Performance of Common Density Functionals for Excited States of Tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene.

Time-dependent density functional theory is the method of choice to efficiently calculate excitation spectra with the functional and basis set choice allowing one to compromise between accuracy and computational cost. In this work, the performance of different functionals as well as the second-order approximate coupled cluster singles and doubles model CC2 is evaluated by comparing the results to experimental results of the example molecule tetraphenyldibenzoperiflanthene (DBP). The choice of the functional has a significant impact on the calculated spectrum of DBP. The performance of a number of different functionals was evaluated, quantified, and, where possible, discussed. The best functional, tuned-CAM-B3LYP, is used to investigate DBP on a surface of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). The resulting spectrum shows excellent agreement with experimental results for a monolayer of DBP on h-BN.

Cooperativity of silanol defect chemistry in zeolites.

Deboronation treatment of zeolite B-SSZ-55 can generate vacancy defects consisting of four silanol groups (silanol nests). However, 1H solid-state NMR spectroscopy indicates the prevalence of two silanol groups (silanol dyads) instead of four silanol groups. Such silanol dyads must be formed by the silanol condensation of two silanol groups at the silanol nests. Yet, the exact mechanism of this condensation and detailed structure of the silanol defect are not known. Here, the structure and formation mechanism of silanol dyads in the SSZ-55 zeolite have been investigated by both cluster and periodic density functional theory calculations. The calculated 1H NMR chemical shifts agree with the experimental values, showing that the silanol dyads are indeed commonly present at the vacancies and the vacancy density plays a role in the relaxation of the zeolite framework. The nature (size) of the silanol clusters influences their acidity.

Phase stability determination of negative thermal expansion silicates by theory and experiment.

Materials that exhibit zero thermal expansion have numerous applications, ranging from everyday ceramic hobs to telescope mirrors to devices in optics and micromechanics. These materials include glass ceramics containing crystal phases with negative thermal expansion in at least one crystallographic direction, such as Ba1-xSrxZn2-2yMg2ySi2O7 solid solutions. However, the volume increase associated with the martensitic phase transformation in these crystals often hinders their use as zero thermal expansion materials at operating temperatures near the transition temperature Tt. Here, an approach to rapidly predict Tt of such materials as a function of chemical composition based on a combination of density functional theory simulations and experiments has been developed and applied to Ba1-xSrxZn2-2yMg2ySi2O7. Its central element is the modeling of free energy as a function of temperature and chemical composition using a composition-dependent Debye model augmented by an empirical correction, which incorporates the effects of anharmonic lattice vibrations. This approach provides Tt predictions with an estimated uncertainty of about ±100 K, which is similar to the accuracy of computationally much more demanding simulations of polymorphous phase transitions. In addition, this approach allows computationally efficient determination of the chemical compositions at which the Ba1-xSrxZn2-2yMg2ySi2O7 phase with the desired thermal properties will be formed during synthesis, facilitating the targeted design of zero thermal expansion materials.

Real-time time-dependent density functional theory using density fitting and the continuous fast multipole method.

An implementation of real-time time-dependent density functional theory (RT-TDDFT) within the TURBOMOLE program package is reported using Gaussian-type orbitals as basis functions, second and fourth order Magnus propagator, and the self-consistent field as well as the predictor-corrector time integration schemes. The Coulomb contribution to the Kohn-Sham matrix is calculated combining density fitting approximation and the continuous fast multipole method. Performance of the implementation is benchmarked for molecular systems with different sizes and dimensionalities. For linear alkane chains, the wall time for density matrix time propagation step is comparable to the Kohn-Sham (KS) matrix construction. However, for larger two- and three-dimensional molecules, with up to about 5,000 basis functions, the computational effort of RT-TDDFT calculations is dominated by the KS matrix evaluation. In addition, the maximum time step is evaluated using a set of small molecules of different polarities. The photoabsorption spectra of several molecular systems calculated using RT-TDDFT are compared to those obtained using linear response time-dependent density functional theory and coupled cluster methods.

Thermomechanical properties of zero thermal expansion materials from theory and experiments.

Origin and composition dependence of the anisotropic thermomechanical properties are elucidated for Ba1-xSrxZn2Si2O7 (BZS) solid solutions. The high-temperature phase of BZS shows negative thermal expansion (NTE) along one crystallographic axis and highly anisotropic elastic properties characterized by X-ray diffraction experiments and simulations at the density functional theory level. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations provide accurate predictions of the anisotropic thermal expansion in excellent agreement with experimental observations. The NTE considerably decreases with increasing Sr content x. This is connected with the composition dependence of the vibrational density of states (VDOS) and the anisotropic Grüneisen parameters. The VDOS shifts to higher frequencies between 0-5 THz due to substitution of Ba with Sr. In the same frequency range, vibrational modes contributing most to the NTE are found. In addition, phonon calculations using the quasi-harmonic approximation revealed that the NTE is mainly connected with deformation of four-membered rings formed by SiO4 and ZnO4 tetrahedra. The thermomechanical and vibrational properties obtained in this work provide the basis for future studies facilitating the targeted design of BZS solid solutions as zero or negative thermal expansion material.

TURBOMOLE: Modular program suite for ab initio quantum-chemical and condensed-matter simulations.

TURBOMOLE is a collaborative, multi-national software development project aiming to provide highly efficient and stable computational tools for quantum chemical simulations of molecules, clusters, periodic systems, and solutions. The TURBOMOLE software suite is optimized for widely available, inexpensive, and resource-efficient hardware such as multi-core workstations and small computer clusters. TURBOMOLE specializes in electronic structure methods with outstanding accuracy-cost ratio, such as density functional theory including local hybrids and the random phase approximation (RPA), GW-Bethe-Salpeter methods, second-order Møller-Plesset theory, and explicitly correlated coupled-cluster methods. TURBOMOLE is based on Gaussian basis sets and has been pivotal for the development of many fast and low-scaling algorithms in the past three decades, such as integral-direct methods, fast multipole methods, the resolution-of-the-identity approximation, imaginary frequency integration, Laplace transform, and pair natural orbital methods. This review focuses on recent additions to TURBOMOLE's functionality, including excited-state methods, RPA and Green's function methods, relativistic approaches, high-order molecular properties, solvation effects, and periodic systems. A variety of illustrative applications along with accuracy and timing data are discussed. Moreover, available interfaces to users as well as other software are summarized. TURBOMOLE's current licensing, distribution, and support model are discussed, and an overview of TURBOMOLE's development workflow is provided. Challenges such as communication and outreach, software infrastructure, and funding are highlighted.

A Silica Bilayer Supported on Ru(0001): Following the Crystalline-to Vitreous Transformation in Real Time with Spectro-microscopy.

The crystalline-to-vitreous phase transformation of a SiO2 bilayer supported on Ru(0001) was studied by time-dependent LEED, local XPS, and DFT calculations. The silica bilayer system has parallels to 3D silica glass and can be used to understand the mechanism of the disorder transition. DFT simulations show that the formation of a Stone-Wales-type of defect follows a complex mechanism, where the two layers show decoupled behavior in terms of chemical bond rearrangements. The calculated activation energy of the rate-determining step for the formation of a Stone-Wales-type of defect (4.3 eV) agrees with the experimental value. Charge transfer between SiO2 bilayer and Ru(0001) support lowers the activation energy for breaking the Si-O bond compared to the unsupported film. Pre-exponential factors obtained in UHV and in O2 atmospheres differ significantly, suggesting that the interfacial ORu underneath the SiO2 bilayer plays a role on how the disordering propagates within the film.

Density functional theory for molecular and periodic systems using density fitting and continuous fast multipole method: Stress tensor.

A full implementation of the analytical stress tensor for periodic systems is reported in the TURBOMOLE program package within the framework of Kohn-Sham density functional theory using Gaussian-type orbitals as basis functions. It is the extension of the implementation of analytical energy gradients (Lazarski et al., Journal of Computational Chemistry 2016, 37, 2518-2526) to the stress tensor for the purpose of optimization of lattice vectors. Its key component is the efficient calculation of the Coulomb contribution by combining density fitting approximation and continuous fast multipole method. For the exchange-correlation (XC) part the hierarchical numerical integration scheme (Burow and Sierka, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 2011, 7, 3097-3104) is extended to XC weight derivatives and stress tensor. The computational efficiency and favorable scaling behavior of the stress tensor implementation are demonstrated for various model systems. The overall computational effort for energy gradient and stress tensor for the largest systems investigated is shown to be at most two and a half times the computational effort for the Kohn-Sham matrix formation. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Quantum Crystallography: Current Developments and Future Perspectives.

Crystallography and quantum mechanics have always been tightly connected because reliable quantum mechanical models are needed to determine crystal structures. Due to this natural synergy, nowadays accurate distributions of electrons in space can be obtained from diffraction and scattering experiments. In the original definition of quantum crystallography (QCr) given by Massa, Karle and Huang, direct extraction of wavefunctions or density matrices from measured intensities of reflections or, conversely, ad hoc quantum mechanical calculations to enhance the accuracy of the crystallographic refinement are implicated. Nevertheless, many other active and emerging research areas involving quantum mechanics and scattering experiments are not covered by the original definition although they enable to observe and explain quantum phenomena as accurately and successfully as the original strategies. Therefore, we give an overview over current research that is related to a broader notion of QCr, and discuss options how QCr can evolve to become a complete and independent domain of natural sciences. The goal of this paper is to initiate discussions around QCr, but not to find a final definition of the field.

Ab Initio energetics of SiO bond cleavage.

A multilevel approach that combines high-level ab initio quantum chemical methods applied to a molecular model of a single, strain-free SiOSi bridge has been used to derive accurate energetics for SiO bond cleavage. The calculated SiO bond dissociation energy and the activation energy for water-assisted SiO bond cleavage of 624 and 163 kJ mol-1 , respectively, are in excellent agreement with values derived recently from experimental data. In addition, the activation energy for H2 O-assisted SiO bond cleavage is found virtually independent of the amount of water molecules in the vicinity of the reaction site. The estimated reaction energy for this process including zero-point vibrational contribution is in the range of -5 to 19 kJ mol-1 . © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Structure and crystallization of SiO2 and B2O3 doped lithium disilicate glasses from theory and experiment.

Solid solutions of SiO2 and B2O3 in Li2O·2SiO2 are synthesized and characterized for the first time. Their structure and crystallization mechanisms are investigated employing a combination of simulations at the density functional theory level and experiments on the crystallization of SiO2 and B2O3 doped lithium disilicate glasses. The remarkable agreement of calculated and experimentally determined cell parameters reveals the preferential, kinetically controlled incorporation of [SiO4] and [BO4] at the Li+ lattice sites of the Li2O·2SiO2 crystal structure. While the addition of SiO2 increases the glass viscosity resulting in lower crystal growth velocities, glasses containing B2O3 show a reduction of both viscosities and crystal growth velocities. These observations could be rationalized by a change of the chemical composition of the glass matrix surrounding the precipitated crystal phase during the course of crystallization, which leads to a deceleration of the attachment of building units required for further crystal growth at the liquid-crystal interface.

Different Reactivity of As4 towards Disilenes and Silylenes.

The activation of yellow arsenic is possible with the silylene [PhC(NtBu)2 SiN(SiMe3 )2 ] (1) and the disilene [(Me3 Si)2 N(η1 -Me5 C5 )Si=Si(η1 -Me5 C5 )N(SiMe3 )2 ] (3). The reaction of As4 with 1 leads to the unprecedented As10 cage compound [(LSiN(SiMe3 )2 )3 As10 ] (2; L=PhC(NtBu)2 ) with an As7 nortricyclane core stabilized by arsasilene moieties containing silicon(II)bis(trimethylsilyl)amide substituents. In contrast, the compound [Cp*{(SiMe3 )2 N}SiAs]2 (4) containing a butterfly-like diarsadisilabicyclo[1.1.0]butane unit is formed by the reaction of As4 with the disilene 3. Both compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, NMR spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. The reaction outcomes demonstrate the different reaction behavior of yellow arsenic (As4 ) compared to white phosphorus (P4 ) in the reactions with the corresponding silylenes and disilenes.

Pnictogen-Silicon Analogues of Benzene.

Since the discovery of the first "inorganic benzene" (borazine, B3N3H6), the synthesis of other noncarbon derivatives is an ongoing challenge in Inorganic Chemistry. Here we report on the synthesis of the first pnictogen-silicon congeners of benzene, the triarsa- and the triphospha-trisilabenzene [(PhC(NtBu)2)3Si3E3] (E = P (1a), As (1b)) by a simple metathesis reaction. These compounds are formed by the reaction of [Cp″2Zr(η(1:1)-E4)] (E = P, As; Cp″ = C5H3tBu2) with [PhC(NtBu)2SiCl] in toluene at room temperature along with the silicon pnictogen congeners of the cyclobutadiene, [(PhC(NtBu)2)2Si2E2] (E = P (2a), As (2b)), which is unprecedented for the arsenic system 2b. All compounds were comprehensively characterized, and density functional theory calculations were performed to verify the stability and the aromatic character of the triarsa- and the triphospha-trisilabenzene.

Density functional theory for molecular and periodic systems using density fitting and continuous fast multipole method: Analytical gradients.

A full implementation of analytical energy gradients for molecular and periodic systems is reported in the TURBOMOLE program package within the framework of Kohn-Sham density functional theory using Gaussian-type orbitals as basis functions. Its key component is a combination of density fitting (DF) approximation and continuous fast multipole method (CFMM) that allows for an efficient calculation of the Coulomb energy gradient. For exchange-correlation part the hierarchical numerical integration scheme (Burow and Sierka, Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation 2011, 7, 3097) is extended to energy gradients. Computational efficiency and asymptotic O(N) scaling behavior of the implementation is demonstrated for various molecular and periodic model systems, with the largest unit cell of hematite containing 640 atoms and 19,072 basis functions. The overall computational effort of energy gradient is comparable to that of the Kohn-Sham matrix formation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Thermodynamic compatibility of actives encapsulated into PEG-PLA nanoparticles: In Silico predictions and experimental verification.

Achieving optimal solubility of active substances in polymeric carriers is of fundamental importance for a number of industrial applications, including targeted drug delivery within the growing field of nanomedicine. However, its experimental optimization using a trial-and-error approach is cumbersome and time-consuming. Here, an approach based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the Flory-Huggins theory is proposed for rapid prediction of thermodynamic compatibility between active species and copolymers comprising hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. In contrast to similar methods, our approach offers high computational efficiency by employing MD simulations that avoid explicit consideration of the actual copolymer chains. The accuracy of the method is demonstrated for compatibility predictions between pyrene and nile red as model dyes as well as indomethacin as model drug and copolymers containing blocks of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(lactic acid) in different ratios. The results of the simulations are directly verified by comparison with the observed encapsulation efficiency of nanoparticles prepared by nanoprecipitation. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dynamics of ultrathin gold layers on vitreous silica probed by density functional theory.

The structure and properties of Au ultrathin films on hydroxyl-free and hydroxylated silica glass surfaces are investigated using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. Substantial surface structure dependence of Au agglomeration behavior (solid-state dewetting) is found. On hydroxyl-free surfaces, the Au film virtually undergoes instantaneous agglomeration accompanied by the formation of voids exposing a bare silica glass surface. In contrast, simulated annealing of the Au film on hydroxylated surface models leaves its structure unchanged within the simulation time. This points to a key role of reactive defect sites in the kinetics of solid-state dewetting processes of metals deposited on the glass surface. Such sites are important for initial void nucleation and formation of metal clusters. In addition, our calculations demonstrate the crucial role of the appropriate inclusion of dispersion interactions in density functional theory simulations of metals deposited on glass surfaces. For defective, hydroxyl-free glass surfaces the dispersion correction accounts for 35% of the total adhesion energy. The effect is even more dramatic for hydroxylated glass surfaces, where adhesion energies are almost entirely due to dispersion interactions. The Au adhesion energies of 200 and 160 kJ (mol nm(2))(-1) calculated for hydroxylated glass surfaces are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Fixation and release of intact E4 tetrahedra (E=P, As).

By the reaction of [NacnacCuCH3CN] with white phosphorus (P4) and yellow arsenic (As4), the stabilization and enclosure of the intact E4 tetrahedra are realized and the disubstituted complexes [(NacnacCu)2(µ,η(2:2)-E4)] (1 a: E=P, 1 b: E=As) are formed. The mono-substituted complex [NacnacCu(η(2)-P4)] (2), was detected by the exchange reaction of 1 a with P4 and was only isolated using low-temperature work-up. All products were comprehensively spectroscopically and crystallographically characterized. The bonding situation in the products as intact E4 units (E=P, As) was confirmed by theory and was experimentally proven by the pyridine promoted release of the bridging E4 tetrahedra in 1.

Complexes of monocationic Group 13 elements with pentaphospha- and pentaarsaferrocene.

Reactions of the sandwich complexes [Cp*Fe(η(5)-E5)] (Cp*=η(5)-C5Me5; E=P (1), As (2)) with the monovalent Group 13 metals Tl(+), In(+), and Ga(+) containing the weakly coordinating anion [TEF] ([TEF]=[Al{OC(CF3)3}4](-)) are described. Here, the one-dimensional coordination polymers [M(µ,η(5):η(1 -E5 FeCp*)3]n [TEF]n (E=P, M=Tl (3 a), In (3 b), Ga (3 c); E=As, M=Tl (4 a), In (4 b)) are obtained as sole products in good yields. All products were analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, revealing a similar assembly of the products with η(5)-bound E5 ligands and very weak σ-interactions between one P or As atom of the ring to the neighbored Group 13 metal cation. By exchanging the [TEF] anion of 4 a for the larger [FAl] anion ([FAl]=[FAl{OC6F10(C6F5)}3](-)), the coordination compound [Tl{(η(5)-As5)FeCp*}3][FAl] (5) without any σ-interactions of the As5-ring is obtained. All products are readily soluble in CH2 Cl2 and exhibit a dynamic coordination behavior in solution, which is supported by NMR spectroscopy and ESI-MS spectrometry as well as by osmometric molecular-weight determination. For a better understanding of the proceeding equilibrium DFT calculations of the cationic complexes were performed for the gas phase and in solution. Furthermore, the (31)P{(1)H} magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of 3 a-c are presented and the first crystal structure of the starting material 2 was determined.

Ultrathin silica films: the atomic structure of two-dimensional crystals and glasses.

For the last 15 years, we have been studying the preparation and characterization of ordered silica films on metal supports. We review the efforts so far, and then discuss the specific case of a silica bilayer, which exists in a crystalline and a vitreous variety, and puts us into a position to investigate, for the first time, the real space structure (AFM/STM) of a two-dimensional glass and its properties. We show that pair correlation functions determined from the images of this two-dimensional glass are similar to those determined by X-ray and neutron scattering from three-dimensional glasses, if the appropriate sensitivity factors are taken into account. We are in a position, to verify, for the first time, a model of the vitreous silica structure proposed by William Zachariasen in 1932. Beyond this, the possibility to prepare the crystalline and the glassy structure on the same support allows us to study the crystal-glass phase transition in real space. We, finally, discuss possibilities to use silica films to start investigating related systems such as zeolites and clay films. We also mention hydroxylation of the silica films in order to adsorb metal atoms modeling heterogenized homogeneous catalysts.

Structure and properties of bimetallic titanium and vanadium oxide clusters.

By employing a genetic algorithm together with density functional theory (B3LYP), we investigate the most stable minimum structures of several bimetallic titanium and vanadium oxide clusters that contain four metal atoms. The following compositions are studied: VnTin-4O10(-) (n = 1-4), (TiO2)VOn(-) (n = 1-4), and (TiO2)VOn(+) (n = 1-3). Apart from (TiO2)3VO(-), vanadium oxo groups are always part of the most stable minimum structures when vanadium is present. Anti-ferromagnetic coupling lowers the energy substantially if spin centers are located at neighbored metal atoms rather than at distant oxygen radical sites. Vanadium-rich or oxygen-poor compositions prefer symmetric adamantane-like cage structures, some of which have already been proposed in a previous study. In contrast, vanadium-poor and oxygen-rich compositions show versatile structural motifs that cannot be intuitively derived from the symmetric cage motif. Particularly, for Ti4O10(-) there are several non-symmetric and distorted cages that have an up to 68 kJ mol(-1) lower energy than the symmetric adamantane-like cage structure. Nevertheless, for the adamantane-like cage the simulated infra-red spectrum (within the harmonic approximation) agrees best with the experimental vibrational spectrum. The oxidative power of the (TiO2)3VO3(-) and (TiO2)3VO2(+) clusters as measured by the energy of removing 1/2 O2 (297 and 227 kJ mol(-1), respectively) is less than that of the pure vanadium oxide clusters (V2O5)VO3(-) and (V2O5)VO2(+) (283 and 165 kJ mol(-1), respectively).