Modulating Structural and Electronic Properties of Rare Archimedean and Johnson-Type Mn Cages.

High-nuclearity Mn complexes have attracted significant scientific attention due to their fascinating magnetic properties and their relevance to bioinorganic systems and catalysis. In this work, we demonstrate how the strong binding characteristics of phosphonate ligands can be coupled with sterically hindered carboxylate groups to influence the symmetry of Mn coordination clusters. We describe the structure of two high-nuclearity Mn coordination cages, {Mn12} and {Mn15}, synthesized using this approach. These cages are structurally related to the truncated tetrahedral geometry and adopt rare topological features of Archimedean and Johnson-type solids. Their structural attributes distinctively influence their magnetic properties and electrocatalytic H2O oxidation characteristics.

Flexible Metal-Organic Frameworks for Light-Switchable CO2 Sorption Using an Auxiliary Ligand Strategy.

We report the synthesis and characterization of two photoactive metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), TCM-14 and TCM-15. The compounds were synthesized by incorporating 4,4'-azopyridine auxiliary ligands into pto-type scaffolds that are composed of dinuclear copper(II) "paddle-wheel"-based secondary building units and flexible, acetylene-extended, tritopic benzoate linkers. Room temperature CO2 sorption of the MOFs was studied, and UV-light irradiation is shown to result in reduced CO2 adsorption under static conditions. TCM-15 reveals a dynamic response leading to an instant desorption of up to 20% of CO2 upon incidence of UV light because of the occurrence of nonperiodic structural changes. Physicochemical and computational density functional theory studies were carried out to gain insight into the mechanism of the interaction of light with the frameworks.

Layered CeSO and LiCeSO Oxide Chalcogenides Obtained via Topotactic Oxidative and Reductive Transformations.

The chemical accessibility of the CeIV oxidation state enables redox chemistry to be performed on the naturally coinage-metal-deficient phases CeM1- xSO (M = Cu, Ag). A metastable black compound with the PbFCl structure type (space group P4/ nmm: a = 3.8396(1) Å, c = 6.607(4) Å, V = 97.40(6) Å3) and a composition approaching CeSO is obtained by deintercalation of Ag from CeAg0.8SO. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals the presence of large defect-free regions in CeSO, but stacking faults are also evident which can be incorporated into a quantitative model to account for the severe peak anisotropy evident in all the high-resolution X-ray and neutron diffractograms of bulk CeSO samples; these suggest that a few percent of residual Ag remains. A straw-colored compound with the filled PbFCl (i.e., ZrSiCuAs- or HfCuSi2-type) structure (space group P4/ nmm: a = 3.98171(1) Å, c = 8.70913(5) Å, V = 138.075(1) Å3) and a composition close to LiCeSO, but with small amounts of residual Ag, is obtained by direct reductive lithiation of CeAg0.8SO or by insertion of Li into CeSO using chemical or electrochemical means. Computation of the band structure of pure, stoichiometric CeSO predicts it to be a Ce4+ compound with the 4f-states lying approximately 1 eV above the sulfide-dominated valence band maximum. Accordingly, the effective magnetic moment per Ce ion measured in the CeSO samples is much reduced from the value found for the Ce3+-containing LiCeSO, and the residual paramagnetism corresponds to the Ce3+ ions remaining due to the presence of residual Ag, which presumably reflects the difficulty of stabilizing Ce4+ in the presence of sulfide (S2-). Comparison of the behavior of CeCu0.8SO with that of CeAg0.8SO reveals much slower reaction kinetics associated with the Cu1- xS layers, and this enables intermediate CeCu1- xLi xSO phases to be isolated.

Defects in orthorhombic LaMnO3 - ionic versus electronic compensation.

The ionic and electronic conductivity of orthorhombic LaMnO3 can be modified by introducing lower valence dopants at both the La and Mn sites. Alkaline earth doped perovskites, such as LaMnO3, have a variety of applications in catalysis, for nitrogen storage and reduction, and oxidation of volatile organic compounds, and as the oxygen electrode in solid oxide fuel cells. Here, we investigate doping with the divalent alkaline earth metals Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba, and the charge compensation mechanism. The energies of formation of isolated defects and clustered pairs were investigated at both La and Mn sites to establish the most probable site at which they will be introduced. The charge compensation mechanism for the introduction of alkaline earth dopants was examined by considering both ionic (formation of an oxygen vacancy for every two alkaline earth dopants introduced) and electronic compensation (a hole localised at the Mn site for each dopant introduced). Larger cations (Ca, Sr and Ba) were found to have lower defect formation energies when introduced at the La site, while the smaller Mg defect had lower formation energies when introduced to the Mn site. For all defects introduced, electronic compensation for the defect was found to be more energetically favourable, which will result in improved electronic conductivity of the material.

Modelling oxygen defects in orthorhombic LaMnO3 and its low index surfaces.

LaMnO3-based perovskites, which have been extensively studied as cathodes for high temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), are also of interest for intermediate temperature SOFCs (T = 600-1000 K). Oxygen vacancy formation is required in LaMnO3 for oxygen diffusion, therefore a low vacancy formation energy is preferable. The stability of the low index surfaces of orthorhombic LaMnO3 has been investigated, with the {010} surface found to be the most stable. Surface stability was found to be affected by the La and Mn coordination, and the Mn-O bonds cleaved on surface formation. The crystal morphology has been predicted, in order to determine the most likely terminations to be present. The formation of oxygen vacancies in bulk LaMnO3 and at all of its low index surfaces has been examined, and it has been found that formation of vacancies in the bulk has a high energy, while there is a large variation in formation energies at the low index surfaces, which is likely to lead to segregation of vacancies to the surface of orthorhombic LaMnO3.

Band alignment of rutile and anatase TiO2.

The most widely used oxide for photocatalytic applications owing to its low cost and high activity is TiO2. The discovery of the photolysis of water on the surface of TiO2 in 1972 launched four decades of intensive research into the underlying chemical and physical processes involved. Despite much collected evidence, a thoroughly convincing explanation of why mixed-phase samples of anatase and rutile outperform the individual polymorphs has remained elusive. One long-standing controversy is the energetic alignment of the band edges of the rutile and anatase polymorphs of TiO2 (ref. ). We demonstrate, through a combination of state-of-the-art materials simulation techniques and X-ray photoemission experiments, that a type-II, staggered, band alignment of ~ 0.4 eV exists between anatase and rutile with anatase possessing the higher electron affinity, or work function. Our results help to explain the robust separation of photoexcited charge carriers between the two phases and highlight a route to improved photocatalysts.

Occupation matrix control of d- and f-electron localisations using DFT + U.

The use of a density functional theory methodology with on-site corrections (DFT + U) has been repeatedly shown to give an improved description of localised d and f states over those predicted with a standard DFT approach. However, the localisation of electrons also carries with it the problem of metastability, due to the possible occupation of different orbitals and different locations. This study details the use of an occupation matrix control methodology for simulating localised d and f states with a plane-wave DFT + U approach which allows the user to control both the site and orbital localisation. This approach is tested for orbital occupation using octahedral and tetrahedral Ti(iii) and Ce(iii) carbonyl clusters and for orbital and site location using the periodic systems anatase-TiO2 and CeO2. The periodic cells are tested by the addition of an electron and through the formation of a neutral oxygen vacancy (leaving two electrons to localise). These test systems allow the successful study of orbital degeneracies, the presence of metastable states and the importance of controlling the site of localisation within the cell, and it highlights the use an occupation matrix control methodology can have in electronic structure calculations.

Ceria co-doping: synergistic or average effect?

Ceria (CeO2) co-doping has been suggested as a means to achieve ionic conductivities that are significantly higher than those in singly doped systems. Rekindled interest in this topic over the last decade has given rise to claims of much improved performance. The present study makes use of computer simulations to investigate the bulk ionic conductivity of rare earth (RE) doped ceria, where RE = Sc, Gd, Sm, Nd and La. The results from the singly doped systems are compared to those from ceria co-doped with Nd/Sm and Sc/La. The pattern that emerges from the conductivity data is consistent with the dominance of local lattice strains from individual defects, rather than the synergistic co-doping effect reported recently, and as a result, no enhancement in the conductivity of co-doped samples is observed.

Cu3MCh3 (M = Sb, Bi; Ch = S, Se) as candidate solar cell absorbers: insights from theory.

As the thin film photovoltaic sector continues to expand, there is an emerging need to base these technologies on abundant, low cost materials in place of the expensive, rare, or toxic elements such as Te, In, or Cd that currently constitute the industry standards. To this end, the geometric and electronic structure of four materials comprising low cost, earth abundant elements (Cu3SbS3, Cu3SbSe3, Cu3BiS3, and Cu3BiSe3) are investigated with the screened hybrid exchange-correlation functional HSE06 and their candidacy for use as absorber materials assessed. The materials are shown to exhibit low VBM effective masses, due partially to the presence of lone pairs that originate from the Sb and Bi states. Although all four materials possess indirect fundamental band gaps, calculated optical absorbance shows direct transitions close in energy. Optical band gaps within the visible-light spectrum are also predicted for three of the systems, (Cu3SbSe3, Cu3BiS3 and Cu3BiSe3) making them promising candidates for PV applications.

Size-dependent activity of carbon dots for photocatalytic H2 generation in combination with a molecular Ni cocatalyst.

Carbon dots (CDs) are low-cost light-absorbers in photocatalytic multicomponent systems, but their wide size distribution has hampered rational design and the identification of the factors that lead to their best performance. To address this challenge, we report herein the use of gel filtration size exclusion chromatography to separate amorphous, graphitic, and graphitic N-doped CDs depending on their lateral size to study the effect of their size on photocatalytic H2 evolution with a DuBois-type Ni cocatalyst. Transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering confirm the size-dependent separation of the CDs, whereas UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy of the more monodisperse fractions show a distinct response which computational modelling attributes to a complex interplay between CD size and optical properties. A size-dependent effect on the photocatalytic H2 evolution performance of the CDs in combination with a molecular Ni cocatalyst is demonstrated with a maximum activity at approximately 2-3 nm CD diameter. Overall, size separation leads to a two-fold increase in the specific photocatalytic activity for H2 evolution using the monodisperse CDs compared to the as synthesized polydisperse samples, highlighting the size-dependent effect on photocatalytic performance.

Charge localization increases chemical expansion in cerium-based oxides.

In this work, we demonstrate the mechanism by which electronic charge localization increases the chemical expansion coefficient in two model systems, CeO(2-δ) and BaCeO(3-δ). Using Density Functional Theory calculations, we predict that this coefficient is increased by more than 70% when charge is fully localized, consistent with the observation that materials with a smaller degree of charge localization have smaller chemical expansion coefficients. This finding has important consequences for devising materials with smaller chemical expansion coefficients and for the reliability of the widely-used Shannon's ionic radii.

Stereochemistry of post-transition metal oxides: revision of the classical lone pair model.

The chemistry of post transition metals is dominated by the group oxidation state N and a lower N-2 oxidation state, which is associated with occupation of a metal s(2) lone pair, as found in compounds of Tl(I), Pb(II) and Bi(III). The preference of these cations for non-centrosymmetric coordination environments has previously been rationalised in terms of direct hybridisation of metal s and p valence orbitals, thus lowering the internal electronic energy of the N-2 ion. This explanation in terms of an on-site second-order Jahn-Teller effect remains the contemporary textbook explanation. In this tutorial review, we review recent progress in this area, based on quantum chemical calculations and X-ray spectroscopic measurements. This recent work has led to a revised model, which highlights the important role of covalent interaction with oxygen in mediating lone pair formation for metal oxides. The role of the anion p atomic orbital in chemical bonding is key to explaining why chalcogenides display a weaker preference for structural distortions in comparison to oxides and halides. The underlying chemical interactions are responsible for the unique physicochemical properties of oxides containing lone pairs and, in particular, to their application as photocatalysts (BiVO(4)), ferroelectrics (PbTiO(3)), multi-ferroics (BiFeO(3)) and p-type semiconductors (SnO). The exploration of lone pair systems remains a viable a venue for the design of functional multi-component oxide compounds.

Sources of conductivity and doping limits in CdO from hybrid density functional theory.

CdO has been studied for decades as a prototypical wide band gap transparent conducting oxide with excellent n-type ability. Despite this, uncertainty remains over the source of conductivity in CdO and over the lack of p-type CdO, despite its valence band maximum (VBM) being high with respect to other wide band gap oxides. In this article, we use screened hybrid DFT to study intrinsic defects and hydrogen impurities in CdO and identify for the first time the source of charge carriers in this system. We explain why the oxygen vacancy in CdO acts as a shallow donor and does not display negative-U behavior similar to all other wide band gap n-type oxides. We also demonstrate that p-type CdO is not achievable, as n-type defects dominate under all growth conditions. Lastly, we estimate theoretical doping limits and explain why CdO can be made transparent by a large Moss-Burstein shift caused by suitable n-type doping.

A comparative picosecond transient infrared study of 1-methylcytosine and 5'-dCMP that sheds further light on the excited states of cytosine derivatives.

The role of N1-substitution in controlling the deactivation processes in photoexcited cytosine derivatives has been explored using picosecond time-resolved IR spectroscopy. The simplest N1-substituted derivative, 1-methylcytosine, exhibits relaxation dynamics similar to the cytosine nucleobase and distinct from the biologically relevant nucleotide and nucleoside analogues, which have longer-lived excited-state intermediates. It is suggested that this is the case because the sugar group either facilitates access to the long-lived (1)n(O)π* state or retards its crossover to the ground state.

Uncovering the complex behavior of hydrogen in Cu2O.

The behavior of hydrogen in p-type Cu(2)O has been reported to be quite unusual. Muon experiments have been unable to ascertain the preferential hydrogen site within the Cu(2)O lattice, and indicate that hydrogen causes an electrically active level near the middle of the band gap, whose nature, whether accepting or donating, is not known. In this Letter, we use screened hybrid-density-functional theory to study the nature of hydrogen in Cu(2)O, and identify for the first time the "quasiatomic" site adopted by hydrogen in Cu(2)O. We show that hydrogen will always act as a hole killer in p-type Cu(2)O, and is one likely cause of the low performance of Cu(2)O solar cell devices.

Nature of the band gap and origin of the conductivity of PbO2 revealed by theory and experiment.

Lead dioxide has been used for over a century in the lead-acid battery. Many fundamental questions concerning PbO2 remain unanswered, principally: (i) is the bulk material a metal or a semiconductor, and (ii) what is the source of the high levels of conductivity? We calculate the electronic structure and defect physics of PbO2, using a hybrid density functional, and show that it is an n-type semiconductor with a small indirect band gap of ∼0.2 eV. The origin of electron carriers in the undoped material is found to be oxygen vacancies, which forms a donor state resonant in the conduction band. A dipole-forbidden band gap combined with a large carrier induced Moss-Burstein shift results in a large effective optical band gap. The model is supported by neutron diffraction, which reveals that the oxygen sublattice is only 98.4% occupied, thus confirming oxygen substoichiometry as the electron source.

Band gap anomalies of the ZnM2(III)O4 (M(III)=Co, Rh, Ir) spinels.

Development of high figure-of-merit p-type transparent conducting oxides has become a global research goal. ZnM(2)(III)O(4) (M(III) = Co, Rh, Ir) spinels have been identified as potential p-type materials, with ZnIr(2)O(4) reported to be a transparent conducting oxide. In this article the geometry and electronic structure of ZnM(2)(III)O(4) are studied using the Perdew-Purke-Ernzerhof generalized gradient approximation (PBE-GGA) to density functional theory and a hybrid density functional, HSE06. The valence band features of all the spinels indicate that they are not conducive to high p-type ability, as there is insufficient dispersion at the valence band maxima. The trend of increasing band-gap as the atomic number of the M(III) cation increases, as postulated from ligand field theory, is not reproduced by either level of theory, and indeed is not seen experimentally in the literature. GGA underestimates the band-gaps of these materials, while HSE06 severely overestimates the band-gaps. The underestimation (overestimation) of the band-gaps by GGA (HSE06) and the reported transparency of ZnIr(2)O(4) is discussed.

The origin of the enhanced oxygen storage capacity of Ce(1-x)(Pd/Pt)(x)O2.

Doping CeO(2) with Pd or Pt increases the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) and catalytic activity of this environmentally important material. To date, however, an understanding of the mechanism underlying this improvement has been lacking. We present a density functional theory analysis of Pd- and Pt-doped CeO(2), and demonstrate that the increased OSC is due to a large displacement of the dopant ions from the Ce lattice site. Pd(II)/Pt(II) (in a d(8) configuration) moves by ∼1.2 Što adopt a square-planar coordination due to crystal field effects. This leaves three three-coordinate oxygen atoms that are easier to remove, and which are the source of the increased OSC. These results highlight the importance of rationalizing the preferred coordination environments of both dopants and host cations when choosing suitable dopants for next generation catalysts.

Validation of all-atom phosphatidylcholine lipid force fields in the tensionless NPT ensemble.

A recently defined charge set, to be used in conjunction with the all-atom CHARMM27r force field, has been validated for a series of phosphatidylcholine lipids. The work of Sonne et al. successfully replicated experimental bulk membrane behaviour for dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) under the isothermal-isobaric (NPT) ensemble. Previous studies using the defined CHARMM27r charge set have resulted in lateral membrane contraction when used in the tensionless NPT ensemble, forcing the lipids to adopt a more ordered conformation than predicted experimentally. The current study has extended the newly defined charge set to 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) and 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (PDPC). Molecular dynamics simulations were run for each of the lipids (including DPPC) using both the CHARMM27r charge set and the newly defined modified charge set. In all three cases a significant improvement was seen in both bulk membrane properties and individual atomistic effects. Membrane width, area per lipid and the depth of water penetration were all seen to converge to experimental values. Deuterium order parameters generated with the new charge set showed increased disorder across the width of the bilayer and reflected both results from experiment and similar simulations run with united atom models. These newly validated models can now find use in mixed biological simulations under the tensionless ensemble without concern for lateral contraction.

Understanding conductivity anomalies in Cu(I)-based delafossite transparent conducting oxides: Theoretical insights.

The Cu(I)-based delafossite structure, Cu(I)M(III)O(2), can accommodate a wide range of rare earth and transition metal cations on the M(III) site. Substitutional doping of divalent ions for these trivalent metals is known to produce higher p-type conductivity than that occurring in the undoped materials. However, an explanation of the conductivity anomalies observed in these p-type materials, as the trivalent metal is varied, is still lacking. In this article, we examine the electronic structure of Cu(I)M(III)O(2) (M(III)=Al,Cr,Sc,Y) using density functional theory corrected for on-site Coulomb interactions in strongly correlated systems (GGA+U) and discuss the unusual experimental trends. The importance of covalent interactions between the M(III) cation and oxygen for improving conductivity in the delafossite structure is highlighted, with the covalency trends found to perfectly match the conductivity trends. We also show that calculating the natural band offsets and the effective masses of the valence band maxima is not an ideal method to classify the conduction properties of these ternary materials.