Concentration of small ring structures in vitreous silica from a first-principles analysis of the Raman spectrum

Accurate and Transferable Machine Learning Potential for Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Sodium Silicate Glasses

An accurate and transferable machine learning (ML) potential for the simulation of binary sodium silicate glasses over a wide range of compositions (from 0 to 50% Na2O) was developed. The potential energy surface is approximated by the sum of atomic energy contributions mapped by a neural network algorithm from the local geometry comprising information on atomic distances and angles with neighboring atoms using the DeePMD code [Wang, H. Comput. Phys. Commun. 2018, 228, 178-184]. Our model was trained on a large data set of total energies and atomic forces computed at the density functional theory level on structures extracted from classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations performed at several temperatures from 300 to 3000 K. This allows for the generation of a robust and transferable ML potential applicable over the full compositional range of glass formability at different temperatures that outperforms the empirical potentials available in the literature in reproducing structures and properties such as bond angle distribution, total distribution functions, and vibrational density of state. The generality of the approach enables the future training of a potential with other or more elements allowing for simulations of structures, properties, and behavior of ternary and multicomponent oxide glasses with nearly ab initio accuracy at a fraction of the computational cost.

Towards designing reactive glasses for alkali activation: Understanding the origins of alkaline reactivity of Na-Mg aluminosilicate glasses

Alkali-activated materials (AAMs), sometimes called geopolymers, are eco-friendly cementitious materials with reduced carbon emissions when compared to ordinary Portland cement. However, the availability of most precursors used for AAM production may decline in the future because of changes in industrial sectors. Thus, new precursors must be developed. Recently there has been increased interest in synthetic glass precursors. One major concern with using synthetic glasses is ensuring that they react sufficiently under alkaline conditions. Reactivity is a necessary, although not sufficient, requirement for a suitable precursor for AAMs. This work involves the synthesis, characterization, and estimation of alkaline reactivity of Na-Mg aluminosilicate glasses. Structural characterization showed that replacing Na with Mg led to more depolymerization. Alkaline reactivity studies indicated that, as Mg replaced Na, reactivity of glasses increased at first, reached an optimal value, and then declined. This trend in reactivity could not be explained by the conventional parameters used for estimating glass reactivity: the non-bridging oxygen fraction (which predicts similar reactivity for all glasses) and optical basicity (which predicts a decrease in reactivity with an increase in Mg replacement). The reactivity of the studied glasses was found to depend on two main factors: depolymerization (as indicated by structural characterization) and optical basicity. Depolymerization dominated initially, which led to an increase in reactivity, while the effect of optical basicity dominated later, leading to a decrease in reactivity. Hence, while designing reactive synthetic glasses for alkali activation, structural study of glasses should be given due consideration in addition to the conventional factors.

Phonon propagation scale and nanoscale order in vitreous silica from Raman spectroscopy

For nanoscale systems such as nanoparticles and 3D-bonded networks, the range of spatial coherence is well reflected in the Raman spectral pattern. For confined, or localized, phonons, the range of q-points contributing to the spectrum depends on the phonon confinement length, which makes it possible to derive size information from the spectra. In this work, the Raman spectrum of vitreous silica is described as localized phonons of an SiO₂ network. The convergence of the spectral pattern with the confinement size is studied. It is shown that the phonon propagation scale in vitreous silica is within the 0.5-2 nm range.

Local anisotropy in single crystals of zeotypes with the MFI framework structure evidenced by polarised Raman spectroscopy

Polarised Raman spectroscopy is used to characterise the local structure in single crystals of zeotypes, namely silicalite-1 and ZSM-5, which share the MFI framework structure. Attributes favourable for applying polarised Raman spectroscopy are the orthogonal axes of these single crystals and their size, i.e. 10 to 30 micrometers in all three directions. We show that the intensity of certain vibrational modes in silicalite-1 depends on the polarisation of the incident light, reflecting the anisotropic character of the molecular bonds contributing to these vibrations. Using these observations, and by estimating the depolarisation ratio (ρ) and the pseudo-order factor (f), we propose a more accurate assignment of the Raman active modes. More precisely, Raman intensities peaked at 294, 360, 383 and 472 cm^-1 are attributed to bending modes in 10-, 6-, 5- and 4-membered rings, respectively. In the region of stretching modes, the vibration at 832 cm^-1 is assigned to Si-O-Si bonds shared between 5-membered rings, which have an orientation parallel to the a-axis of the crystal. By virtue of having a strongly polarised character, the modes at 472 and 832 cm^-1 can be used as orientational indicators. The proposed assignment is supported by the good agreement between experimental and simulated polar plots, where Raman intensities are plotted as a function of the polarisation angle of the incident light. Finally, upon partial substitution of Si atoms by Al, the crystalline structure is maintained and almost no spectroscopic changes are observed. The only significant difference is the increased width of most vibrational modes, which is consistent with the local lower symmetry. This is also seen in the angular dependence of selected vibrational modes that compared to the case of pure silicalite-1 appear less polarised. In the Raman spectrum of ZSM-5 a new feature at 974 cm^-1 is observed, which we attribute to Al-OH stretching. In the high frequency range, the O-H stretching modes are observed which arise from the Si-O(H)-Al Brønsted acid sites. The intensity of the characteristic mode at 3611 cm^-1 reveals an anisotropic character as well, which is in line with previous findings from solid state NMR that Al atoms distribute nonrandomly within the MFI framework structure.

Phosphorus solubility in basaltic glass: Limitations for phosphorus immobilization in glass and glass-ceramics

The composition of sewage sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants is simulated using P-doped basalts. Electron microscopy analyses show that the solubility of P in the basaltic melt is limited by the formation of a liquid-liquid immiscibility in the form of an aluminosilicate phase and a Ca-Mg-Fe-rich phosphate phase. The rheological behavior of these compositions is influenced by both phase separation and nanocrystallization. Upon a thermal treatment, the glasses will crystallize into a mixture of inosilicates and spinel-like phases at low P contents and into Ca-Mg-Fe phosphate at high P contents. Hardness measurements yield values between 5.41 and 7.66 GPa, inside the range of commercial glasses and glass-ceramics. Leaching affects mainly unstable Mg²⁺-PO₄^3- complexes.

Probing the impact of magnetic interactions on the lattice dynamics of two-dimensional Ti2X (X = C, N) MXenes

Magnetic interactions play an important role in the intensities of the Raman-active phonon modes in Ti₂X (X = C, N) monolayers.

Comparison of different machine learning models for the prediction of forces in copper and silicon dioxide

Recently, the machine learning (ML) force field has emerged as a powerful atomic simulation approach because of its high accuracy and low computational cost.

Advanced capabilities for materials modelling with Quantum ESPRESSO

Quantum EXPRESSO is an integrated suite of open-source computer codes for quantum simulations of materials using state-of-the-art electronic-structure techniques, based on density-functional theory, density-functional perturbation theory, and many-body perturbation theory, within the plane-wave pseudopotential and projector-augmented-wave approaches. Quantum EXPRESSO owes its popularity to the wide variety of properties and processes it allows to simulate, to its performance on an increasingly broad array of hardware architectures, and to a community of researchers that rely on its capabilities as a core open-source development platform to implement their ideas. In this paper we describe recent extensions and improvements, covering new methodologies and property calculators, improved parallelization, code modularization, and extended interoperability both within the distribution and with external software.

Diffusion and aggregation of oxygen vacancies in amorphous silica

Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we investigated oxygen vacancy diffusion and aggregation in relation to dielectric breakdown in amorphous silicon dioxide (a-SiO₂). Our calculations indicate the existence of favourable sites for the formation of vacancy dimers and trimers in the amorphous network with maximum binding energies of approximately 0.13 eV and 0.18 eV, respectively. However, an average energy barrier height for neutral vacancy diffusion is found to be about 4.6 eV, rendering this process unfeasible. At Fermi level positions above 6.4 eV with respect to the top of the valence band, oxygen vacancies can trap up to two extra electrons. Average barriers for the diffusion of negative and double negatively charged vacancies are found to be 2.7 eV and 2.0 eV, respectively. These barriers are higher than or comparable to thermal ionization energies of extra electrons from oxygen vacancies into the conduction band of a-SiO₂. In addition, we discuss the competing pathways for electron trapping in oxygen deficient a-SiO₂ caused by the existence of intrinsic electron traps and oxygen vacancies. These results provide new insights into the role of oxygen vacancies in degradation and dielectric breakdown in amorphous silicon oxides.

Lattice dynamics of a quasi-2D layered TlCo2Se2 with a helical magnetic structure

The vibrational properties of a quasi-two-dimensional layered TlCo₂Se₂ compound exhibiting a helical magnetic order were investigated using density functional theory and an approximation of harmonic phonons.

Approximate chemical analysis of volcanic glasses using Raman spectroscopy

The effect of chemical composition on the Raman spectra of a series of natural calcalkaline silicate glasses has been quantified by performing electron microprobe analyses and obtaining Raman spectra on glassy filaments (~450 µm) derived from a magma mingling experiment. The results provide a robust compositionally-dependent database for the Raman spectra of natural silicate glasses along the calcalkaline series. An empirical model based on both the acquired Raman spectra and an ideal mixing equation between calcalkaline basaltic and rhyolitic end-members is constructed enabling the estimation of the chemical composition and degree of polymerization of silicate glasses using Raman spectra. The model is relatively insensitive to acquisition conditions and has been validated using the MPI-DING geochemical standard glasses1 as well as further samples. The methods and model developed here offer several advantages compared with other analytical and spectroscopic methods such as infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, electron and ion microprobe analyses, inasmuch as Raman spectroscopy can be performed with a high spatial resolution (1 µm2) without the need for any sample preparation as a nondestructive technique. This study represents an advance in efforts to provide the first database of Raman spectra for natural silicate glasses and yields a new approach for the treatment of Raman spectra, which allows us to extract approximate information about the chemical composition of natural silicate glasses using Raman spectroscopy. We anticipate its application in handheld in situ terrestrial field studies of silicate glasses under extreme conditions (e.g. extraterrestrial and submarine environments).

Dielectric properties and Raman spectra of ZnO from a first principles finite-differences/finite-fields approach

Using first principles calculations based on density functional theory and a coupled finite-fields/finite-differences approach, we study the dielectric properties, phonon dispersions and Raman spectra of ZnO, a material whose internal polarization fields require special treatment to correctly reproduce the ground state electronic structure and the coupling with external fields. Our results are in excellent agreement with existing experimental measurements and provide an essential reference for the characterization of crystallinity, composition, piezo- and thermo-electricity of the plethora of ZnO-derived nanostructured materials used in optoelectronics and sensor devices.

Ab initio characterization of graphene nanoribbons and their polymer precursors

Bottom-up fabrication of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) from halogen-terminated aromatic precursors is a promising method for achieving atomically precise nanoribbons at competitive yields. GNR fabrication proceeds via the polymerization of the precursors and successive dehydrogenation. By first principles density functional theory calculations, we perform a systematic characterization of the polymeric precursors and the corresponding graphene nanoribbons in terms of structural and electronic properties, and we compute the Raman and infrared spectra. The band structure properties are examined by considering the bonding features and the partial charge densities of the structures. The physical origin of the infrared and Raman peaks is investigated in terms of the morphology and vibrational properties of the precursors and products. We show that light spectroscopy provides a unique fingerprint for each type of GNR, which may be used to monitor the quality of the final products and the kinetics of the synthesis process.

First-principles investigation of the relation between structural and NMR parameters in vitreous GeO2

NMR parameters of (73)Ge and (17)O in vitreous GeO(2) and quartz GeO(2), including the isotropic shifts, the quadrupole coupling constants C(Q), and the electric-field-gradient asymmetry parameters η, are determined through density functional calculations. Clear correlations are established between (73)Ge shifts and the mean of the four neighboring Ge-O-Ge bond angles, and between C(Q) and η parameters of (17)O and the local Ge-O-Ge angle. Available experimental data for C(Q) and the corresponding established correlation are used to extract the value of 135° for the average Ge-O-Ge angle in vitreous GeO(2). The features of the Ge-O-Ge bond angle distribution of vitreous GeO(2) derived in this work are consistent with those inferred from other experimental probes.

Inter-tetrahedra bond angle of permanently densified silicas extracted from their Raman spectra

Relative Raman scattering intensities are obtained in three samples of vitreous silica of increasing density. The variation of the intensity upon densification is very different for bending and stretching modes. For the former we find a Raman coupling-to-light coefficient [Formula: see text]. A comparative intensity and frequency dependence of the Raman spectral lines in the three glasses is performed. Provided the Raman spectra are normalized by C(B), there exists a simple relation between the Si-O-Si bond angle and the frequency of all O-bending motions, including those of fourfold (n=4) and threefold (n=3) rings. For 20% densification we find a reduction of ∼5.7° of the maximum of the network angle distribution, a value in very close agreement with previous NMR experiments. The threefold and fourfold rings are weakly perturbed by the densification, with a bond angle reduction of ∼0.5° for the former.

First-principles codes for computational crystallography in the Quantum-ESPRESSO package

The Quantum-ESPRESSO package is a multi-purpose and multi-platform software for ab-initio calculations of condensed matter (periodic and disordered) systems. Codes in the package are based on density functional theory and on a plane wave/pseudopotential description of the electronic ground state and are ideally suited for structural optimizations (both at zero and at finite temperature), linear response calculations (phonons, elastic constants, dielectric and Raman tensors, etc.) and high-temperature molecular dynamics. Examples of applications of the codes included in the package are briefly discussed.

In situ measurements of the D(1) and D(2) Raman band intensities of vitreous and molten silica in the 77-2150 K temperature range

In situ quantitative Raman spectra of vitreous and molten silica were measured from LN(2) temperatures up to above melting and used to calculate the intensities of the two 'defect peaks' D(1) and D(2) associated with the corresponding four- and three-membered ring structures. The D(1) intensity decreases with increasing temperature while the D(2) intensity appears to be invariant to temperature. The data are in disagreement with the quenching/fictive temperature experiments and show definitely no abrupt intensity changes at any temperature.

Photoluminescence spectral dispersion as a probe of structural inhomogeneity in silica

We perform time-resolved photoluminescence measurements on point defects in amorphous silicon dioxide (silica). In particular, we report data on the decay kinetics of the emission signals of extrinsic oxygen deficient centres of the second type from singlet and directly excited triplet states, and we use them as a probe of structural inhomogeneity. Luminescence activity in sapphire (α-Al(2)O(3)) is studied as well and used as a model system to compare the optical properties of defects in silica with those of defects embedded in a crystalline matrix. Only for defects in silica did we observe a variation of the decay lifetimes with emission energy and a time dependence of the first moment of the emission bands. These features are analysed within a theoretical model, previously proposed in D'Amico et al (2008 Phys. Rev. B 78 014203), with an explicit hypothesis about the effect introduced by the disorder of vitreous systems. Separate estimations of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous contributions to the measured emission linewidth are obtained. It is found that inhomogeneous effects strongly condition both the triplet and singlet luminescence activities of oxygen deficient centres in silica, although the degree of inhomogeneity of the triplet emission turns out to be lower than that of the singlet emission. Inhomogeneous effects appear to be negligible in sapphire.

Reactions of water molecules in silica-based network glasses

Given that H(2)O dissolves minimally in quartz, the mechanism for the ubiquitous dissolution of H(2)O in silica glasses has been a long-standing puzzle. We report first-principles calculations in prototype silica glass networks and identify the ring topologies that allow the exothermic dissolution of H(2)O as geminate Si-O-H groups. The topological constraints of these reactions explain both the observed saturation of Si-O-H concentrations and the observed increase in the average Si-Si distance. In addition, calculations of H(2)O and Si-O-H dissociation account for the observed response to radiation by wet thermally grown SiO(2).

Vibrational spectra of vitreous SiO2 and vitreous GeO2 from first principles

Using a density-functional approach, we calculate the principal vibrational spectra of vitreous SiO₂ and vitreous GeO₂ and discuss their analogies and differences. For both glasses, we generate model structures consisting of a random network of corner-sharing tetrahedra and differing only by their packing density. The comparison between calculated and measured neutron structure factors supports the validity of our model structures. Our investigation then extends to the vibrational properties, including the inelastic-neutron, infrared, and Raman spectra. For these spectra, good agreement with experiment is also found. Our results support the picture that silica and germania are constituted by a continuous random network of corner-sharing tetrahedra. In particular, the good agreement with experiment for the Raman spectra supports the average intertetrahedral angles of 148° and 135° found in our models of vitreous SiO₂ and vitreous GeO₂, respectively. The concentration of small ring structures in these glasses is also discussed.

Sudden Reversal of the Defect-like Behavior of Small Rings in Vitreous Silica

The structural response of vitreous silica to changes in temperature and pressure is of fundamental importance in earth and materials sciences and is largely controlled by the ring-size distribution that controls the topology of the structure. The 3- and 4-membered rings constitute only a small fraction of the structure but are known to be sensitive to and increase in concentration with increasing pressure and temperature. We present new experimental results that show a sudden reversal in the temperature dependence of the concentrations of these rings near the recently discovered density minimum of vitreous silica. These results invalidate our conventional wisdom regarding the entropically stabilized, defect-like behavior of the small rings and indicate that these rings are possibly key players in controlling the density of silica.

Density functional theory study of geometrical structures and electronic properties of silica nanowires

Silica nanowires are expected to possess structural diversity like bulk silica. We modeled three silica nanowires based on the side-shared two-membered rings, spiro-united two-membered rings, and three-membered rings, respectively. By performing density functional theory calculations, we studied their geometrical structures and electronic properties with and without the presence of external electric field. It is found that the stability of silica nanowires increases with length and diameter. As indicated by calculated large HOMO-LUMO gaps, silica nanowires are expected to be good insulating materials. The energy gaps, however, gradually decrease with applied electronic field and finally close, resulting in the breakdown of the insulating nanowires. Moreover, it is shown that the breakdown threshold remarkably increases with the nanowire diameter. These significant findings from the present calculations for the simplest silica nanowires will provide relevant insight into the structures and properties of much more complicated real silica nanowires.

Infrared and Raman spectra of silica polymorphs from anab initioparametrized polarizable force field

The general aim of this study is to test the reliability of polarizable model potentials for the prediction of vibrational (infrared and Raman) spectra in highly anharmonic systems such as high temperature crystalline phases. By using an ab initio parametrized interatomic potential for SiO2 and molecular dynamics simulations, we calculate the infrared and Raman spectra for quartz, cristobalite, and stishovite at various thermodynamic conditions. The model is found to perform very well in the prediction of infrared spectra. Raman peak positions are also reproduced very well by the model; however, Raman intensities calculated by explicitly taking the derivative of the polarizability with respect to the atomic displacements are found to be in poorer agreement than intensities calculated using a parametrized "bond polarizability" model. Calculated spectra for the high temperature beta phases, where the role of dynamical disorder and anharmonicities is predominant, are found to be in excellent agreement with experiments. For the octahedral phases, our simulations are able to reproduce changes in the Raman spectra across the rutile-to-CaCl2 transition around 50 GPa, including the observed phonon softening.

A high-temperature Raman spectroscopic investigation of the potassium tetrasilicate in glassy, supercooled, and liquid states

Raman spectra of K2Si4O9 were measured over a broad temperature range including the glassy, supercooled, and molten states in an effort to follow the structural changes caused by temperature variation. Potassium tetrasilicate glass has been prepared using a containerless method and a CO2 laser for heating and melting the samples and thus avoiding contamination induced by the walls of the crucibles. Systematic Raman intensity measurements caused by temperature variation have been performed in order to elucidate the induced structural changes in the high-frequency stretching and in the three- and four-membered ring breathing vibration regions. The high-frequency symmetric stretching vibrations of the nonbridging Si-O bond are associated to the presence of two distinct types of tetrahedral units with terminal oxygen atoms. The low-frequency Raman spectra reveal the, well resolved, presence of the boson peak at temperatures above the melting point. The temperature dependence of the boson peak energy has also been determined and compared with that of the sound velocities of potassium tetrasilicate. The results are discussed in the context of recent experimental and theoretical works.

A Family of Stable Silica Fullerenes with Fully Coordinated Structures

Theoretical electronic structure techniques have become an indispensable and powerful tool for predicting molecular properties and designing new materials. The discovery of C(60) opened a challenging field in nanoscale materials science, and since then people have been looking for its inorganic analogues. On the basis of the B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations, here we provide theoretical evidence for a family of stable silica fullerenes with fully coordinated structures, which exhibit highly structural and energetic stabilities, very large energy gaps, and extremely good resistibilities to breakdown of the insulating capability in an applied electric field. Our calculations indicate that the discrete silica fullerenes are a possible polymorph of silica and can be synthesized under some conditions. They are expected to find novel applications in silica-based molecular devices. The present results may provide an aid in the experimental design for controllably producing desired silica clusters.

Mixed Wannier-Bloch functions for electrons and phonons in periodic systems

We introduce mixed Wannier-Bloch functions for studying electronic and vibrational spectra of periodic systems. These functions carry both spatial localization and limited spectral broadening, thereby combining the advantages of descriptions based on energy eigenstates (Bloch states) and position eigenstates (Wannier states). For the analysis of vibrational modes, a lattice position operator is introduced, analogous to the electronic Berry-phase position operator. Application to vitreous SiO2 demonstrates that mixed Wannier-Bloch functions constitute a powerful tool for tracking fingerprints of short- and medium-range structural order in electronic and vibrational spectra.

A Synthetic Route toward Well-Defined Stoichiometric Silica Fullerene and Nanotubes Based on Metastable Four-Membered Rings

On the basis of computational considerations, using metastable four-membered rings as building blocks, we propose novel synthetic routes toward well-defined stoichiometric silica nanofullerenes and nanotubes. The viability of the routes has been demonstrated by performing high-level density functional calculations, and the so-formed nanoarchitectures were proved to be energetically and structurally stable. Such nanostructures, if synthesized, are expected to have potential application in nanotechnology.

Structural Model of Silica Nanowire Assembled from a Highly Stable (SiO2)8 Unit

The ground-state structures of silica clusters (SiO2)n for n = 1-8 were studied by performing calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d) level of density functional theory. The results indicate that the growth mode of a silica nanowire based on small silica clusters may change at different wire lengths. A linear chain might be assembled from the smallest clusters of rhombic two-membered ring (2MR) with n < or = 5, while the growth motif changes at n = 6 into a more compact form composed of three-membered-rings (3MRs). The 3MR-containing structures become energetically favorable configurations for even longer silica clusters. In particular, the closed molecular ring consisting of 3MRs at n = 8 (i.e., (SiO2)8) with a high symmetry shows extreme energetic stability and relatively high chemical reactivity and thus is considered to be an important building block to assemble into silica nanowires. The relative stability of so-assembled silica nanowires were evaluated and compared with the models of silica nanowires in the literature.

Fraction of boroxol rings in vitreous boron oxide from a first-principles analysis of Raman and NMR spectra

We determine the fraction f of B atoms belonging to boroxol rings in vitreous boron oxide through a first-principles analysis. After generating a model structure of vitreous B2O3 by first-principles molecular dynamics, we address a large set of properties, including the neutron structure factor, the neutron density of vibrational states, the infrared spectra, the Raman spectra, and the 11B NMR spectra, and find overall good agreement with corresponding experimental data. From the analysis of Raman and 11B NMR spectra, we yield consistently for both probes a fraction f of approximately 0.75. This result indicates that the structure of vitreous boron oxide is largely dominated by boroxol rings.

Medium-range structural properties of vitreous germania obtained through first-principles analysis of vibrational spectra

We analyze the principal vibrational spectra of vitreous GeO(2) and derive therefrom structural properties referring to length scales beyond the basic tetrahedral unit. We generate a model structure that yields a neutron structure factor in accord with experiment. The inelastic-neutron, the infrared, and the Raman spectra, calculated within a density-functional approach, also agree with respective experimental spectra. The accord for the Raman spectrum supports a Ge-O-Ge angle distribution centered at 135 degrees. The Raman feature X(2) is found to result from vibrations in three-membered rings, and therefore constitutes a distinctive characteristic of the medium-range structure.

Effect of through-space electron transfer on infrared spectrum of amorphous selenium

In this paper we present theoretical analyses on an infrared (IR) spectrum of amorphous selenium. The system is described by a 216-atom-chain model, and a set of molecular-dynamics simulations is performed to generate vitreous structures and vibrational modes. To describe an electronic structure of the system we employ a complete neglect of differential overlap model parametrized by ab initio cluster calculations. An IR intensity is evaluated with the Berry-phase formula for an electronic polarization. The effect of the through-space electron transfer on the IR spectrum is studied by artificially changing the magnitude of matrix elements associated with the electron transfer between nonbonded atoms in the chain. We find that the through-space electron transfer leads to (i) the enhancement of the bending IR peak at 135 cm(-1) and (ii) the appearance of a new low-frequency peak around 50 cm(-1), thus resulting in a good agreement with the experiment. The mechanism is discussed by a simple dipole model.

Polyamorphism of ice at low temperatures from constant-pressure simulations

We report results of molecular dynamics simulations of amorphous ice in the pressure range 0-22.5 kbar. The high-density amorphous (HDA) ice prepared by compression of Ih ice at T=80 K is annealed to T=170 K at intermediate pressures in order to generate relaxed states. We confirm the existence of recently observed phenomena, the very high-density amorphous ice, and a continuum of HDA forms. We suggest that both phenomena have their origin in the evolution of the network topology of the annealed HDA phase with decreasing volume, resulting at low temperatures in the metastability of a range of densities.

Electric fields with ultrasoft pseudo-potentials: Applications to benzene and anthracene

We present density-functional perturbation theory for electric field perturbations and ultra-soft pseudopotentials. Applications to benzene and anthracene molecules and surfaces are reported as examples. We point out several issues concerning the evaluation of the polarizability of molecules and slabs with periodic boundary conditions.

E' centers in alpha quartz in the absence of oxygen vacancies: a first-principles molecular-dynamics study

The displacement of an oxygen atom in pure alpha quartz is studied via first-principles molecular dynamics. The simulations show that when an O atom in a Si-O-Si bridge is moved away from its original equilibrium position, a new stable energy minimum can be reached. Depending on the spin state and charge Q of the system, this minimum can give rise to either a threefold oxygen (singlet ground state and Q=+1) or to an unsaturated Si atom carrying a dangling bond (triplet state). In the latter case, the hyperfine parameters associated with the 29Si dangling bond are in rather good agreement with electron paramagnetic resonance/electron nuclear double resonance experiments.