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Askari MB, Salarizadeh P, Veisi P, Samiei E, Saeidfirozeh H, Tourchi Moghadam MT, Di Bartolomeo A. Transition-Metal Dichalcogenides in Electrochemical Batteries and Solar Cells. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:691. [PMID: 36985098 PMCID: PMC10058047 DOI: 10.3390/mi14030691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The advent of new nanomaterials has resulted in dramatic developments in the field of energy production and storage. Due to their unique structure and properties, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are the most promising from the list of materials recently introduced in the field. The amazing progress in the use TMDs for energy storage and production inspired us to review the recent research on TMD-based catalysts and electrode materials. In this report, we examine TMDs in a variety of electrochemical batteries and solar cells with special focus on MoS2 as the most studied and used TMD material.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Bagher Askari
- Department of Semiconductor, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman P.O. Box 7631818356, Iran
| | - Parisa Salarizadeh
- High-Temperature Fuel Cell Research Department, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Rafsanjan P.O. Box 7718897111, Iran
| | - Payam Veisi
- Applied Chemistry Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Zanjan, Zanjan P.O. Box 45195-313, Iran
| | - Elham Samiei
- Department of Photonics, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman P.O. Box 7631818356, Iran
| | - Homa Saeidfirozeh
- J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czech Academy of Sciences, Dolejškova 3, CZ 18223 Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - Antonio Di Bartolomeo
- Department of Physics “E. R. Caianiello”, University of Salerno, Fisciano, 84084 Salerno, Italy
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Varadwaj PR. Tetrel Bonding in Anion Recognition: A First Principles Investigation. Molecules 2022; 27:molecules27238449. [PMID: 36500544 PMCID: PMC9738195 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27238449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Twenty-five molecule-anion complex systems [I4Tt···X-] (Tt = C, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb; X = F, Cl, Br, I and At) were examined using density functional theory (ωB97X-D) and ab initio (MP2 and CCSD) methods to demonstrate the ability of the tetrel atoms in molecular entities, I4Tt, to recognize the halide anions when in close proximity. The tetrel bond strength for the [I4C···X-] series and [I4Tt···X-] (Tt = Si, Sn; X = I, At), was weak-to-moderate, whereas that in the remaining 16 complexes was dative tetrel bond type with very large interaction energies and short Tt···X close contact distances. The basis set superposition error corrected interaction energies calculated with the highest-level theory applied, [CCSD(T)/def2-TZVPPD], ranged from -3.0 to -112.2 kcal mol-1. The significant variation in interaction energies was realized as a result of different levels of tetrel bonding environment between the interacting partners at the equilibrium geometries of the complex systems. Although the ωB97X-D computed intermolecular geometries and interaction energies of a majority of the [I4Tt···X-] complexes were close to those predicted by the highest level of theory, the MP2 results were shown to be misleading for some of these systems. To provide insight into the nature of the intermolecular chemical bonding environment in the 25 molecule-anion complexes investigated, we discussed the charge-density-based topological and isosurface features that emanated from the application of the quantum theory of atoms in molecules and independent gradient model approaches, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pradeep R. Varadwaj
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; or
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa
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Varadwaj A, Varadwaj PR, Marques HM, Yamashita K. The Pnictogen Bond: The Covalently Bound Arsenic Atom in Molecular Entities in Crystals as a Pnictogen Bond Donor. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27113421. [PMID: 35684359 PMCID: PMC9181914 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27113421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
In chemical systems, the arsenic-centered pnictogen bond, or simply the arsenic bond, occurs when there is evidence of a net attractive interaction between the electrophilic region associated with a covalently or coordinately bound arsenic atom in a molecular entity and a nucleophile in another or the same molecular entity. It is the third member of the family of pnictogen bonds formed by the third atom of the pnictogen family, Group 15 of the periodic table, and is an inter- or intramolecular noncovalent interaction. In this overview, we present several illustrative crystal structures deposited into the Cambridge Structure Database (CSD) and the Inorganic Chemistry Structural Database (ICSD) during the last and current centuries to demonstrate that the arsenic atom in molecular entities has a significant ability to act as an electrophilic agent to make an attractive engagement with nucleophiles when in close vicinity, thereby forming σ-hole or π-hole interactions, and hence driving (in part, at least) the overall stability of the system’s crystalline phase. This overview does not include results from theoretical simulations reported by others as none of them address the signatory details of As-centered pnictogen bonds. Rather, we aimed at highlighting the interaction modes of arsenic-centered σ- and π-holes in the rationale design of crystal lattices to demonstrate that such interactions are abundant in crystalline materials, but care has to be taken to identify them as is usually done with the much more widely known noncovalent interactions in chemical systems, halogen bonding and hydrogen bonding. We also demonstrate that As-centered pnictogen bonds are usually accompanied by other primary and secondary interactions, which reinforce their occurrence and strength in most of the crystal structures illustrated. A statistical analysis of structures deposited into the CSD was performed for each interaction type As···D (D = N, O, S, Se, Te, F, Cl, Br, I, arene’s π system), thus providing insight into the typical nature of As···D interaction distances and ∠R–As···D bond angles of these interactions in crystals, where R is the remainder of the molecular entity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Varadwaj
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan;
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.R.V.)
| | - Pradeep R. Varadwaj
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan;
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (P.R.V.)
| | - Helder M. Marques
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;
| | - Koichi Yamashita
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan;
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Varadwaj A, Varadwaj PR, Marques HM, Yamashita K. The Stibium Bond or the Antimony-Centered Pnictogen Bond: The Covalently Bound Antimony Atom in Molecular Entities in Crystal Lattices as a Pnictogen Bond Donor. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094674. [PMID: 35563065 PMCID: PMC9099767 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
A stibium bond, i.e., a non-covalent interaction formed by covalently or coordinately bound antimony, occurs in chemical systems when there is evidence of a net attractive interaction between the electrophilic region associated with an antimony atom and a nucleophile in another, or the same molecular entity. This is a pnictogen bond and are likely formed by the elements of the pnictogen family, Group 15, of the periodic table, and is an inter- or intra-molecular non-covalent interaction. This overview describes a set of illustrative crystal systems that were stabilized (at least partially) by means of stibium bonds, together with other non-covalent interactions (such as hydrogen bonds and halogen bonds), retrieved from either the Cambridge Structure Database (CSD) or the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD). We demonstrate that these databases contain hundreds of crystal structures of various dimensions in which covalently or coordinately bound antimony atoms in molecular entities feature positive sites that productively interact with various Lewis bases containing O, N, F, Cl, Br, and I atoms in the same or different molecular entities, leading to the formation of stibium bonds, and hence, being partially responsible for the stability of the crystals. The geometric features, pro-molecular charge density isosurface topologies, and extrema of the molecular electrostatic potential model were collectively examined in some instances to illustrate the presence of Sb-centered pnictogen bonding in the representative crystal systems considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpita Varadwaj
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; (A.V.); (K.Y.)
| | - Pradeep R. Varadwaj
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; (A.V.); (K.Y.)
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;
- Correspondence:
| | - Helder M. Marques
- Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050, South Africa;
| | - Koichi Yamashita
- Department of Chemical System Engineering, School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan; (A.V.); (K.Y.)
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Chalcogen Bonding in the Molecular Dimers of WCh 2 (Ch = S, Se, Te): On the Basic Understanding of the Local Interfacial and Interlayer Bonding Environment in 2D Layered Tungsten Dichalcogenides. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031263. [PMID: 35163185 PMCID: PMC8835845 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Layered two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides and their heterostructures are of current interest, owing to the diversity of their applications in many areas of materials nanoscience and technologies. With this in mind, we have examined the three molecular dimers of the tungsten dichalcogenide series, (WCh2)2 (Ch = S, Se, Te), using density functional theory to provide insight into which interactions, and their specific characteristics, are responsible for the interfacial/interlayer region in the room temperature 2H phase of WCh2 crystals. Our calculations at various levels of theory suggested that the Te···Te chalcogen bonding in (WTe2)2 is weak, whereas the Se···Se and S···S bonding interactions in (WSe2)2 and (WS2)2, respectively, are of the van der Waals type. The presence and character of Ch···Ch chalcogen bonding interactions in the dimers of (WCh2)2 are examined with a number of theoretical approaches and discussed, including charge-density-based approaches, such as the quantum theory of atoms in molecules, interaction region indicator, independent gradient model, and reduced density gradient non-covalent index approaches. The charge-density-based topological features are shown to be concordant with the results that originate from the extrema of potential on the electrostatic surfaces of WCh2 monomers. A natural bond orbital analysis has enabled us to suggest a number of weak hyperconjugative charge transfer interactions between the interacting monomers that are responsible for the geometry of the (WCh2)2 dimers at equilibrium. In addition to other features, we demonstrate that there is no so-called van der Waals gap between the monolayers in two-dimensional layered transition metal tungsten dichalcogenides, which are gapless, and that the (WCh2)2 dimers may be prototypes for a basic understanding of the physical chemistry of the chemical bonding environments associated with the local interfacial/interlayer regions in layered 2H-WCh2 nanoscale systems.
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