High-precision imaging of an encapsulated Lindqvist ion and correlation of its structure and symmetry with quantum chemical calculations

Stability of Coinage Metals Interacting with C60

Buckminsterfullerene (C₆₀) has been advocated as a perfect candidate material for the encapsulation and adsorption of a variety of metals and the resultant metallofullerenes have been considered for the use in different scientific, technological and medical areas. Using spin-polarized density functional theory together with dispersion correction, we examine the stability and electronic structures of endohedral and exohedral complexes formed between coinage metals (Cu, Ag and Au) and both non-defective and defective C₆₀. Encapsulation is exoergic in both forms of C₆₀ and their encapsulation energies are almost the same. Exohedral adsorption of all three metals is stronger than that of endohedral encapsulation in the non-defective C₆₀. Structures and the stability of atoms interacting with an outer surface of a defective C₆₀ are also discussed. As the atoms are stable both inside and outside the C₆₀, the resultant complexes can be of interest in different scientific and medical fields. Furthermore, all complexes exhibit magnetic moments, inferring that they can be used as spintronic materials.

Technetium Encapsulation by A Nanoporous Complex Oxide 12CaO•7Al2O3 (C12A7)

Technetium (99Tc) is an important long-lived radionuclide released from various activities including nuclear waste processing, nuclear accidents and atmospheric nuclear weapon testing. The removal of 99Tc from the environment is a challenging task, and chemical capture by stable ceramic host systems is an efficient strategy to minimise the hazard. Here we use density functional theory with dispersion correction (DFT+D) to examine the capability of the porous inorganic framework material C12A7 that can be used as a filter material in different places such as industries and nuclear power stations to encapsulate Tc in the form of atoms and dimers. The present study shows that both the stoichiometric and electride forms of C12A7 strongly encapsulate a single Tc atom. The electride form exhibits a significant enhancement in the encapsulation. Although the second Tc encapsulation is also energetically favourable in both forms, the two Tc atoms prefer to aggregate, forming a dimer.

Encapsulation of Cadmium Selenide Nanocrystals in Biocompatible Nanotubes: DFT Calculations, X-ray Diffraction Investigations, and Confocal Fluorescence Imaging

The encapsulation of CdSe nanocrystals within single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) cavities of varying dimensions at elevated temperatures under strictly air-tight conditions is described for the first time. The structures of CdSe nanocrystals under confinement inside SWNTs was established in a comprehensive study, combining both experimental and DFT theoretical investigations. The calculated binding energies show that all considered polymorphs [(3:3), (4:4), and (4:2)] may be obtained experimentally. The most thermodynamically stable structure (3:3) is directly compared to the experimentally observed CdSe structures inside carbon nanotubes. The gas-phase DFT-calculated energy difference between "free" 3:3 and 4:2 structures (whereby 3:3 models a novel tubular structure in which both Cd and Se form three coordination, as observed experimentally for HgTe inside SWNT, and 4:2 is a motif derived from the hexagonal CuI bulk structure in which both Cd and Se form 4 or 2 coordination) is surprisingly small, only 0.06 eV per formula unit. X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analyses led to the full characterization of the SWNTs filled with the CdSe nanocrystals, shedding light on the composition, structure, and electronic interactions of the new nanohybrid materials on an atomic level. A new emerging hybrid nanomaterial, simultaneously filled and beta-d-glucan coated, was obtained by using pristine nanotubes and bulk CdSe powder as starting materials. This displayed fluorescence in water dispersions and unexpected biocompatibility was found to be mediated by beta-d-glucan (a biopolymer extracted from barley) with respect to that of the individual inorganic material components. For the first time, such supramolecular nanostructures are investigated by life-science techniques applied to functional nanomaterial characterization, opening the door for future nano-biotechnological applications.

Selective Imaging of Discrete Polyoxometalate Ions on Graphene Oxide under Variable Voltage Conditions

Monosubstituted lacunary Keggin [CoSiW11O39](6-) ions on graphene oxide (GO) were used in a comparative imaging study using aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy at two different acceleration voltages, 80 and 200 kV. By performing a set of static and dynamical studies, together with image simulations, we show how the use of lower voltages results in better stability and resolution of the underlying GO support while the use of higher voltages permits better resolution of the individual tungsten atoms and leads to less kinetic motion of the cluster, thus leading to a more accurate identification of cluster orientation and better stability under dynamical imaging conditions. Applying different voltages also influences the visibility of both GO and the lighter Co at lower or higher voltages, respectively.

Band gap expansion, shear inversion phase change behaviour and low-voltage induced crystal oscillation in low-dimensional tin selenide crystals

In common with rocksalt-type alkali halide phases and also semiconductors such as GeTe and SnTe, SnSe forms all-surface two atom-thick low dimensional crystals when encapsulated within single walled nanotubes (SWNTs) with diameters below ∼1.4 nm. Whereas previous density functional theory (DFT) studies indicate that optimised low-dimensional trigonal HgTe changes from a semi-metal to a semi-conductor, low-dimensional SnSe crystals typically undergo band-gap expansion. In slightly wider diameter SWNTs (∼1.4-1.6 nm), we observe that three atom thick low dimensional SnSe crystals undergo a previously unobserved form of a shear inversion phase change resulting in two discrete strain states in a section of curved nanotube. Under low-voltage (i.e. 80-100 kV) imaging conditions in a transmission electron microscope, encapsulated SnSe crystals undergo longitudinal and rotational oscillations, possibly as a result of the increase in the inelastic scattering cross-section of the sample at those voltages.

Isotope substitution extends the lifetime of organic molecules in transmission electron microscopy

Structural characterisation of individual molecules by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is fundamentally limited by the element and electron energy-specific interactions of the material with the high energy electron beam. Here, the key mechanisms controlling the interactions between the e-beam and C-H bonds, present in all organic molecules, are examined, and the low atomic weight of hydrogen-resulting in its facile atomic displacement by the e-beam-is identified as the principal cause of the instability of individual organic molecules. It is demonstrated theoretically and proven experimentally that exchanging all hydrogen atoms within molecules with the deuterium isotope, and therefore doubling the atomic weight of the lightest atoms in the structure, leads to a more than two-fold increase in the stability of organic molecules in the e-beam. Substitution of H for D significantly reduces the amount of kinetic energy transferred from the e-beam to the atom (main factor contributing to stability) and also increases the barrier for bond dissociation, primarily due to the changes in the zero-point energy of the C-D vibration (minor factor). The extended lifetime of coronene-d12 , used as a model molecule, enables more precise analysis of the inter-molecular spacing and more accurate measurement of the molecular orientations.

Confined crystals of the smallest phase-change material

The demand for high-density memory in tandem with limitations imposed by the minimum feature size of current storage devices has created a need for new materials that can store information in smaller volumes than currently possible. Successfully employed in commercial optical data storage products, phase-change materials, that can reversibly and rapidly change from an amorphous phase to a crystalline phase when subject to heating or cooling have been identified for the development of the next generation electronic memories. There are limitations to the miniaturization of these devices due to current synthesis and theoretical considerations that place a lower limit of 2 nm on the minimum bit size, below which the material does not transform in the structural phase. We show here that by using carbon nanotubes of less than 2 nm diameter as templates phase-change nanowires confined to their smallest conceivable scale are obtained. Contrary to previous experimental evidence and theoretical expectations, the nanowires are found to crystallize at this scale and display amorphous-to-crystalline phase changes, fulfilling an important prerequisite of a memory element. We show evidence for the smallest phase-change material, extending thus the size limit to explore phase-change memory devices at extreme scales.