Effects of Zr dopants on properties of PtNi nanoparticles for ORR catalysis: A DFT modeling.

Pt-based alloys, such as Pt3Ni, are among the best electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Doping of PtNi alloys with Zr was shown to enhance the durability of the operating ORR catalysts. Rationalizing these observations is hindered by the absence of atomic-level data for these tri-metallic materials, even when not exposed to the fuel cell operation conditions. This study aims at understanding structure-property relations in Zr-doped PtNi nanoparticles as a key to their ORR function. In particular, we calculated, using a method based on density functional theory, the most stable chemical orderings of pristine and Zr-doped Pt3Ni particles containing over 400 atoms. We thus clarify (i) preferential location and charge states of Zr atoms in the Pt3Ni NPs; (ii) effect of doping Zr atoms on the stability of the Pt skin of the Pt3Ni NPs; (iii) charge redistribution induced by Zr dopants; (iv) layer-by-layer atomic ordering in the Pt3Ni/Zr NPs with the increasing Zr content; and (v) effect of Zr atoms on the adsorption energies of O and OH species as indicators of the ORR activity.

Effects of Oxygen Adsorption on the Optical Properties of Ag Nanoparticles.

Plasmonic metal nanoparticles are efficient light harvesters with a myriad of sensing- and energy-related applications. For such applications, the optical properties of nanoparticles of metals such as Cu, Ag, and Au can be tuned by controlling the composition, particle size, and shape, but less is known about the effects of oxidation on the plasmon resonances. In this work, we elucidate the effects of O adsorption on the optical properties of Ag particles by evaluating the thermodynamic properties of O-decorated Ag particles with calculations based on the density functional theory and subsequently computing the photoabsorption spectra with a computationally efficient time-dependent density functional theory approach. We identify stable Ag nanoparticle structures with oxidized edges and a quenching of the plasmonic character of the metal particles upon oxidation and trace back this effect to the sp orbitals (or bands) of Ag particles being involved both in the plasmonic excitation and in the hybridization to form bonds with the adsorbed O atoms. Our work has important implications for the understanding and application of plasmonic metal nanoparticles and plasmon-mediated processes under oxidizing environments.

Highlights from Faraday Discussion on Nanoalloys: recent developments and future perspectives, London, UK.

In this article, we present a summary of the Faraday Discussion that took place on September 21-23, 2022 in London, UK. The primary goal of this event was to promote and discuss the recent developments in the field of nanoalloys. Here we briefly outline each scientific session as well as other conference events.

Optimal Pt-Au Alloying for Efficient and Stable Oxygen Reduction Reaction Catalysts.

Stabilization of cathode catalysts in hydrogen-fueled proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is paramount to their widespread commercialization. Targeting that aim, Pt-Au alloy catalysts with various compositions (Pt95Au5, Pt90Au10, and Pt80Au20) prepared by magnetron sputtering were investigated. The promising stability improvement of the Pt-Au catalyst, manifested in suppressed platinum dissolution with increasing Au content, was documented over an extended potential range up to 1.5 VRHE. On the other hand, at elevated concentrations, Au showed a detrimental effect on oxygen reduction reaction activity. A systematic study involving complementary characterization techniques, electrochemistry, and Monte Carlo simulations based on density functional theory data enabled us to gain a comprehensive understanding of the composition-activity-stability relationship to find optimal Pt-Au alloying for maintaining the activity of platinum and improving its resistance to dissolution. According to the results, Pt-Au alloy with 10% gold represent the most promising composition retaining the activity of monometallic Pt while suppressing Pt dissolution by 50% at the upper potential limit of 1.2 VRHE and by 20% at devastating 1.5 VRHE.

At the root of l-lysine emission in aqueous solutions.

l-lysine is an essential amino acid whose peculiar optical properties in aqueous solutions are still in search of a comprehensive explanation. In crystalline form l-lysine does not emit, but when in an aqueous solution, as the concentration increases, emits in the blue. The origin of such fluorescence is not yet clear. In the present article, we have combined quantum mechanics and classical simulations with experimental techniques to demonstrate that optical absorption and excitation-dependent fluorescence are directly correlated with the formation of aggregates, their dimensions and intermolecular interactions. The nature of the aggregates has been studied as a function of the pH and concentration of the amino acid. At low concentrations, fluorescence intensity increases linearly with molarity, while at high concentrations a new condition is established in which emitting and non-emitting molecular species coexist. The l-lysine aggregation and the formation of intermolecular H-bonding are at the ground of the emission in the blue range.

Spectroscopic and In Silico Studies on the Interaction of Substituted Pyrazolo[1,2-a]benzo[1,2,3,4]tetrazine-3-one Derivatives with c-Myc G4-DNA.

Herein we describe a combined experimental and in silico study of the interaction of a series of pyrazolo[1,2-a]benzo[1,2,3,4]tetrazin-3-one derivatives (PBTs) with parallel G-quadruplex (GQ) DNA aimed at correlating their previously reported anticancer activities and the stabilizing effects observed by us on c-myc oncogene promoter GQ structure. Circular dichroism (CD) melting experiments were performed to characterize the effect of the studied PBTs on the GQ thermal stability. CD measurements indicate that two out of the eight compounds under investigation induced a slight stabilizing effect (2-4 °C) on GQ depending on the nature and position of the substituents. Molecular docking results allowed us to verify the modes of interaction of the ligands with the GQ and estimate the binding affinities. The highest binding affinity was observed for ligands with the experimental melting temperatures (Tms). However, both stabilizing and destabilizing ligands showed similar scores, whilst Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations, performed across a wide range of temperatures on the GQ in water solution, either unliganded or complexed with two model PBT ligands with the opposite effect on the Tms, consistently confirmed their stabilizing or destabilizing ability ascertained by CD. Clues about a relation between the reported anticancer activity of some PBTs and their ability to stabilize the GQ structure of c-myc emerged from our study. Furthermore, Molecular Dynamics simulations at high temperatures are herein proposed for the first time as a means to verify the stabilizing or destabilizing effect of ligands on the GQ, also disclosing predictive potential in GQ-targeting drug discovery.

Theoretical and Experimental Study of the Excess Thermodynamic Properties of Highly Nonideal Liquid Mixtures of Butanol Isomers + DBE.

Binary alcohol + ether liquid mixtures are of significant importance as potential biofuels or additives for internal combustion engines and attract considerable fundamental interest as model systems containing one strongly H-bonded self-associating component (alcohol) and one that is unable to do so (ether), but that can interact strongly as a H-bond acceptor. In this context, the excess thermodynamic properties of these mixtures, specifically the excess molar enthalpies and volumes (HE and VE), have been extensively measured. Butanol isomer + di-n-butyl ether (DBE) mixtures received significant attention because of interesting differences in their VE, changing from negative (1- and isobutanol) to positive (2- and tert-butanol) with increasing alkyl group branching. With the aim of shedding light on the differences in alcohol self-association and cross-species H-bonding, considered responsible for the observed differences, we studied representative 1- and 2-butanol + DBE mixtures by molecular dynamics simulations and experimental excess property measurements. The simulations reveal marked differences in the self-association of the two isomers and, while supporting the existing interpretations of the HE and VE in a general sense, our results suggest, for the first time, that subtle changes in H-bonded topologies may contribute significantly to the anomalous volumetric properties of these mixtures.