Tight-binding description of graphyne and its two-dimensional derivatives.

We investigated band structures of α-graphyne and its derivative two-dimensional carbon compounds (2DCCs) via tight-binding approximations with "two-site" and "all-atom" models. The renormalized "two-site" model captures the band-gap features of α-graphyne and 2DCCs. This model suggests ways of tuning the band gaps of graphynes, namely, by adding adatoms or substituting the vertex sp(2) carbons with heteroatom. Because the "two-site" model cannot accurately reproduce first-principles results over a large range of wave vectors, we derived an "all-atom" model, which includes all pz orbitals in a unit cell. All atom tight-binding calculations show improved performances in describing the DFT band structures, and reveal that the flat bands in DFT band structures are mainly ascribed to the pz orbitals of the edge carbons. The results will help to uncover the underlying mechanisms of the band features of graphyne and 2DCCs and to design other graphyne- or graphdiyne-based 2DCCs for applications in the future.

B80 and B101-103 clusters: remarkable stability of the core-shell structures established by validated density functionals.

Prompted by the very recent claim that the volleyball-shaped B(80) fullerene [X. Wang, Phys. Rev. B 82, 153409 (2010)] is lower in energy than the B(80) buckyball [N. G. Szwacki, A. Sadrzadeh, and B. I. Yakobson, Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 166804 (2007)] and core-shell structure [J. Zhao, L. Wang, F. Li, and Z. Chen, J. Phys. Chem. A 114, 9969 (2010)], and inspired by the most recent finding of another core-shell isomer as the lowest energy B(80) isomer [S. De, A. Willand, M. Amsler, P. Pochet, L. Genovese, and S. Goedecher, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106, 225502 (2011)], we carefully evaluated the performance of the density functional methods in the energetics of boron clusters and confirmed that the core-shell construction (stuffed fullerene) is thermodynamically the most favorable structural pattern for B(80). Our global minimum search showed that both B(101) and B(103) also prefer a core-shell structure and that B(103) can reach the complete core-shell configuration. We called for great attention to the theoretical community when using density functionals to investigate boron-related nanomaterials.

Π-Bond maximization of graphene in hydrogen addition reactions.

Thermodynamic stability of graphene hydrides increases in an approximately linear way with the numbers of π-bonds they contain. Thus, π-bond maximization is the primary driving force for hydrogen addition reactions of graphene. The previously reported thermal preference of sp(2)/sp(3)-phase separation of graphene hydrides is a straightforward effect of π-bond maximization. Although not well applicable to hydroxylation and epoxidation, the π-bond maximization principle also holds approximately for the fluorination reactions of graphene. The findings can be used to help locate the lowest-energy structures for graphene hydrides and to estimate the hydrogenation energy without first-principles calculations.

Interactions between Al12X (X = Al, C, N and P) nanoparticles and DNA nucleobases/base pairs: implications for nanotoxicity.

The interactions between neutral Al(12)X(I ( h )) (X = Al, C, N and P) nanoparticles and DNA nucleobases, namely adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G) and cytosine (C), as well as the Watson-Crick base pairs (BPs) AT and GC, were investigated by means of density functional theory computations. The Al(12)X clusters can tightly bind to DNA bases and BPs to form stable complexes with negative binding Gibbs free energies at room temperature, and considerable charge transfers occur between the bases/BPs and the Al(12)X clusters. These strong interactions, which are also expected for larger Al nanoparticles, may have potentially adverse impacts on the structure and stability of DNA and thus cause its dysfunction.

Characteristics of Raman spectra for graphene oxide from ab initio simulations.

The Raman spectra of several locally stable structures of the graphene oxide (GO) have been simulated by ab initio calculations. Compared to graphite, the G band of GO is broadened and blueshifted due to the emergence of a series of new Raman peaks. The Raman intensities and positions of the D and G bands depend sensitively on the local atomic configurations. In addition to the normal epoxy and hydroxyl groups, other oxidation groups such as epoxy pairs are also studied. Epoxy pairs induce large blueshift of G band with respect to that of the graphite.

Regioselectivity control of graphene functionalization by ripples.

Ripples naturally occur in graphene sheets. First-principles calculations reveal that, by altering the pyramidalization angles of the carbon atoms, these ripples can be used to direct the chemical reactivity of graphene towards hydrogenation. A fraction of the carbon atoms of a rippled graphene, located around the crests and troughs, show significantly increased reactivity. The remaining carbon atoms have comparable reactivity to those in a flat graphene. To illustrate the increased reactivity, we show that hydrogenation becomes exothermic when the characteristic ratio between the amplitude and wavelength reaches ~0.55. This finding offers a practical chemical venue for regioselectivity control of graphene functionalization. While the rippling does not directly affect the band gap of the graphene, the rippling-induced hydrogenation does.

Titanium-decorated graphene oxide for carbon monoxide capture and separation.

We propose titanium-decorated graphene oxide (Ti-GO) as an ideal sorbent for carbon monoxide (CO) capture and separation from gas mixtures. Based on first-principles calculations, Ti-GO exhibits a large binding energy of ~70 kJ mol(-1) for CO molecules, while the binding energies for other gases, such as N(2), CO(2), and CH(4), are significantly smaller. The gas adsorption properties of Ti-GO are independent of the local GO structures once Ti atoms are anchored by the oxygen-containing groups on the GO surface. The strong interaction between CO molecule and Ti is a result of dative bonding, i.e., hybridization between an empty d orbital of Ti and an occupied p orbital of CO. Adsorption isotherms from grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations clearly demonstrate the strong selectivity of Ti-GO for CO adsorption in a mixture with other gas.

Open-shell singlet character of stable derivatives of nonacene, hexacene and teranthene.

The electronic ground states of the recently synthesized stable nonacene derivatives (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 1261) are open-shell singlets with a polyradical nature instead of closed-shell singlets as originally assumed, according to the unrestricted broken spin-symmetry density functional theory (UBS-DFT) computations (at B3LYP/6-31G*). It is the bulky protecting groups, not the transfer from the open-shell singlet to closed-shell singlet ground state, that stabilizes these longest characterized acenes. Similar analyses also confirmed the open-shell singlet character of the hexacene and teranthene derivatives.

Hydrogenation: a simple approach to realize semiconductor-half-metal-metal transition in boron nitride nanoribbons.

The intriguing electronic and magnetic properties of fully and partially hydrogenated boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) were investigated by means of first-principles computations. Independent of ribbon width, fully hydrogenated armchair BNNRs are nonmagnetic semiconductors, while the zigzag counterparts are magnetic and metallic. The partially hydrogenated zigzag BNNRs (using hydrogenated BNNRs and pristine BNNRs as building units) exhibit diverse electronic and magnetic properties: they are nonmagnetic semiconductors when the percentage of hydrogenated BNNR blocks is minor, while a semiconductor-->half-metal-->metal transition occurs, accompanied by a nonmagnetic-->magnetic transfer, when the hydrogenated part is dominant. Although the half-metallic property is not robust when the hydrogenation ratio is large, this behavior is sustained for partially hydrogenated zigzag BNNRs with a smaller degree of hydrogenation. Thus, controlling the hydrogenation ratio can precisely modulate the electronic and magnetic properties of zigzag BNNRs, which endows BN nanomaterials many potential applications in the novel integrated functional nanodevices.

Graphene oxide as an ideal substrate for hydrogen storage.

Organometallic nanomaterials hold the promise for molecular hydrogen (H(2)) storage by providing nearly ideal binding strength to H(2) for room-temperature applications. Synthesizing such materials, however, faces severe setbacks due to the problem of metal clustering. Inspired by a recent experimental breakthrough ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008 , 130 , 6992 ), which demonstrates enhanced H(2) binding in Ti-grafted mesoporous silica, we propose combining the graphene oxide (GO) technique with Ti anchoring to overcome the current synthesis bottleneck for practical storage materials. Similar to silica, GO contains ample hydroxyl groups, which are the active sites for anchoring Ti atoms. GO can be routinely synthesized and is much lighter than silica. Hence, higher gravimetric storage capacity can be readily achieved. Our first-principles computations suggest that GO is primarily made of low-energy oxygen-containing structural motifs on the graphene sheet. The Ti atoms bind strongly to the oxygen sites with binding energies as high as 450 kJ/mol. This is comparable to that of silica and is indeed enough to prevent the Ti atoms from clustering. Each Ti can bind multiple H(2) with the desired binding energies (14-41 kJ/mol-H(2)). The estimated theoretical gravimetric and volumetric densities are 4.9 wt % and 64 g/L, respectively.

Endohedral metalloborofullerenes La2@B80 and Sc3N@B80: a density functional theory prediction.

The geometries, electronic and spectroscopic properties of two representative endohedral derivatives of B(80) fullerene, namely, La(2)@B(80) and Sc(3)N@B(80), and the possibility for their production were investigated by means of density functional computations. The very favorable binding energies suggest a considerable possibility to experimentally realize these novel endohedral metalloborofullerenes. Infrared absorption spectra and (11)B nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were also computed to assist future experimental characterization.

Ti-substituted boranes as hydrogen storage materials: a computational quest for the ideal combination of stable electronic structure and optimal hydrogen uptake.

Based on the Wade-Mingos n+1 rule for the closo-boranes (B(n)H(n) (2-)), a family of Ti-substituted closo-boranes has been designed computationally. Due to the isolobal relation of Ti to a BH(2-) group, these Ti-substituted boranes have n+1 pairs of skeletal electrons to fulfill the bonding requirement for such stable cages. The reported representatives, B(4)H(4)Ti(2)H(2) in particular, not only have stable electronic structures but also superior capability to adsorb hydrogen. The optimal binding energies and high gravimetric densities of hydrogen storage indicate their potential to store hydrogen for practical applications. Simultaneously achieving electronic stability and optimal hydrogen uptake may provide a way of overcoming the issue of aggregation in designing transition-metal-decorated hydrogen storage materials. This study invites experimental realization of novel boranes and provides new ideas for searching for hydrogen storage materials.

Boron-based organometallic nanostructures: hydrogen storage properties and structure stability.

Transition-metal (TM) boride and carboride nanostructures are studied as model organometallic materials for hydrogen storage. The dispersed TM atoms function as H2 sorption centers on the surface of the boron or carbon-boron substrate. The flexibility offered in the variety of possible structures permits the study of the effect of the TM-TM distance on the storage capacity. When the TMs are too close to one another, TM-TM bonding reduces the capacity. Even when separated by distances larger than the normal TM-TM bond length, delocalization of TM valence electrons can still lower the hydrogen capacity. An optimal TM-TM distance for the structural motifs studied here is approximately 6 A. Our study also permitted the evaluation of new TM boride nanostructures. We predict a low-energy single-walled scandium triboride (ScB3) nanotube that can bind approximately 6.1 wt % hydrogen with a binding energy of 22 approximately 26 kJ/mol.