From pure C60 to silicon carbon fullerene-based nanotube: An ab initio study

From pure C₃₆ fullerene to cagelike nanocluster: a density functional study

The geometrical structures, energetics properties, and aromaticity of C(₃₆-n) Si(n) (n ≤ 18) fullerene-based clusters were studied using density functional theory calculations. The geometries of C(₃₆-n) Si(n) clusters undergo strong structural deformation with the increase of Si substitution. For the most energy favorable structures of C(₃₆-n) Si(n) , the silicon and carbon atoms form two distinct homogeneous segregations. Subsequently, the binding energy, HOMO-LUMO energy gap, vertical ionization potential, vertical electron affinity, and chemical hardness for the energetic favorable C(₃₆-n) Si(n) geometries were computed and analyzed. In addition, the aromatic property of C(₃₆-n) Si(n) cagelike clusters was investigated, and the result demonstrate that these C(₃₆-n) Si(n) cagelike structures possess strong aromaticity.

Doping the Buckminsterfullerene by Substitution: Density Functional Theory Studies of C59X (X = B, N, Al, Si, P, Ga, Ge, and As)

The heterofullerenes C59X (X = B, N, Al, Si, P, Ga, Ge, and As) were investigated by quantum chemistry calculations based on density functional theory. These hybrid cages can be seen as doping the buckminsterfullerene by heteroatom substitution. The geometrical structures, relative stabilities, electronic properties, vibrational frequencies, dielectric constants, and aromaticities of the doped cages were studied systemically and compared with those of the pristine C60cage. It is found that the doped cages with different heteroatoms exhibit various electronic, vibrational, and aromatic properties. These results imply the possibility to modulate the physical properties of these fullerene-based materials by tuning substitution elements.