (13)C NMR parameters for linear and cyclic acenes, starting from 7-8 conjugated benzene rings, was observed. The (13)C NMR parameters of individual carbon atoms from the middle of ultra-thin (4,0) SWCNT formed from 10 conjugated cyclic acenes differ by about 130 ppm from the corresponding open end carbon nuclei.