Ab InitioStudy of the Vibrational Spectrum and Related Properties of Crystalline Compounds; the Case of CaCO3Calcite

Theoretical Characterization of Germanene Doped with Main Group Elements

Herein, using density functional calculations, we studied the substitutional doping in germanene with B, C, N, O, Al, Si, P, S, Ga, As, and Se. Nitrogen is the element that can be more easily incorporated into the germanene lattice, followed by silicon, carbon, and boron. Almost all dopants were efficient in opening a band-gap. Yet, caution should be taken because this opening strongly depends on the dopant concentration. Carbon and sulfur were the most effective elements for band-gap opening. C-doping generates the lowest effective masses (me*/m0=mh*/m0=0.09). The equal me and mh values indicate an intrinsic semiconductor behavior, a characteristic shared by the chalcogenides-doped systems. Additionally, we performed a detailed analysis of the preferred disposition of dopants in the germanene lattice. In contrast with the results obtained for graphene, when multiple atoms are introduced in the germanene framework, they do not prefer to be agglomerated, adopting a random disposition, except in the case of sulfur and nitrogen, which favored specific dopant arrangement. Two sulfur dopants showed a notorious preference for replacing a Ge-Ge bond but without forming an S-S linkage, thus adopting a thiophene-like structure that may impart germanene exciting properties, as observed for S and N codoped graphene.

The effect of long-range interactions on the infrared and Raman spectra of aragonite (CaCO3, Pmcn) up to 25 GPa

Long-range interactions are relevant in the physical description of materials, even for those where other stronger bonds give the leading contributions. In this work, we demonstrate this assertion by simulating the infrared and Raman spectra of aragonite, an important calcium carbonate polymorph (space group Pmcn) in geological, biological and materials science fields. To this aim, we used Density Functional Theory methods and two corrections to include long-range interactions (DFT-D2 and DFT-D3). The results were correlated to IR spectroscopy and confocal Raman spectrometry data, finding a very good agreement between theory and experiments. Furthermore, the evolution of the IR/Raman modes up to 25 GPa was described in terms of mode-Grüneisen's parameters, which are useful for geological and materials science applications of aragonite. Our findings clearly show that weak interactions are of utmost importance when modelling minerals and materials, even when they are not the predominant forces.

Geometrical Stability and Nonlinear Optical Properties of Crystallogen and Pnictogen Fullerene Analogues

The linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties of fullerene and fullerene-like structures, including crystallogen and pnictogen elements, are computed quantum mechanically. The tensors of optical polarizability, α, and second hyperpolarizability, γ, for a series of buckyball fullerene analogues, namely, Si₆₀, Ge₆₀, Sn₆₀, Pb₆₀, P₆₀, As₆₀, Sb₆₀, and Bi₆₀, are reported and analyzed. The eight considered nanocages are here classified into four categories: nanocages stabilized in the X₆₀ form, including C₆₀, As₆₀, Sb₆₀, and Bi₆₀; nanocages that are not stabilized in the X₆₀ form but are found to be stable in a distorted buckled b-X₆₀ form, with X = Si and Ge; nanocages stabilized only in an exohedral decorated X₆₀-Y₆₀ form, X = Sn, Y = H or F; and finally nanocages that are not stable in either distorted or decorated form; however, their corresponding tabular nanotubes are found to be stable; such group includes P and Pb elements. A suggested nomenclature for the above-mentioned fullerenes is given for the first time, where many geometrical, energetic, and optical parameters are discussed extensively. These systems are energetically stable. The cohesive energies of Bi₆₀ and Sn₆₀-F₆₀ range from -1.2 to -4.8 eV/atom and can be compared to -2.4 and -3.3 eV/atom from the corresponding 2D bismuthene and stanene monolayers, respectively. While bismuthellene, Bi₆₀, shows vigorous optical responses compared to standard fullerene, the (9, 0) phosphorus nanotube gives not only enhanced polarizability and second hyperpolarizability but also an inducing first hyperpolarizability, β, which was null by symmetry in the case of spherical fullerenes. The proposed models are expected to be promising materials for optoelectronic and NLO applications.

Mind the Interface Gap: Exposing Hidden Interface Defects at the Epitaxial Heterostructure between CuO and Cu2O

Well designed and optimized epitaxial heterostructures lie at the foundation of materials development for photovoltaic, photocatalytic, and photoelectrochemistry applications. Heterostructure materials offer tunable control over charge separation and transport at the same time preventing recombination of photogenerated excitations at the interface. Thus, it is of paramount importance that a detailed understanding is developed as the basis for further optimization strategies and design. Oxides of copper are nontoxic, low cost, abundant materials with a straightforward and stable manufacturing process. However, in individual applications, they suffer from inefficient charge transport of photogenerated carriers. Hence, in this work, we investigate the role of the interface between epitaxially aligned CuO and Cu₂O to explore the potential benefits of such an architecture for more efficient electron and hole transfer. The CuO/Cu₂O heterojunction nature, stability, bonding mechanism, interface dipole, electronic structure, and band bending were rationalized using hybrid density functional theory calculations. New electronic states are identified at the interface itself, which are originating neither from lattice mismatch nor strained Cu-O bonds. They form as a result of a change in coordination environment of CuO surface Cu²⁺ cations and an electron transfer across the interface Cu¹⁺-O bond. The first process creates occupied defect-like electronic states above the valence band, while the second leaves hole states below the conduction band. These are constitutional to the interface and are highly likely to contribute to recombination effects competing with the improved charged separation from the suitable band bending and alignment and thus would limit the expected output photocurrent and photovoltage. Finally, a favorable effect of interstitial oxygen defects has been shown to allow for band gap tunability at the interface but only to the point of the integral geometrical contact limit of the heterostructure itself.

Study of the variation of the optical properties of calcite with applied stress, useful for specific rock and material mechanics

Calcite (CaCO3, trigonal crystal system, space group [Formula: see text]) is a ubiquitous carbonate phase commonly found on the Earth's crust that finds many useful applications in both scientific (mineralogy, petrology, geology) and technological fields (optics, sensors, materials technology) because of its peculiar anisotropic physical properties. Among them, photoelasticity, i.e., the variation of the optical properties of the mineral (including birefringence) with the applied stress, could find usefulness in determining the stress state of a rock sample containing calcite by employing simple optical measurements. However, the photoelastic tensor is not easily available from experiments, and affected by high uncertainties. Here we present a theoretical Density Functional Theory approach to obtain both elastic and photoelastic properties of calcite, considering realistic experimental conditions (298 K, 1 atm). The results were compared with those available in literature, further extending the knowledge of the photoelasticity of calcite, and clarifying an experimental discrepancy in the sign of the p41 photoelastic tensor component measured in past investigations. The methods here described and applied to a well-known crystalline material can be used to obtain the photoelastic properties of other minerals and/or materials at desired pressure and temperature conditions.

Anharmonic Effects on the Thermodynamic Properties of Quartz from First Principles Calculations

The simple chemistry and structure of quartz together with its abundance in nature and its piezoelectric properties make convenient its employment for several applications, from engineering to Earth sciences. For these purposes, the quartz equations of state, thermoelastic and thermodynamic properties have been studied since decades. Alpha quartz is stable up to 2.5 GPa at room temperature where it converts to coesite, and at ambient pressure up to 847 K where it transforms to the beta phase. In particular, the displacive phase transition at 847 K at ambient pressure is driven by intrinsic anharmonicity effects (soft-mode phase transition) and its precise mechanism is difficult to be investigated experimentally. Therefore, we studied these anharmonic effects by means of ab initio calculations in the framework of the statistical thermodynamics approach. We determined the principal thermodynamic quantities accounting for the intrinsic anharmonicity and compared them against experimental data. Our results up to 700 K show a very good agreement with experiments. The same procedures and algorithms illustrated here can also be applied to determine the thermodynamic properties of other crystalline phases possibly affected by intrinsic anharmonic effects, that could partially invalidate the standard quasi-harmonic approach.

Benchmarking dispersion-corrected DFT methods for the evaluation of materials with anisotropic properties: structural, electronic, dielectric, optical and vibrational analysis of calcite (CaCO3, space group R3[combining macron]c)

Calcite (CaCO₃, space group R3[combining macron]c) is a solid phase whose well-known highly anisotropic physical properties can be exploited to compare and calibrate various theoretical simulation methods. In this work, to benchmark different ab initio Density Functional Theory approaches that include for the first time corrections for dispersive forces, a systematic analysis of structural, electronic, dielectric, optical and vibrational properties of calcite is performed. The simulations considered the generalized-gradient approximation functional PBE and the hybrid B3LYP and PBE0, whereas the DFT-D2 and DFT-D3 schemes were adopted to account for the long-range interactions. This study suggests an overall better agreement between the theoretical results obtained with the DFT functionals corrected for the dispersive forces, with a better performance of hybrid functionals over PBE.

Non-Covalent Interactions in the Biphenyl Crystal: Is the Planar Conformer a Transition State?

A combined experimental and theoretical study of the biphenyl (BP) crystal is presented. The X-ray diffraction data collected at 100 K were subjected to Hirshfeld atom and multipole refinements of the electron density, ρ(r). A theoretical exploration of the potential energy surface (PES) of the crystal was also carried out. This investigation challenges the common assumption that the planar structure of BP in the phase I crystal is an average of two twisted configurations in a double-well potential. The theoretical computations provide compelling evidence that this structure corresponds to a minimum on the PES hence to a stable molecular arrangement. Consistently, the experiment showed no evidence of positional or dynamic disorder. The intramolecular hydrogen-hydrogen bonds detected are not repulsive. The topological analysis of the experimental and theoretical ρ(r) reveals that both the intra- and intermolecular H⋅⋅⋅H and the C-H⋅⋅⋅π contacts stabilize the BP crystal.

2D MoO3-xSx/MoS2 van der Waals Assembly: A Tunable Heterojunction with Attractive Properties for Photocatalysis

Two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures currently have attracted much attention in widespread research fields where semiconductor materials are key. With the aim of gaining insights into photocatalytic materials, we use density functional theory (DFT) calculations within the HSE06 functional to analyze the evolution of optoelectronic properties and high-frequency dielectric constant profiles of various 2D MoO_3-xS_x/MoS₂ heterostructures modified by chemical and physical approaches. Although the MoO₃/MoS₂ heterostructure is a type III heterojunction associated with a metallic character, we found that exchanging the terminal oxo atoms of the MoO_3-xS_x single layer (SL) with sulfur enables shifting its CB position above the VB position of the MoS₂ SL. This trend gives rise to a type II heterojunction where the band gap and charge transfer within the two layers are driven continuously by the S concentration in the MoO_3-xS_x SL. This fine-tuning leads to a versatile type II heterostructure proposed to provide a direct Z-scheme system valuable for photocatalytic water splitting.

Combining Raman Spectroscopy, DFT Calculations, and Atomic Force Microscopy in the Study of Clinker Materials

Raman spectroscopy and Raman mapping analysis, combined with density functional theory calculations were applied to the problem of differentiating similar clinker materials such as alite and belite. The Portland cement clinker 217 (further: clinker) was analysed using colocalised Raman mapping and atomic force microscopy mapping, which provided both spatial and chemical information simultaneously. The main constituents found in the clinker were alite, belite, portlandite, amorphous calcium carbonate, and gypsum. Since phonon bands of alite and belite greatly overlap, and their distinction is important for the hydration process during cement setting, we provided the calculated phonon density of states for alite Ca3SiO5 (Pc structure) and belite Ca2SiO4 (β P21/n structure) here for the first time. Both calculated phonon densities have similar distribution of phonon modes, with a gap between 560 and 810 cm-1. A comparison of the calculated phonon frequencies for Ca3SiO5 and Ca2SiO4 shows that the lowest calculated phonon frequency of β-Ca2SiO4 lies at 102 cm-1, while for Pc alite the lowest phonon frequency is predicted at 27 cm-1. Low frequency Raman spectroscopy could therefore be used for a clearer distinction of these two species in a clinker material.

First-Principle Studies of the Vibrational Properties of Carbonates under Pressure

Using the density functional theory with the hybrid functional B3LYP and the basis of localized orbitals of the CRYSTAL17 program code, the dependences of the wavenumbers of normal long-wave ν vibrations on the P(GPa) pressure ν(cm-1) = ν0 + (dv/dP)·P + (d2v/dP2)·P and structural parameters R(Å) (R: a, b, c, RM-O, RC-O): ν(cm-1) = ν0 + (dv/dR) - (R - R0) were calculated. Calculations were made for crystals with the structure of calcite (MgCO3, ZnCO3, CdCO3), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2, CdMg(CO3)2, CaZn(CO3)2) and aragonite (SrCO3, BaCO3, PbCO3). A comparison with the experimental data showed that the derivatives can be used to determine the P pressures, a, b, c lattice constants and the RM-O metal-oxygen, and the RC-O carbon-oxygen interatomic distances from the known Δν shifts. It was found that, with the increasing pressure, the lattice constants and distances R decrease, and the wavenumbers increase with velocities the more, the higher the ν0 is. The exceptions were individual low-frequency lattice modes and out-of-plane vibrations of the v2-type carbonate ion, for which the dependences are either nonlinear or have negative dv/dP (positive dv/dR) derivatives. The reason for this lies in the properties of chemical bonding and the nature of atomic displacements during these vibrations, which cause a decrease in RM-O and an increase in RC-O.

DFT Simulation of the Water Molecule Interaction with the (00l) Surface of Montmorillonite

Montmorillonite is one of the principal mineralogical phases in clay minerals, where its interaction with water and other molecules represents one of the most important aspects and properties for basic science and specific applications. In fact, montmorillonite has many uses in various scientific and technological fields, ranging from environmental remediation to ceramics, food science, and construction/building materials. Several efforts have characterized its structure and physico-chemical properties, especially at the Tetrahedral-Octahedral-Tetrahedral TOT surface. For this purpose, in this work, the authors investigated the structural and electrostatic potential features of the (00l) surface of montmorillonite and the water adsorption process by first principle methods (density functional theory, DFT), considering both static and molecular dynamics approaches. The provided data further extend the knowledge of the modulation of the water molecule adsorption with this important clay mineral.

Identifying and explaining vibrational modes of sanbornite (low-BaSi2O5) and Ba5Si8O21: A joint experimental and theoretical study

We report here the analysis of vibrational properties of the sanbornite (low-BaSi₂O₅) and Ba₅Si₈O₂₁ using theoretical and experimental approaches, as well as results of high temperature experiments up to 1100-1150 °C. The crystal parameters derived from Rietveld refinement and calculations show excellent agreement, within 4%, while the absolute mean difference between the theoretical and experimental results for the IR and Raman vibrational frequencies was <6 cm^-1. The temperature-dependent Raman study renders that both sanbornite and Ba₅Si₈O₂₁ display specific Ba and Si sites and their BaO and SiO bonds. In the case of the stretching modes assigned to specific Si sites, the frequency dependence on the SiO bond length exhibited very strong correlations. Both phases showed that for a change of 0.01 Å, the vibrational mode shifted 10 ± 2 cm^-1. These results are promising for using Raman spectroscopy to track in situ reactions under a wide variety of conditions, especially during crystallization.

Comprehensive Density Functional Theory Studies of Vibrational Spectra of Carbonates

Within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT) and the hybrid functional B3LYP by means of the CRYSTAL17 program code, the wavenumbers and intensities of normal oscillations of MgCO3, CaCO3, ZnCO3, CdCO3 in the structure of calcite; CaMg(CO3)2, CdMg(CO3)2, CaMn(CO3)2, CaZn(CO3)2 in the structure of dolomite; BaMg(CO3)2 in the structure of the norsethite type; and CaCO3, SrCO3, BaCO3, and PbCO3 in the structure of aragonite were calculated. Infrared absorption and Raman spectra were compared with the known experimental data of synthetic and natural crystals. For lattice and intramolecular modes, linear dependences on the radius and mass of the metal cation are established. The obtained dependences have predictive power and can be used to study solid carbonate solutions. For trigonal and orthorhombic carbonates, the linear dependence of wavenumbers on the cation radius RM (or M-O distance) is established for the infrared in-plane bending mode: 786.2-65.88·RM and Raman in-plane stretching mode: 768.5-53.24·RM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.87.

Crystallization Induced Enhanced Emission in Two New Zn(II) and Cd(II) Supramolecular Coordination Complexes with the 1-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)-5-Methyl-1H-1,2,3-Triazole-4-Carboxylate Ligand

Two new d¹⁰ metal supramolecular metal-organic frameworks (SMOFs) with general formula [ML₂(H₂O)₂]_n (M = Zn, Cd) have been synthetized using the sodium salt of the anionic 1-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate ligand (Na⁺L^-). Both SMOFs have been structurally characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and IR spectroscopy. The compounds are isostructural and form supramolecular aggregates via hydrogen bonds with the presence of less common dihydrogen bonds. Interestingly, they show ionic conductivity and porosity. The luminescent properties have been also studied by means of the excitation and emission spectra. Periodic DFT and molecular TD-DFT calculations have been used to unravel the emergence of luminescence in the otherwise non-emitting 1-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate ligand once incorporated in the SMOFs. Our results also illustrate the importance of considering the dielectric environment in the crystal when performing excited state calculations for isolated fragments to capture the correct electronic character of the low-lying states, a practice which is not commonly adopted in the community.

An all-electron study of the low-lying excited states and optical constants of Al2O3 in the range 5-80 eV

This paper reports calculated energies and electronic structures of O(2p), O(2s) and Al(2p) excited states in bulk [Formula: see text]-Al₂O₃, at the [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] surfaces and in the presence of O vacancy defects, obtained from all-electron HF, B3LYP, GGA and LDA calculations based on a recently described direct [Formula: see text]-SCF approach (Mackrodt et al 2018 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 30 495901). The closely related frequency-dependent optical constants derived from B3LYP calculations within the CPHF/DF framework are also reported, where both sets of results are shown to compare favourably with the experimental spectra. The differences between the directly calculated excited state energies, which in [Formula: see text]-Al₂O₃ are equal to the leading excitation edges, based on the four functionals, are substantially less than the differences between the corresponding (ground state) band gaps, as reported previously for AFII NiO (Mackrodt et al 2018 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 30 495901). For the B3LYP functional, these energies are 8.7 eV, 12.5 eV and 73.7 eV for the O(2p), O(2s) and Al(2p) excitations respectively. The O(2p) edge is predicted to be degenerate, with distinct excitations from O(2p) states that are parallel to and perpendicular to the c-axis, in agreement with the reported spectra (Tomiki et al 1993 J. Phys. Soc. Japan 62 573). Detailed analyses of the charge and spin distributions in the four bulk excited states indicate that these are essentially charge-transfer excitonic, with acceptor sites at the nearest neighbour positions. Despite the close proximity of the O([Formula: see text]) and O(2p[Formula: see text]) excited state energies, the charge and spin distributions are predicted to be quite different.

Corrosion Protection through Naturally Occurring Films: New Insights from Iron Carbonate

Despite intensive study over many years, the chemistry and physics of the atomic level mechanisms that govern corrosion are not fully understood. In particular, the occurrence and severity of highly localized metal degradation cannot currently be predicted and often cannot be rationalized in failure analysis. We report a first-principles model of the nature of protective iron carbonate films coupled with a detailed chemical and physical characterization of such a film in a carefully controlled environment. The fundamental building blocks of the protective film, siderite (FeCO₃) crystallites, are found to be very sensitive to the growth environment. In iron-rich conditions, cylindrical crystallites form that are highly likely to be more susceptible to chemical attack and dissolution than the rhombohedral crystallites formed in iron-poor conditions. This suggests that local degradation of metal surfaces is influenced by structures that form during early growth and provides new avenues for the prevention, detection, and mitigation of carbon steel corrosion.

DFT Study of Methanol Adsorption on Defect-Free CeO2 Low-Index Surfaces

Methanol decomposition is a promising method for hydrogen production. However, the performance of current catalysts for this process is not sufficient for commercial applications. In this work, methanol adsorption on the CeO₂ low-index surfaces is studied by density functional theory (DFT). The results show that methanol always dissociates spontaneously on the (100) surface, whereas dissociation on the (110) surface is site-selective; dissociation does not occur at all on the (111) surface, where only weak physisorption is found. The results confirm that surfaces with higher energies are more catalytically active. Analysis of the surface geometries shows that the dominant factors for the dissociation of methanol are the degree of undercoordination and the charges of the surface ions. The adsorption energy of each methanol molecule decreases with increasing coverage and there is a transition threshold between dissociative and associative adsorption. The present work indicates that a strategy to design catalysts with high activity is to maximize exposure of surfaces on which the ions have a high degree of undercoordination and a strong tendency to donate/accept electrons. The results demonstrate the importance of appropriately selecting and controlling exposed facets and particle morphology for optimizing catalyst performance.

Cocrystals of 2-Aminopyrimidine with Boric Acid—Crystal Engineering of a Novel Nonlinear Optically (NLO) Active Crystal

Crystal engineering of novel materials for nonlinear optics (NLO) based on 2-aminopyrimidine yielded two molecular cocrystals with boric acid—trigonal (P3221 space group) 2-aminopyrimidine—boric acid (3/2) and monoclinic (C2/c space group) 2-aminopyrimidine—boric acid (1/2). In addition to crystal structure determination by single crystal X-ray diffraction, the cocrystals were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR and FT Raman). Large single crystals of the non-centrosymmetric cocrystal 2-aminopyrimidine—boric acid (3/2) were grown to study the optical properties and determine the second harmonic generation (SHG) efficiency (using 800 nm fundamental laser line) of powder samples.

Thermoelectric and vibrational properties of Be2C, BeMgC and Mg2C using first-principles method

Transport coefficients are calculated combining first-principles calculations with the Boltzmann transport theory. Electronic states obtained in terms of the k-space eigen-energies from the crystalline orbital program, based on density functional theory, are Fourier transformed and interfaced with the transport equations modeled in the BoltzTraP. The calculations are performed for Be₂C, Mg₂C, and the BeMgC mixed crystal. The Seebeck coefficient, electronic thermal conductivity and the power factor are calculated. Further, the transport coefficients are linked to find the electronic fitness function to compare the performance with other thermoelectric materials. The procedure can also be applied to study the thermoelectric properties of other materials. The vibrational frequencies at the Brillouin zone centre are calculated generating a Hessian matrix from the analytical gradients of the energy with respect to atomic coordinates in the three antifluorite crystals. Moreover, the static, high frequency dielectric constants and Born effective charges are calculated to find splitting in the longitudinal optic and transverse optic modes. Results are compared with the data wherever available in the literature and a very good agreement is found in most cases.

The EFF of Mg₂C. A very good thermoelectric has the EFF above the horizontal lines marked at 300 and 800 K.

QTAIM Assessment of the Intra- and Intermolecular Bonding in a Bis(nitramido-oxadiazolate) Energetic Ionic Salt at 20 K

Accurate experimental determination of the electron density distribution for the energetic ionic salt bis(ammonium) 2,2'-dinitramido-5,5'-bis(1-oxa-3,4-diazolate) dihydrate (1) is obtained from multipole modeling of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at 20 K. The intra- and intermolecular bonding is assessed in terms of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) with a view to better understanding the physicochemical properties in relation to chemical bonding. Topological analysis reveals stronger bonding for the N-NO₂ bond relative to energetic nitramines RDX and HMX and the indication of a trend between this and impact sensitivity of nitro-containing energetic materials is noted. The intermolecular bonding of 1 is dominated by classical H-bonds but includes multiple π-bonding interactions and interactions between H-bond donor and acceptor atoms where bond paths are deflected by H atoms. There also exists a weak O···O interaction between end-on nitro groups, as well as an intramolecular ring-forming 1,5-type interaction. An anharmonic description of thermal motion was required to obtain the best fitting model, despite the low temperature of the study. The experimental study was complemented by periodic boundary DFT calculations at the experimental geometry as well as gas phase calculations on the isolated dianion.

Computational Chemistry Meets Experiments for Explaining the Geometry, Electronic Structure, and Optical Properties of Ca10V6O25

In this paper, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study to disclose, for the first time, the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Ca₁₀V₆O₂₅ crystals. The microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MAH) method has been employed to synthesize these crystals with different morphologies, within a short reaction time at 120 °C. First-principle quantum mechanical calculations have been performed at the density functional theory level to obtain the geometry and electronic properties of Ca₁₀V₆O₂₅ crystal in the fundamental and excited electronic states (singlet and triplet). These results, combined with the measurements of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinements, confirm that the building blocks lattice of the Ca₁₀V₆O₂₅ crystals consist of three types of distorted 6-fold coordination [CaO₆] clusters: octahedral, prism and pentagonal pyramidal, and distorted tetrahedral [VO₄] clusters. Theoretical and experimental results on the structure and vibrational frequencies are in agreement. Thus, it was possible to assign the Raman modes for the Ca₁₀V₆O₂₅ superstructure, which will allow us to show the structure of the unit cell of the material, as well as the coordination of the Ca and V atoms. This also allowed us to understand the charge transfer process that happens in the singlet state (s) and the excited states, singlet (s*) and triplet (t*), generating the photoluminescence emissions of the Ca₁₀V₆O₂₅ crystals.

Experimental and theoretical study of the energetic, morphological, and photoluminescence properties of CaZrO3:Eu3+

In this study, we present a combined experimental and theoretical study of the geometry, electronic structure, morphology, and photoluminescence properties of CaZrO₃:Eu³⁺ materials.

Vibrational properties of isotopically enriched materials: the case of calcite

Isotope enrichment is widely used to affect atomic masses, facilitating data acquisition and peak assignments in experiments such as nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy. It is also used for elucidating the origin of weak features in systems where natural isotopic abundances are low. However, it is not possible to always know a priori precisely how vibrational modes change for arbitrary levels of isotopic substitution. Here, we examine this issue by presenting a joint experimental and theoretical study for the important case of ¹³C isotope substitution effects on the infrared spectra of calcite. By systematically varying the ¹³C : ¹²C ratio, we find that the relative positions and intensities of infrared-active vibrational modes can vary, in a non-linear and mode-dependent fashion, with minority isotope content and proximity. This allows us to determine the origin of weak spectral features due to the natural abundance of isotopes and to show that even relatively low levels of substitution are not necessarily within the “dilute limit,” below which isotopic substitutions do not interact.

Isotopic enrichment in calcite, even at relatively low levels, can produce surprising changes to infrared spectra.

Experimental Charge-Density Study of the Intra- and Intermolecular Bonding in TKX-50

The intra- and intermolecular bonding in the known phase of dihydroxylammonium 5,5'-bistetrazole-1,1'-diolate, TKX-50, has been analyzed on the basis of the experimentally determined charge density distribution from high-resolution X-ray diffraction data obtained at 20 K. This was compared to the charge density obtained from DFT calculations with periodic boundary conditions using both direct calculations and derived structure factors. Results of topological analysis of the electron density corroborate that TKX-50 is best described as a layered structure linked primarily by a number of hydrogen bonds as well as by a variety of other interactions. Additional bonding interactions were identified, including a pair of equivalent 1,5-type intramolecular closed-shell interactions in the dianion. Refinement of anharmonic motion was shown to be essential for obtaining an adequate model, despite the low temperature of the study. Although generally unusual, the implementation of anharmonic refinement provided a significant improvement compared to harmonic refinement of both traditional and split-core multipole models.

Revisiting the charge density analysis of 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone at 20 K

A high-resolution X-ray diffraction measurement of 2,5-dichloro-1,4-benzoquinone (DCBQ) at 20 K was carried out. The experimental charge density was modeled using the Hansen-Coppens multipolar expansion and the topology of the electron density was analyzed in terms of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM). Two different multipole models, predominantly differentiated by the treatment of the chlorine atom, were obtained. The experimental results have been compared to theoretical results in the form of a multipolar refinement against theoretical structure factors and through direct topological analysis of the electron density obtained from the optimized periodic wavefunction. The similarity of the properties of the total electron density in all cases demonstrates the robustness of the Hansen-Coppens formalism. All intra- and intermolecular interactions have been characterized.

Growth mechanism of ceria nanorods by precipitation at room temperature and morphology-dependent photocatalytic performance

Ceria (CeO₂) nanorods have been prepared by simple short-term precipitation at room temperature for the first time.

Elucidating the impact of A-site cation change on photocatalytic H2 and O2 evolution activities of perovskite-type LnTaON2 (Ln = La and Pr)

Impact of A-site cation change on photocatalytic H₂ and O₂ evolution of LnTaON₂ (Ln = La and Pr) was studied.

Raman tensor elements of β-Ga2O3

The Raman spectrum and particularly the Raman scattering intensities of monoclinic β-Ga₂O₃ are investigated by experiment and theory. The low symmetry of β-Ga₂O₃ results in a complex dependence of the Raman intensity for the individual phonon modes on the scattering geometry which is additionally affected by birefringence. We measured the Raman spectra in dependence on the polarization direction for backscattering on three crystallographic planes of β-Ga₂O₃ and modelled these dependencies using a modified Raman tensor formalism which takes birefringence into account. The spectral position of all 15 Raman active phonon modes and the Raman tensor elements of 13 modes were determined and are compared to results from ab-initio calculations.

QM/MM description of periodic systems

A quantum mechanical molecular mechanics (QM/MM) implementation for periodic systems is reported. This is done for the case of molecules and for systems with two and three-dimensional periodicity, which is suitable to model electrolytes in contact with electrodes. Tests on different water-containing systems, ranging from the water dimer up to liquid water indicate the correctness of the scheme. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations are performed, as a possible direction to study realistic systems.

Single Molecule Investigation of Glycine-Chlorite Interaction by Cross-Correlated Scanning Probe Microscopy and Quantum Mechanics Simulations

In this work, we studied the interaction of glycine with the (001) surface of chlorite mineral at a single molecule level by cross-correlating scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and ab initio quantum mechanics (QM) investigations. Chlorite mineral is particularly interesting and peculiar for the interaction with organic molecules because it presents an alternated stacking of brucite-like (hydrophobic) and talc-like (hydrophilic) layers of different polarities. Brucite-like is positive, whereas talc-like is negative. The experimental atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations show that glycine is stably and selectively adsorbed on the brucite-like layer, organized in monolayers with different patterns. The sizes of single molecules of glycine measured by AFM are in agreement with those calculated by QM. Glycine molecules were found to align both at the edges and on the terraces of the brucitic surface. QM simulations confirmed the AFM observations that glycine molecule is adsorbed with high adsorption energy preferentially with its plane parallel to the (001) brucite-like surface. QM also provided the geometry conformation of the molecule and the bonding scheme between glycine and brucite surface. This kind of data can be very helpful both to biotechnological applications of this substrate and to depict some important processes that might have been occurred in prebiotic environments.

The Raman spectrum of CaCO3 polymorphs calcite and aragonite: a combined experimental and computational study

Powder and single crystal Raman spectra of the two most common phases of calcium carbonate are calculated with ab initio techniques (using a "hybrid" functional and a Gaussian-type basis set) and measured both at 80 K and room temperature. Frequencies of the Raman modes are in very good agreement between calculations and experiments: the mean absolute deviation at 80 K is 4 and 8 cm(-1) for calcite and aragonite, respectively. As regards intensities, the agreement is in general good, although the computed values overestimate the measured ones in many cases. The combined analysis permits to identify almost all the fundamental experimental Raman peaks of the two compounds, with the exception of either modes with zero computed intensity or modes overlapping with more intense peaks. Additional peaks have been identified in both calcite and aragonite, which have been assigned to (18)O satellite modes or overtones. The agreement between the computed and measured spectra is quite satisfactory; in particular, simulation permits to clearly distinguish between calcite and aragonite in the case of powder spectra, and among different polarization directions of each compound in the case of single crystal spectra.

Structure and Transport Properties of the BiCuSeO-BiCuSO Solid Solution

In this paper, we report on the crystal structure and the electrical and thermal transport properties of the BiCuSe_1−xS_xO series. From the evolution of the structural parameters with the substitution rate, we can confidently conclude that a complete solid solution exists between the BiCuSeO and BiCuSO end members, without any miscibility gap. However, the decrease of the stability of the materials when increasing the sulfur fraction, with a simultaneous volatilization, makes it difficult to obtain S-rich samples in a single phase. The band gap of the materials linearly increases between 0.8 eV for BiCuSeO and 1.1 eV in BiCuSO, and the covalent character of the Cu-Ch (Ch = chalcogen element, namely S or Se here) bond slightly decreases when increasing the sulfur fraction. The thermal conductivity of the end members is nearly the same, but a significant decrease is observed for the samples belonging to the solid solution, which can be explained by point defect scattering due to atomic mass and radii fluctuations between Se and S. When increasing the sulfur fraction, the electrical resistivity of the samples strongly increases, which could be linked to an evolution of the energy of formation of copper vacancies, which act as acceptor dopants in these materials.

Phonon-mediated electron transport through CaO thin films

Scanning tunneling microscopy has developed into a powerful tool for the characterization of conductive surfaces, for which the overlap of tip and sample wave functions determines the image contrast. On insulating layers, as the CaO thin film grown on Mo(001) investigated here, direct overlap between initial and final states is not enabled anymore and electrons are transported via hopping through the conduction-band states of the oxide. Carrier transport is accompanied by strong phonon excitations in this case, imprinting an oscillatory signature on the differential conductance spectra of the system. The phonons show a characteristic spatial dependence and become softer around lattice irregularities in the oxide film, such as dislocation lines.

A new look at oxide formation at the copper/electrolyte interface by in situ spectroscopies

The oxide layer passivating copper consists mainly of a complex, defect-rich oxide on the basis of copper mixed oxide, Cu₄O₃.

Reflectance anisotropy of the anatase Tio2(0 0 1)-(4 × 1) surface

The dielectric functions of bulk anatase TiO(2) and its (4 × 1) reconstructed (0 0 1) surface were calculated using a hybrid density functional theory method. The bulk dielectric function is compared to data obtained from synchrotron radiation reflectivity measurements in the energy range 0-20 eV and to dielectric functions from two Bethe-Salpeter calculations. There is agreement between predictions of the two theoretical methods, except at the absorption threshold, where there is some shift of spectral weight to lower energy in the Bethe-Salpeter calculations. All features observed in the dielectric function derived from synchrotron reflectivity data are reproduced in calculations. There are some differences in relative peak intensities for dielectric functions derived from experiment and theory. A dispersionless surface state is found which is localised on the topmost oxygen ion in the reconstructed surface. The reflectance anisotropy spectrum of the TiO(2)(0 0 1)-(4 × 1) surface shows strong features in the energy range to 12 eV but does not show any features caused by sub-bandgap surface state transitions.

Comparison between Gaussian-type orbitals and plane wave ab initio density functional theory modeling of layer silicates: talc [Mg3Si4O10(OH)2] as model system

The quantum chemical characterization of solid state systems is conducted with many different approaches, among which the adoption of periodic boundary conditions to deal with three-dimensional infinite condensed systems. This method, coupled to the Density Functional Theory (DFT), has been proved successful in simulating a huge variety of solids. Only in relatively recent years this ab initio quantum-mechanic approach has been used for the investigation of layer silicate structures and minerals. In the present work, a systematic comparison of different DFT functionals (GGA-PBEsol and hybrid B3LYP) and basis sets (plane waves and all-electron Gaussian-type orbitals) on the geometry, energy, and phonon properties of a model layer silicate, talc [Mg3Si4O10(OH)2], is presented. Long range dispersion is taken into account by DFT+D method. Results are in agreement with experimental data reported in literature, with minimal deviation given by the GTO∕B3LYP-D* method regarding both axial lattice parameters and interaction energy and by PW/PBE-D for the unit-cell volume and angular values. All the considered methods adequately describe the experimental talc infrared spectrum.

High-pressure synthesis and characterization of new actinide borates, AnB4O8 (An=Th, U)

New actinide borates ThB4O8 and UB4O8 were synthesized under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions (5.5 GPa/1100 °C for thorium borate, 10.5 GPa/1100 °C for the isotypic uranium borate) in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus from their corresponding actinide oxide and boron oxide. The crystal structure was determined on basis of single-crystal X-ray diffraction data that were collected at room temperature. Both compounds crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c (Z=4). Lattice parameters for ThB4O8: a=1611.3(3), b=419.86(8), c=730.6(2) pm; β=114.70(3)°; V=449.0(2) Å(3); R1=0.0255, wR2=0.0653 (all data). Lattice parameters for UB4O8: a=1589.7(3), b=422.14(8), c=723.4(2) pm; β=114.13(3)°; V=443.1(2) Å(3); R1=0.0227, wR2=0.0372 (all data). The new AnB4O8 (An=Th, U) structure type is constructed from corner-sharing BO4 tetrahedra, which form layers in the bc plane. One of the four independent oxygen atoms is threefold-coordinated. The actinide cations are located between the boron-oxygen layers. In addition to Raman spectroscopic investigations, DFT calculations were performed to support the assignment of the vibrational bands.