Metal-Doped Al12N12X (X = Na, Mg, K) Nanoclusters as Nanosensors for Carboplatin: Insight from First-Principles Computation

Theoretical design of transition metal-doped oxo-triarylmethyl as a disposable platform for adsorption of ibuprofen

Emerging environmental contaminants have become a crucial environmental issue because of the highly toxic effluents emitted by factories. Ibuprofen (IBP), as a typical anti-inflammatory drug, is frequently detected in water sources. Therefore, its removal using various adsorbents has drawn great interest. Herein, the structural, electronic, energetic, and optical properties of pristine oxo-triarylmethyl (oxTAM) and transition metal-doped oxo-triarylmethyl (TM@oxTAM, TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, and Mn) for adsorption of the IBU drug were investigated using density functional theory (DFT) calculations implemented in Gaussian and VASP codes. Frontier molecular orbital (FMO), density of states (DOS), and electronic band structure results demonstrated that transition metal-doped oxTAM causes a significant reduction in the energy band gap (Eg) value of pristine oxTAM, with the highest decrease (30.14 %) in the case of Mn@oxTAM. It was found that transition metal doping onto oxTAM leads to an increase in the adsorption energies (1.20-2.64 eV) and charge density between transition metal and IBU. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis revealed that charge was effectively transferred from the IBU towards the transition metal, which was further analyzed by charge decomposition analysis (CDA). Furthermore, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), interaction region indicator (IRI), electron localization function (ELF), and radial distribution function (RDF) analyses revealed that the IBU is adsorbed on the Sc@oxTAM surface via covalent interactions, while electrostatic with partially covalent interactions are dominated in other IBU/TM@oxTAM complexes. The results suggest that TM doping on the oxTAM provides a new insight for developing photocatalyst-based covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to remove emerging pollutants in wastewater.

Molecular simulation of Cu, Ag, and Au-decorated Si-doped graphene quantum dots (Si@QD) nanostructured as sensors for SO2 trapping

In view of the numerous environmental hazards and health challenges linked to sulfur (iv) oxide (SO2), an indirect greenhouse gas, and the resultant need to develop efficient gas nanosensor devices, this research had as its principal focus on the theoretical evaluation of the gas sensing potential of metals: Ag, Au and Cu functionalized silicon-doped quantum dots (Si@QD) for the detection and adsorption of SO2 gas investigated using the first-principles density functional theory (DFT) computation at the B3LYP-D3(BJ)/def2-SVP level of theory. Eight (8) possible adsorption modes: SO2_O_Si@QD, SO2_O_Ag_Si@QD, SO2_O_Au_Si@QD, SO2_O_Cu_Si@QD, SO2_S_Si@QD, SO2_S_Ag_Si@QD, SO2_S_Au_Si@QD, and SO2_S_Cu_Si@QD were considered based on SO2 interactions with the studied materials at the -S and -O sites of the SO2 molecule. The counterpoise correction (BSSE) showed that five of the eight interactions had favorable Ead + BSSE values ranging from -0.31 to -1.98 eV. All the eight interactions were observed to be thermodynamically favorable with ΔG and ΔH ranging from -129.01 to -200.24 kcal/mol and -158.26 to -229.73 kcal/mol respectively. Results from the topology analysis reveal that van der Waals forces occurred the greatest at the gas-sensor interphase while SO2_S_ Cu_Si@QD is predicted to have the highest sensing potency based on the conductivity and recovery time estimations. These results confirm the potential efficient feasibility of real-world device application of the metals (Ag, Au, Cu) functionalized Si-doped QDs.

A DFT and QTAIM insight into ethylene oxide adsorption on the surfaces of pure and metal-decorated inorganic fullerene-like nanoclusters

In this industrial era, the use of low-dimensional nanomaterials as gas sensors for environmental monitoring has received enormous interest. To develop an effective sensing method for ethylene oxide (EO), DFT computations are conducted using method ωB97X-D and B3LYP with 6-31G(d,p) basis set to evaluate the adsorption behavior of ethylene oxide gas on the surfaces of pristine, as well as Scandium and Titanium decorated B12N12, Al12N12, and Al12P12 nanocages. Several properties like structural, physical, and electronic are studied methodically to better understand the sensing behavior. Scandium-decorated aluminum phosphate and boron nitride nanocages were shown to perform better in terms of adsorption properties. The short recovery time observed in this study is beneficial for the repetitive use of the gas sensor. The Natural Bond Orbital and molecular electrostatic potential analysis demonstrated a substantial quantity of charge transfer from adsorbate to adsorbents. The bandgap alternation after adsorption shows an influence of adsorption on electronic properties. The interactions of adsorbate and adsorbents are further studied using the ultraviolet-visible predicted spectrum, and quantum theory of atoms in molecules all of which yielded promising findings.

High throughput computations of the effective removal of liquified gases by novel perchlorate hybrid material

The utilization of hybrid materials in separation technology, sorbents, direct air capture (DAC) technology, sensors, adsorbents, and chiral material recognition has increased in the past decade due to the recognized impact of atmospheric pollutants and hazardous industrial gases on climate change. A novel hybrid material, perchlorate hybrid (PClH), has been proposed in this study for the effective sensory detection and trapping of atmospheric pollutants and industrial hazardous gases. The study evaluated the structural properties, adsorption mechanism, electronic sensitivity, and topological analysis of PClH using highly accurate computational methods (M062X-D3BJ/def2-ccpVTZ and DSDPBEP86/def2-ccpVTZ). The computational analysis demonstrated that PClH has considerable adsorption energies and favorable interaction with CO2, NO2, SO2, COCl2, and H2S. PClH is more suitable for detecting liquefiable gases such as COCl2, CO2, and SO2, and can be easily recovered under ambient conditions. Developing such materials can contribute to reducing hazardous gases and pollutants in the atmosphere, leading to a cleaner and safer environment.

First-principle study of Cu-, Ag-, and Au-decorated Si-doped carbon quantum dots (Si@CQD) for CO2 gas sensing efficacies

CONTEXT

Nanosensor materials for the trapping and sensing of CO₂ gas in the ecosystem were investigated herein to elucidate the adsorption, sensibility, selectivity, conductivity, and reactivity of silicon-doped carbon quantum dot (Si@CQD) decorated with Ag, Au, and Cu metals. The gas was studied in two configurations on its O and C sites. When the metal-decorated Si@CQD interacted with the CO₂ gas on the C adsorption site of the gas, there was a decrease in all the interactions with the lowest energy gap of 1.084 eV observed in CO₂_C_Cu_Si@CQD followed by CO₂_C_Au_Si@CQD which recorded a slightly higher energy gap of 1.094 eV, while CO₂_C_Ag_Si@CQD had an energy gap of 2.109 eV. On the O adsorption sites, a decrease was observed in CO₂_O_Au_Si@CQD which had the least energy gap of 1.140 eV, whereas there was a significant increase after adsorption in CO₂_O_Ag_Si@CQD and CO₂_O_Cu_Si@CQD with calculated ∆E values of 2.942 eV and 3.015 eV respectively. The adsorption energy alongside the basis set supposition error (BSSE) estimation reveals that CO₂_C_Au_Si@CQD, CO₂_C_Ag_Si@CQD, and CO₂_C_Cu_Si@CQD were weakly adsorbed, while chemisorption was present in the CO₂_O_Ag_Si@CQD, CO₂_O_Cu_Si@CQD, and CO₂_O_Au_Si@CQD interactions. Indeed, the adsorption of CO₂ on the different metal-decorated quantum dots affects the Fermi level (E_f) and the work function (Φ) of each of the decorated carbon quantum dots owed to their low E_f values and high ∆Φ% which shows that they can be a prospective work function-based sensor material.

METHODS

Electronic structure theory method based on first-principle density functional theory (DFT) computation at the B3LYP-GD3(BJ)/Def2-SVP level of theory was utilized through the use of the Gaussian 16 and GaussView 6.0.16 software packages. Post-processing computational code such as multi-wavefunction was employed for result analysis and visualization.

Molecular Simulation of the Interaction of Diclofenac with Halogen (F, Cl, Br)-Encapsulated Ga12As12 Nanoclusters

Diclofenac is one of the most frequently consumed over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents globally, and several reports have confirmed its global ubiquity in several environmental compartments. Therefore, the need to develop more efficient monitoring/sensing devices with high detection limits is still needed. Herein, quantum mechanical simulations using density functional theory (DFT) computations have been utilized to evaluate the nanosensing efficacy and probe the applicability of Ga₁₂As₁₂ nanostructure and its engineered derivatives (halogen encapsulation F, Br, Cl) as efficient adsorbent/sensor materials for diclofenac. Based on the DFT computations, it was observed that diclofenac preferred to interact with the adsorbent material by assuming a flat orientation on the surface while interacting via its hydrogen atoms with the As atoms at the corner of the GaAs cage forming a polar covalent As-H bond. The adsorption energies were observed to be in the range of -17.26 to -24.79 kcal/mol and therefore suggested favorable adsorption with the surface. Nonetheless, considerable deformation was observed for the Br-encapsulated derivative, and therefore, its adsorption energy was observed to be positive. Additionally, encapsulation of the GaAs nanoclusters with halogens (F and Cl) enhanced the sensing attributes by causing a decrease in the energy gap of the nanocluster. And therefore, this suggests the feasibility of the studied materials as potentiometric sensor materials. These findings could offer some implications for the potential application of GaAs and their halogen-encapsulated derivatives for electronic technological applications.

Modeling of magnesium-decorated graphene quantum dot nanostructure for trapping AsH3, PH3 and NH3 gases

A magnesium-decorated graphene quantum dot (C₂₄H₁₂-Mg) surface has been examined theoretically using density functional theory (DFT) computations at the ωB97XD/6-311++G(2p,2d) level of theory to determine its sensing capability toward XH₃ gases, where X = As, N and P, in four different phases: gas, benzene solvent, ethanol solvent and water. This research was carried out in different phases in order to predict the best possible phase for the adsorption of the toxic gases. Analysis of the electronic properties shows that in the different phases the energy gap follows the order NH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg < PH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg < AsH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg. The results obtained from the adsorption studies show that all the calculated adsorption energies are negative, indicating that the nature of the adsorption is chemisorption. The adsorption energies can be arranged in an increasing trend of NH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg < PH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg < AsH₃@C₂₄H₁₂-Mg. The best adsorption performance was noted in the gas phase compared to the other studied counterparts. The interaction between the adsorbed gases and the surfaces shows a non-covalent interaction nature, as confirmed by the quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) and non-covalent interactions (NCI) analysis. The overall results suggest that we can infer that the surface of the magnesium-decorated graphene quantum dot C₂₄H₁₂-Mg is more efficient for sensing the gas AsH₃ than PH₃ and NH₃.

Transition Metal-Decorated B12N12-X (X = Au, Cu, Ni, Os, Pt, and Zn) Nanoclusters as Biosensors for Carboplatin

Theoretical studies on the adsorption, sensibility, and reactivity of a boron nitride nanocage decorated with Au, Cu, Ni, Os, Pt, and Zn metals as a biosensor material were carried out for the adsorption of carboplatin by applying the density functional theory computation at the B3LYP-GD3BJ/def2svp level of theory. All the optimized structures, as well as the calculations as regards the studied objective including electronic properties, geometry optimization parameters, adsorption energy studies, natural bond orbital analysis, topology studies, sensor mechanistic parameters, and thermodynamic properties (ΔG and ΔH), were investigated herein. As a result, the noticeable change in the energy gap of the studied surfaces when interacting with carboplatin accounted for the surfaces' reactivity, stability, conductivity, work function, and overall adsorption ability, implying that the studied decorated surfaces are good sensor materials for sensing carboplatin. Furthermore, the negative adsorption energies obtained for interacting surfaces decorated with Cu, Ni, Os, and Zn suggest that the surface has a superior ability to sense carboplatin as chemisorption was seen. Substantially, the geometric short adsorption bond length after adsorption, thermodynamically spontaneous reactions, and acceptable sensor mechanism results demonstrate that the investigated surfaces have strong sensing characteristics for sensing carboplatin.

Therapeutic Potential of B12N12-X (X = Au, Os, and Pt) Nanostructured as Effective Fluorouracil (5Fu) Drug Delivery Materials

In view of the research-substantiated comparative efficiency of nontoxic and bioavailable nanomaterials synergic with human systems for drug delivery, this work was aimed at studying the comparative efficiency of transition metal (Au, Os, and Pt)-decorated B₁₂N₁₂ nanocages in the adsorption of fluorouracil (5Fu), an antimetabolite-classed anticarcinogen administered for cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, and cervix. Three different metal-decorated nanocages interacted with 5Fu drug at the oxygen (O) and fluorine (F) sites, resulting in six adsorbent-adsorbate systems whose reactivity and sensitivity were investigated using density functional theory computation at the B3LYP/def2TZVP level of theory with special emphasis on the structural geometry, electronic, and topology analysis as well as the thermodynamic properties of the systems. While the electronic studies predicted Os@F as having the lowest and most favorable E_gp and E_ad of 1.3306 eV and -11.9 kcal/mol, respectively, the thermodynamic evaluation showed Pt@F to have the most favorable thermal energy (E), heat capacity (C_p), and entropy (ΔS) values as well as negative ΔH and ΔG while the adsorption studies showed that the greatest degree of chemisorption with E_ad magnitude of -204.5023 kcal/mol was observed in energies ranging from -12.0 to 138.4 kcal/mol with Os@F and Au@F at the lower and upper borders. The quantum theory of atoms in molecules results show that the six systems had noncovalent interactions as well as a certain degree of partial covalency but none showed covalent interaction while the noncovalent interaction analysis corroborated this by showing that the six systems had favorable interactions, though of varying degrees, with very little trace of steric hindrance or electrostatic interactions. Overall, the study showed that notwithstanding the good performance of the six adsorbent systems considered, the Pt@F and Os@F showed the most favorable potential for the delivery of 5Fu.

Comparative study of the efficiency of silicon carbide, boron nitride and carbon nanotube to deliver cancerous drug, azacitidine: A DFT study

Herein we have made a comparative study of the efficiency of three different nanotubes viz. Carbon nanotube (CNT), boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) and silicon carbide nanotube (SiCNT) to deliver the cancerous drug, Azacitidine (AZD). The atomistic description of the encapsulation process of AZD in these nanotubes has been analyzed by evaluating parameters like adsorption energy, electrostatic potential map, reduced density gradient (RDG). Higher adsorption energy of AZD with BNNT (-0.66eV), SiCNT (-0.92eV) compared to CNT (-0.56eV) confirms stronger binding affinity of the drug for the former than the later. Charge density and electrostatic potential map suggest that charge separation involving BNNT and CNT is more prominent than SiCNT. Evaluation of different thermodynamic parameters like Gibbs free energy, enthalpy change revealed that the overall encapsulation process is spontaneous and exothermic in nature and much favorable with BNNT and SiCNT. Stabilizing interactions of the drug with BNNT and SiCNT has been confirmed from RDG analysis. ADMP molecular dynamics simulation supports that the encapsulation process of the drug within the NT at room temperature. These results open up unlimited opportunities for the applications of these NTs as a drug delivery system in the field of nanomedicine.

B- and Al-Doped Porous 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks as Nanocarriers for Biguanides and Metformin Drugs

Nanostructures such as nanosheets, nanotubes, nanocages, and fullerenes have been extensively studied as potential candidates in various fields since the advancement of nanoscience. Herein, the interaction between biguanides (BGN) and metformin (MET) on the modified covalent organic framework (COF), COF-B, and COF-Al was investigated using density functional theory at the ωB97XD/6-311+G (d, p) level of computation to explore a new drug delivery system. The electronic properties evaluation reveals that the studied surfaces are suited for the delivery of both drug molecules. The calculated adsorption energies and basis set superposition errors (BSSE) ranged between -21.20 and -65.86 kJ/mol. The negative values obtained are an indication of excellent interaction between the drug molecules and the COF surfaces. Moreover, BGN is better adsorbed on COF-B with E_ads of -65.86 kJ/mol, while MET is better adsorbed on COF-Al with E_ads = -47.30 kJ/mol. The analysis of the quantum theory of atom in molecules (QTAIM) explained the nature and strength of intermolecular interaction existing between the drug molecules BGN and MET with the adsorbing surfaces. The analysis of noncovalent interaction (NCI) shows a weak hydrogen-bond interaction. Other properties such as quantum chemical descriptors and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis also agree with the potential of COF surfaces as drug delivery systems. The electron localization function (ELF) is discussed, and it confirms the transitions occurring in the NBO analysis of the complexes. In conclusion, COF-B and COF-Al are suitable candidates for the effective delivery of BGN and MET.

Computational design and molecular modeling of the interaction of nicotinic acid hydrazide nickel-based complexes with H2S gas

The application of nickel complexes of nicotinic acid hydrazide ligand as a potential gas-sensor and adsorbent material for H₂S gas was examined using appropriate density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the ωB97XD/Gen/6-311++G(d,p)/LanL2DZ method. The FT-IR spectrum of the synthesized ligand exhibited a medium band at 3178 cm^-1 attributed to ν(NH) stretching vibrations and strong bands at 1657 and 1600 cm^-1 corresponding to the presence of ν(C[double bond, length as m-dash]O) and ν(C[double bond, length as m-dash]N) vibration modes. In the spectrum of the nickel(ii) complex, the ν(C[double bond, length as m-dash]O) and ν(C[double bond, length as m-dash]N) vibration bands experience negative shifts to 1605 cm^-1 and 1580 cm^-1, respectively, compared to the ligand. This indicates the coordination of the carbonyl oxygen and the azomethine nitrogen atoms to the Ni²⁺ ion. Thus, the sensing mechanism of the complexes indicated a short recovery time and that the work function value increases for all complexes, necessitating an excellent H₂S gas sensor material. Thus, a profound assertion was given that the complex sensor surfaces exhibited very dense stability with regards to their relevant binding energies corresponding to various existing studies.

Electrocatalytic activity of metal encapsulated, doped, and engineered fullerene-based nanostructured materials towards hydrogen evolution reaction

The utilization of nanostructured materials as efficient catalyst for several processes has increased tremendously, and carbon-based nanostructured materials encompassing fullerene and its derivatives have been observed to possess enhanced catalytic activity when engineered with doping or decorated with metals, thus making them one of the most promising nanocage catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) during electro-catalysis. Prompted by these, and the reported electrochemical, electronic and stability advantage, an attempt is put forward herein to inspect the metal encapsulated, doped, and decorated dependent HER activity of C₂₄ engineered nanostructured materials as effective electro-catalyst for HER. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been utilized to evaluate the catalytic hydrogen evolution reaction activity of four proposed bare systems: fullerene (C₂₄), calcium encapsulated fullerene (Ca^encC₂₄), nickel-doped calcium encapsulated fullerene (Ni^dopCa^encC₂₄), and silver decorated nickel-doped calcium encapsulated (Ag^decNi^dopCa^encC₂₄) engineered nanostructured materials at the TPSSh/GenECP/6-311+G(d,p)/LanL2DZ level of theory. The obtained results divulged that, a potential decrease in energy gap (E_gap) occurred in the bare systems, while a sparing increase was observed upon adsorption of hydrogen onto the surfaces, these surfaces where also observed to maintain the least E_H–L gap while the Ag^decNi^dopCa^encC₂₄ surface exhibited an increased electrocatalytic activity when compared to others. The results also showed that the electronic properties of the systems evinced a correspondent result with their electrochemical properties, the Ag-decorated surface also exhibited a proficient adsorption energy \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$({E}_{ads}^{H})$$\end{document}(EadsH) and Gibb’s free energy (ΔG_H) value. The engineered Ag-decorated and Ni-doped systems were found to possess both good surface stability and excellent electro-catalytic property for HER activities.