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de Donato A, Ghejan BA, Bakker JM, Bernhardt TM, Bromley ST, Lang SM. Gas-Phase Production of Hydroxylated Silicon Oxide Cluster Cations: Structure, Infrared Spectroscopy, and Astronomical Relevance. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2024; 8:1154-1164. [PMID: 38919856 PMCID: PMC11194846 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.3c00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024]
Abstract
The interaction of free cationic silicon oxide clusters, Si x O y + (x = 2-5, y ≥ x), with dilute water vapor, was investigated in a flow tube reactor. Product mass distributions indicate cluster size-dependent dissociative water adsorption. To probe the structure and vibrational spectra of the resulting Si x O y H2 + (x = 2-4) clusters, we employed infrared multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations. The planar rhombic cluster core of the disilicon oxides (x = 2) appears to be retained upon dissociative adsorption of one H2O unit, whereas a significant structural transformation of the tri- and tetra-silicon oxides (x = 3 and 4) is induced, resulting in an increased coordination of the Si atoms and more 3D cluster structures. In an astronomical context, we discuss the potential relevance of Si x O y H z + clusters as seeds for dust nucleation and catalysts for carbon-based chemistry in diffuse or translucent interstellar clouds, where all the necessary conditions for producing these species are found. In the produced clusters, the frequency of the isolated silanol Si-OH stretching vibrational mode is considerably blue-shifted compared to that in hydroxylated bulk silica and small inorganic compounds. This mode has a characteristic frequency range between 1200 cm-1 (8.3 μm) and 1090 cm-1 (9.2 μm) and is associated with the anomalously small Si-OH bond lengths in these ionised species. In infrared observations such high frequency Si-O stretching modes are usually associated with a pure bulk silica component of silicate cosmic dust. The presence of Si x O y H2 + clusters in low silica astrophysical environments could thus potentially be detected via their signature Si-O band using the James Webb space telescope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreu
A. de Donato
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacio-nal (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | | | - Joost M. Bakker
- Radboud
University, Institute of Molecules and Materials, FELIX Laboratory, Nijmegen 6525 ED, The Netherlands
| | | | - Stefan T. Bromley
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacio-nal (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Institució
Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluís Companys 23, Bar-celona E-08010, Spain
| | - Sandra M. Lang
- Institute
of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, University
of Ulm, Ulm 89069, Germany
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2
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Recio-Poo M, Morales-García Á, Illas F, Bromley ST. Crystal properties without crystallinity? Influence of surface hydroxylation on the structure and properties of small TiO 2 nanoparticles. NANOSCALE 2023; 15:4809-4820. [PMID: 36786054 DOI: 10.1039/d3nr00141e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Titania (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) are widely employed in applications that take advantage of their photochemical properties (e.g. pollutant degradation, photocatalysis). Here, we study the interrelation between crystallinity, surface hydroxylation and electronic structure in titania NPs with 1.4-2.3 nm diameters using all electron density functional theory-based calculations. We show how the distribution of local coordination environments of the atoms in thermally annealed quasi-spherical non-crystalline NPs converge to those in correspondingly sized faceted crystalline anatase NPs upon increasing hydroxylation. When highly hydroxylated, annealed NPs also possess electronic energy gaps with very similar energies and band edge orbital characters to those of the crystalline anatase NPs. We refer to the crystallite-mimicking non-crystalline annealed NPs as "crystalikes". Small stable crystalike NPs could allow for photochemical applications of titania in the size range where crystalline anatase NPs tend to become thermodynamically unfavoured (<3-5 nm). Our work implies the anatase crystal structure may not be as essential as previously assumed for TiO2 NP applications and generally suggests that crystalikes could be possible in other nanomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Recio-Poo
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ángel Morales-García
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Francesc Illas
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Stefan T Bromley
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, c/Martí i Franquès 1-11, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Passeig Lluis Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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3
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Escatllar AM, Lazaukas T, Woodley SM, Bromley ST. Structure and Properties of Nanosilicates with Olivine (Mg 2SiO 4) N and Pyroxene (MgSiO 3) N Compositions. ACS EARTH & SPACE CHEMISTRY 2019; 3:2390-2403. [PMID: 32055761 PMCID: PMC7009040 DOI: 10.1021/acsearthspacechem.9b00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2019] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Magnesium-rich silicates are ubiquitous both terrestrially and astronomically, where they are often present as small particles. Nanosized Mg-rich silicate particles are likely to be particularly important for understanding the formation, processing, and properties of cosmic dust grains. Although astronomical observations and laboratory studies have revealed much about such silicate dust, our knowledge of this hugely important class of nanosolids largely rests on top-down comparisons with the properties of bulk silicates. Herein, we provide a foundational bottom-up study of the structure and properties of Mg-rich nanosilicates based on carefully procured atomistic models. Specifically, we employ state-of-the-art global optimization methods to search for the most stable structures of silicate nanoclusters with olivine (Mg2SiO4) N and pyroxene (MgSiO3) N compositions with N = 1-10. To ensure the reliability of our searches, we develop a new interatomic potential that has been especially tuned for nanosilicates. Subsequently, we refine these searches and calculate a range of physicochemical properties of the most stable nanoclusters using accurate density functional theory based electronic structure calculations. We report a detailed analysis of structural and energy properties, charge distributions, and infrared vibrational spectra, where in all cases we compare our finding for nanosilicates with those of the corresponding bulk silicate crystals. For most properties considered, we find large differences with respect to the bulk limit, underlining the limitations of a top-down approach for describing these species. Overall, our work provides a new platform for an accurate and detailed understanding of nanoscale silicates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Macià Escatllar
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tomas Lazaukas
- Department
of Chemistry, University College, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Scott M. Woodley
- Department
of Chemistry, University College, London WC1H 0AJ, U.K.
| | - Stefan T. Bromley
- Departament
de Ciència de Materials i Química Física &
Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució
Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), E-08010 Barcelona, Spain
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4
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Cuko A, Macià Escatllar A, Calatayud M, Bromley ST. Properties of hydrated TiO 2 and SiO 2 nanoclusters: dependence on size, temperature and water vapour pressure. NANOSCALE 2018; 10:21518-21532. [PMID: 30427364 DOI: 10.1039/c8nr07262k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Nanoscale titania (TiO2) and silica (SiO2) are massively produced technologically important nanomaterials used in a wide range of technological applications where nano-titania is the active component (e.g. water splitting, pollution remediation, self-cleaning coatings). Generally, these applications entail contact with water and a degree of hydration of these nano-oxides. Although the hydration of nano-silica has been fairly well studied, the corresponding level of microscopic understanding for nano-titania is severely lacking. Here, using accurate electronic structure calculations we perform a detailed and comprehensive study of the hydration of titania nanoclusters. Firstly, using global optimisation, we establish the most energetically stable structures of a set of (TiO2)M(H2O)N nanoclusters with sizes ranging through M = 4-16 and with N/M ratios of ≤ 1.0. Using this extensive dataset we investigate how the structures, energy gaps, and thermodynamic stabilities of these species depend on size, temperature and water vapour pressure. To provide a broader chemical context for our study we also provide this full set of data for the respective set of (SiO2)M(H2O)N nanoclusters which we use to compare and contrast their properties with those of nano-titania. Our broad systematic study thus provides a comparative and foundational reference study for a thorough understanding of how hydration affects the structure, energetics and properties of both nano-SiO2 and nano-TiO2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andi Cuko
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física & Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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5
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Vis B, Hewitt RE, Faria N, Bastos C, Chappell H, Pele L, Jugdaohsingh R, Kinrade SD, Powell JJ. Non-Functionalized Ultrasmall Silica Nanoparticles Directly and Size-Selectively Activate T Cells. ACS NANO 2018; 12:10843-10854. [PMID: 30346692 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b03363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Sub-micron-sized silica nanoparticles, even as small as 10-20 nm in diameter, are well-known for their activation of mononuclear phagocytes. In contrast, the cellular impact of those <10 nm [ i.e., ultrasmall silica nanoparticles (USSN)] is not well-established for any cell type despite anticipated human exposure. Here, we synthesized discrete populations of USSN with volume median diameters between 1.8 to 16 nm and investigated their impact on the mixed cell population of human primary peripheral mononuclear cells. USSN 1.8-7.6 nm in diameter, optimally 3.6-5.1 nm in diameter, induced dose-dependent CD4 and CD8 T-cell activation in terms of cell surface CD25 and CD69 up-regulation at concentrations above 150 μM Sitotal (∼500 nM particles). Induced activation with only ∼2.4 μM particles was (a) equivalent to that observed with typical positive control levels of Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and (b) evident in antigen presenting cell-deplete cultures as well as in a pure T-cell line (Jurkat) culture. In the primary mixed-cell population, USSN induced IFN-γ secretion but failed to induce T-cell proliferation or the secretion of IL-2, IL-10, or IL-4. Collectively, these data indicate that USSN initiate activation, with Th1 polarization, of T cells via direct particle-cell interaction. Finally, similarly sized iron hydroxide particles did not induce the expression of T-cell activation markers, indicating some selectivity of the ultrasmall particle type. Given that humans may be exposed to ultrasmall particles and that these materials have emerging bioclinical applications, their off-target immunomodulatory effects via direct T-cell activation should be carefully considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley Vis
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry , Lakehead University , Thunder Bay , Ontario P7B 5E1 , Canada
| | - Rachel E Hewitt
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
| | - Nuno Faria
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
| | - Carlos Bastos
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
| | - Helen Chappell
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
- School of Food Science and Nutrition , University of Leeds , Woodhouse Lane , Leeds LS2 9JT , United Kingdom
| | - Laetitia Pele
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
| | - Ravin Jugdaohsingh
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
| | - Stephen D Kinrade
- Department of Chemistry , Lakehead University , Thunder Bay , Ontario P7B 5E1 , Canada
| | - Jonathan J Powell
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Veterinary Medicine , University of Cambridge , Madingley Road , Cambridge CB3 0ES , United Kingdom
- Biomineral Research Group, Department of Mineral Science and Technology , MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory , Fulbourn Road , Cambridge CB1 9NL , United Kingdom
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6
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Grajciar L, Heard CJ, Bondarenko AA, Polynski MV, Meeprasert J, Pidko EA, Nachtigall P. Towards operando computational modeling in heterogeneous catalysis. Chem Soc Rev 2018; 47:8307-8348. [PMID: 30204184 PMCID: PMC6240816 DOI: 10.1039/c8cs00398j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
An increased synergy between experimental and theoretical investigations in heterogeneous catalysis has become apparent during the last decade. Experimental work has extended from ultra-high vacuum and low temperature towards operando conditions. These developments have motivated the computational community to move from standard descriptive computational models, based on inspection of the potential energy surface at 0 K and low reactant concentrations (0 K/UHV model), to more realistic conditions. The transition from 0 K/UHV to operando models has been backed by significant developments in computer hardware and software over the past few decades. New methodological developments, designed to overcome part of the gap between 0 K/UHV and operando conditions, include (i) global optimization techniques, (ii) ab initio constrained thermodynamics, (iii) biased molecular dynamics, (iv) microkinetic models of reaction networks and (v) machine learning approaches. The importance of the transition is highlighted by discussing how the molecular level picture of catalytic sites and the associated reaction mechanisms changes when the chemical environment, pressure and temperature effects are correctly accounted for in molecular simulations. It is the purpose of this review to discuss each method on an equal footing, and to draw connections between methods, particularly where they may be applied in combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukáš Grajciar
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry
, Faculty of Science
, Charles University in Prague
,
128 43 Prague 2
, Czech Republic
.
;
;
| | - Christopher J. Heard
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry
, Faculty of Science
, Charles University in Prague
,
128 43 Prague 2
, Czech Republic
.
;
;
| | - Anton A. Bondarenko
- TheoMAT group
, ITMO University
,
Lomonosova 9
, St. Petersburg
, 191002
, Russia
| | - Mikhail V. Polynski
- TheoMAT group
, ITMO University
,
Lomonosova 9
, St. Petersburg
, 191002
, Russia
| | - Jittima Meeprasert
- Inorganic Systems Engineering group
, Department of Chemical Engineering
, Faculty of Applied Sciences
, Delft University of Technology
,
Van der Maasweg 9
, 2629 HZ Delft
, The Netherlands
.
| | - Evgeny A. Pidko
- TheoMAT group
, ITMO University
,
Lomonosova 9
, St. Petersburg
, 191002
, Russia
- Inorganic Systems Engineering group
, Department of Chemical Engineering
, Faculty of Applied Sciences
, Delft University of Technology
,
Van der Maasweg 9
, 2629 HZ Delft
, The Netherlands
.
| | - Petr Nachtigall
- Department of Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry
, Faculty of Science
, Charles University in Prague
,
128 43 Prague 2
, Czech Republic
.
;
;
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Polarizability of the Si60H60 Derivatives Containing Epoxide Moieties (Si60H60−2nOn with n up to 30): A DFT Study. J CLUST SCI 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10876-018-1365-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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8
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Computing Free Energies of Hydroxylated Silica Nanoclusters: Forcefield versus Density Functional Calculations. INORGANICS 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/inorganics5030041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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9
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Macià Escatllar A, Ugliengo P, Bromley ST. Modeling hydroxylated nanosilica: Testing the performance of ReaxFF and FFSiOH force fields. J Chem Phys 2017; 146:224704. [DOI: 10.1063/1.4985083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Antoni Macià Escatllar
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Piero Ugliengo
- Dipartimento di Chimica and NIS Centre, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10125 Torino, Italy
| | - Stefan T. Bromley
- Departament de Ciència de Materials i Química Física and Institut de Química Teòrica i Computacional (IQTCUB), Universitat de Barcelona, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), E-08010 Barcelona, Spain
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10
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Cuko A, Macià A, Calatayud M, Bromley ST. Global optimisation of hydroxylated silica clusters: A cascade Monte Carlo Basin Hopping approach. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2016.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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11
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Gupta SK, Kalita AC, Dar AA, Sen S, Patwari GN, Murugavel R. Elusive Double-Eight-Ring Zeolitic Secondary Building Unit. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 139:59-62. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b11156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep K. Gupta
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
| | - Alok Ch. Kalita
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
| | - Aijaz A. Dar
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
| | - Saumik Sen
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
| | - G. Naresh Patwari
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
| | - Ramaswamy Murugavel
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400 076, India
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12
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Inverted thermochemistry of “norbornadiene–quadricyclane” molecular system inside fullerene nanocages. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2014.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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