Half-metallicity of graphene nanoribbons and related systems: a new quantum mechanical El Dorado for nanotechnologies... or a hype for materials scientists?

In this work we discuss in some computational and analytical details the issue of half-metallicity in zig-zag graphene nanoribbons and nanoislands of finite width, i.e. the coexistence of metallic nature for electrons with one spin orientation and insulating nature for the electrons of opposite spin, which has been recently predicted from so-called first-principle calculations employing Density Functional Theory. It is mathematically demonstrated and computationally verified that, within the framework of non-relativistic and time-independent quantum mechanics, like the size-extensive spin-contamination to which it relates, half-metallicity is nothing else than a methodological artefact, due to a too approximate treatment of electron correlation in the electronic ground state.

Effect of structural defects and chemical functionalisation on the intrinsic mechanical properties of graphene.

Due to its unique mechanical properties, graphene can be applied for reinforcement in nanocomposites. We analyse the Young's modulus of graphene at the semi-empirical PM6 level of theory. The internal forces are calculated and the Young's modulus is predicted for a finite graphene sheet when external strain is applied on the system. These results are in a good agreement with theoretical and experimental results from the literature giving values of about 1 TPa for the Young's modulus. Stress-strain curves are computed for elongation up to 20%. In addition, the influence of the presence of a single vacancy, as well as for oxygenation of a vacancy, on the mechanical properties of graphene has been analysed. Our results indicate that when applying the deformation locally onto the system, higher local stress can be induced, as confirmed by Finite Element Analysis. Also, the presence of structural defects in the system will stiffen the system upon low strain, but reduces the elastic limit from more than 20% strain for pristine graphene to less than 10% strain when defects are present.

Focal point analysis of the singlet-triplet energy gap of octacene and larger acenes.

A benchmark theoretical study of the electronic ground state and of the vertical and adiabatic singlet-triplet (ST) excitation energies of n-acenes (C(4n+2)H(2n+4)) ranging from octacene (n = 8) to undecacene (n = 11) is presented. The T1 diagnostics of coupled cluster theory and further energy-based criteria demonstrate that all investigated systems exhibit predominantly a (1)A(g) singlet closed-shell electronic ground state. Singlet-triplet (S(0)-T(1)) energy gaps can therefore be very accurately determined by applying the principle of a focal point analysis (FPA) onto the results of a series of single-point and symmetry-restricted calculations employing correlation consistent cc-pVXZ basis sets (X = D, T, Q, 5) and single-reference methods [HF, MP2, MP3, MP4SDQ, CCSD, and CCSD(T)] of improving quality. According to our best estimates, which amount to a dual extrapolation of energy differences to the level of coupled cluster theory including single, double, and perturbative estimates of connected triple excitations [CCSD(T)] in the limit of an asymptotically complete basis set (cc-pV∞Z), the S(0)-T(1) vertical (adiabatic) excitation energies of these compounds amount to 13.40 (8.21), 10.72 (6.05), 8.05 (3.67), and 7.10 (2.58) kcal/mol, respectively. In line with the absence of Peierls distortions (bond length alternations), extrapolations of results obtained at this level for benzene (n = 1) and all studied n-acenes so far (n = 2-11) indicate a vanishing S(0)-T(1) energy gap, in the limit of an infinitely large polyacene, within an uncertainty of 1.5 kcal/mol (0.06 eV). Lacking experimental values for the S(0)-T(1) energy gaps of n-acenes larger than hexacene, comparison is made with recent optical and electrochemical determinations of the HOMO-LUMO band gap. Further issues such as scalar relativistic, core correlation, and diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections (DBOCs) are tentatively examined.

Bonding in negative ions: the role of d orbitals in the heavy analogues of pyridine and furan radical anions.

We have used a potential wall method to investigate the role of d orbitals in the a(2) singly-occupied molecular orbitals of (2)A(2) negative ion states of two molecular series: pyridine, phosphabenzene, arsabenzene, stibabenzene (C(5)H(5)X, X = {N, P, As, Sb}), and furan, thiophene, selenophene, tellurophene (C(4)H(4)X, X = {O, S, Se, Te}). Unlike for the lower lying doubly occupied orbitals, heteroatom d-carbon p in-phase (bonding) interactions in these a(2) orbitals are clearly identified and explain the 0.5 eV stabilization of the (2)A(2) radical anion state in those compounds where the heteroatoms have d orbitals in the valence shell, compared to compounds where d orbitals are missing in the valence shell of the heteroatoms. The performance of both the potential wall approach and the approximate expression of Tozer and De Proft for calculating negative electron affinities has been also investigated, through a comparison with results obtained using electron-transmission spectroscopy experiments.

Electron momentum spectroscopy of norbornadiene at the benchmark ADC(3) level.

An extensive study, throughout the valence region, of the electronic structure, ionization spectrum, and electron momentum distributions of norbornadiene is presented, on the ground of accurate calculations of valence one-electron and shake-up ionization energies and of the related Dyson orbitals, using one-particle Green's function (1p-GF) theory in conjunction with the so-called third-order algebraic diagrammatic construction scheme [ADC(3)]. Comparison is made with results obtained from standard (B3LYP) Kohn-Sham orbitals and measurements employing electron momentum spectroscopy, taking into account the contamination of inner- and outer-valence spectral bands by numerous shake-up states. Four relatively intense shake-up lines at 12.1, 16.4, 17.6, and 17.8 eV are found to yield recognizable spectral fingerprints in the EMS experiments. Valence bands at electron binding energies larger than 20 eV are subject to a complete breakdown of the orbital picture of ionization.

Dimerisation of nitrile oxides: a quantum-chemical study.

The [3 + 2] and [3 + 3] cyclodimerisation processes of small nitrile oxides, XCNO (X = F, Cl, Br, CN, CH(3)) are investigated by ab initio coupled cluster theory at the CCSD, CCSD(T) and MR-AQCC levels for the first time. The favoured dimerisation process is a multi-step reaction to furoxans (1,2,5-oxadiazole-2-oxides) involving dinitrosoalkene-like intermediates with diradical character. The rate determining step for all but the F-species is the first, corresponding to the C-C bond formation. The kinetic energy barrier depends on the nature of the substituent X, generally increasing with decreasing electronegativity and increasing pi-donor ability of the substituent: F (DeltaG(298) = 0 kJ mol(-1)) < Cl (72) < Br (90) < CH(3) (104) < CN (114) (MR-AQCC(2,2)//UB3LYP/cc-pVTZ). Following initial C-C bond formation, three possible dinitrosoethylene diradical pathways are explored. Two of them are new, and one of them is a low-energy three-step path with implications for cycloreversion, tautomerism and detection of dinitrosoethylene intermediates. Alternative one-step, concerted [3 + 2] and [3 + 3] cyclodimerisation processes leading to 1,2,4-oxadiazole-4-oxides and 1,4,2,5-dioxadiazines have kinetic energy barriers around 100-240 kJ mol(-1) (CCSD//B3LYP), some 1.6 to 2.5 times higher than those leading to furoxans, supporting the experimental observations of furoxan formation as nitrile oxide loss channels during storage, trapping/re-vaporisation and reactions of nitrile oxides. Potential polymerisation initiation processes for NCCNO, involving the 1,2-dipolar NC substituent are also explored.

Probing nuclear dynamics in momentum space: a new interpretation of (e, 2e) electron impact ionization experiments on ethanol.

Calculations of electron momentum distributions for equilibrium geometries, employing advanced Dyson orbital theories and statistical thermodynamics beyond the RRHO approximation, fail to quantitatively reproduce the outermost momentum distribution profile inferred from (e, 2e) electron impact ionization experiments on ethanol employing high-resolution electron momentum spectroscopy. A very detailed study of the influence on this momentum distribution of nuclear dynamics in the initial ground state and in the final ionized state is presented according to a thermal averaging over exceedingly large sets of model structures as well as Born-Oppenheimer molecular dynamical simulations on the potential energy surface of the radical cation. Our results give very convincing albeit qualitative indications that the strong turn-up of the (e, 2e) ionization intensities characterizing the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of ethanol at low electron momenta is the combined result of (1) the extraordinarily flat nature of the conformational energy map of ethanol, which enables significant departures from energy minima in the ground electronic state, (2) strong anomeric interactions between an oxygen lone pair and the central C-C bond for the minor but significant fraction of conformers exhibiting a hydroxyl torsion angle (alpha) at around 90 degrees, and, last but not least, (3) the possibility to observe with this minor conformer fraction ultrafast and highly significant extensions of the central C-C bond, resulting, in turn, in an enhanced delocalization of the HOMO from the oxygen lone pair region onto the methyl group, immediately after the sudden removal of an electron. This charge transfer appears to occur at the very first stages, that is, within an effective time scale on the order of approximately 10 fs, of an ultrafast dissociation of the ethanol radical cation into a methyl radical and a protonated form of formaldehyde.

Synthesis, spectroscopy and structure of the parent furoxan (HCNO)2.

The parent furoxan (1,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide), synthesized from glyoxime and NO(2)(g), has been investigated in the gas phase for the first time by mid-infrared and He I photoelectron spectroscopy, and in the liquid phase by Raman spectroscopy. The ground-state geometry has been obtained from quantum-chemical calculations at the B3LYP, MPn (n = 2-4), CISD, QCISD, CCSD, CCSD(T), RSPTn (n = 2,3), MRCI, and MR-AQCC levels using 6-311++G(2d,2p), cc-pVTZ, aug-cc-pVTZ, cc-pCVTZ, and cc-pVQZ basis sets. Furoxan is predicted to be planar, with a strong exocyclic and a relatively weak endocyclic N-O bond. The furoxan moiety is electron rich, indicated e.g. by a large negative NPA charge (-0.46 e). According to various aromaticity indices, furoxan is nearly as aromatic as furan and furazan. Unlike alkyl- and cyano-substituted furoxans, the parent furoxan, upon thermolysis, does not cleave to the monomer nitrile oxide, yielding only HNCO, HCN, CO(2), CO, NO, and H(2)O decomposition products.

Benchmark Dyson orbital study of the ionization spectrum and electron momentum distributions of ethanol in conformational equilibrium.

An extensive study, throughout the valence region, of the electronic structure, ionization spectrum, and electron momentum distributions of ethanol is presented, on the ground of a model that focuses on a mixture of the gauche and anti conformers in their energy minimum form, using weight coefficients obtained from thermostatistical calculations that account for the influence of hindered rotations. The analysis is based on accurate calculations of valence one-electron and shakeup ionization energies and of the related Dyson orbitals, using one-particle Green's Function (1p-GF) theory in conjunction with the so-called third-order Algebraic Diagrammatic Construction scheme [ADC(3)]. The confrontation against available UPS (HeI) measurements indicates the presence in the spectral bands of significant conformational fingerprints at outer-valence ionization energies ranging from approximately 14 to approximately 18 eV. The shakeup onset is located at approximately 24 eV, and a shoulder at approximately 14.5 eV in the He I spectrum can be specifically ascribed to the minor anti (C(s)) conformer fraction. Thermally and spherically averaged Dyson orbital momentum distributions are computed for seven resolvable bands in model (e, 2e) ionization spectra at an electron impact energy of 1.2 keV. A comparison is made with results obtained from standard (B3LYP) Kohn-Sham orbitals and EMS measurements employing a high-resolution spectrometer of the third generation. The analysis is qualitatively in line with experiment and reveals a tremendously strong influence of the molecular conformation on the outermost electron momentum distributions. Quantitatively significant discrepancies with experiment can nonetheless be tentatively ascribed to strong dynamical disorder in the gas phase molecular structure.

Theoretical study of the fragmentation pathways of norbornane in its doubly ionized ground state.

The potential energy surface of norbornane in its dicationic singlet ground state has been investigated in detail using density functional theory along with the nonlocal hybrid and gradient-corrected Becke three-parameter Lee-Yang-Parr functional (B3LYP) and the cc-pVDZ basis set. For the sake of more quantitative insight into the chemical reactions induced by double ionization of norbornane, this study was supplemented by a calculation of basic thermodynamic state functions coupled to a focal point analysis of energy differences obtained using correlation treatments and basis sets of improving quality, enabling an extrapolation of these energy differences at the CCSD(T) level in the limit of an asymptotically complete (cc-pV infinity Z) basis set. Our results demonstrate the likelihood of an ultrafast intramolecular rearrangement of the saturated hydrocarbon cage after a sudden removal of two electrons into a kinetically metastable five-membered cyclic C5H8+-CH+-CH3 intermediate, prior to a Coulomb explosion into C5H7+=CH2 and CH3+ fragments, which might explain a tremendous rise of electron-impact (e, 2e) ionization cross sections at electron binding energies around the double-ionization threshold. The first step is straightforward and strongly exothermic (DeltaH298 = -114.0 kcal mol-1). The second step is also exothermic (DeltaH298 = -10.2 kcal mol-1) but requires an activation enthalpy (DeltaH298) of 39.7 kcal/mol. The various factors governing the structure of this intermediate, such as electrostatic interactions, inductive effects, cyclic strains, and methylenic hyperconjugation interactions, are discussed in detail.

Aromaticity of giant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with hollow sites: super ring currents in super-rings.

We present a systematic theoretical study based on semi-empirical, Hartree-Fock (HF), and density functional theory (DFT) models of a series of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that exhibit hollow sites. In this study we focus particularly on the magnetic criteria of aromaticity, namely (1)H NMR and nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS), and on their relationships with other electronic properties. The computed shifts and NICS indices indicate that an external magnetic field induces exceptionally strong ring currents in even-layered PAH doughnuts, in particular in the layer directly adjacent to the central hole of double-layered compounds. These exceptionally strong ring currents also correlate with particularly small HOMO-LUMO gaps and electronic excitation energies and to abnormally high polarizabilities, indicating in turn that these compounds have a more pronounced metallic character. Comparison is made with further depictions of aromaticity in these systems and in [18]-[66]annulene rings by employing topological, structural, and energetic criteria.

The mechanism of 1,2-addition of disilene and silene: hydrogen halide addition.

The mechanism of 1,2-addition reactions of HF and HCl to Si=Si, Si=C, and C=C bonds has been investigated by ab initio quantum chemical methods. Geometries and relative energies of the stationary points and all the transition states were determined by using the MP2/6-311++G(d,p), B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p), and CBS-Q levels of theory. The investigated reactions can be characterized by two main thermodynamic profiles. The type in which the reagent molecule attacks a carbon atom is moderately exothermic with a high activation barrier. The second type in which a hydrogen halide attacks a silicon is strongly exothermic with a low activation energy. At the early stage of all the reactions a weakly bonded initial complex is found which indicates that the initial step of all the reactions is an electrophilic attack of hydrogen halide. The geometry and charge distribution of the transition state of the reactions indicate two main types of mechanism. If silicon is attacked, the halogen-silicon bond formation precedes the H-Y bond breaking. If, however, carbon is attacked, the first step is always an ionic dissociation of the hydrogen halide and a carbenium ion formation, which is stabilized by the C-Y bond formation in the final step of the reaction. The reaction diagrams and proposed mechanisms explain the experimentally found regioselectivity well.