Chemistry Commons^™

Organic Photovoltaics: A Charge Transfer Perspective In The Study Of Donor-Acceptor Systems, Marco Olguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The present research involves the study of donor-acceptor (D/A) dyad complexes from a charge transfer energy perspective. The aim is to provide insight and predictive understanding into the charge transfer processes of the molecular-level components in donor-acceptor based organic solar cells using computational methods to describe photochemical processes at the quantum mechanical level within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) approximation. Predictive understanding is anchored in reproducing experimental results, wherein the present work a perturbative excited-state DFT method is described in detail and shown to give Charge Transfer (CT) energies in excellent agreement with benchmark experimental data. With an accurate excited …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Environmentally Persistent Free Radicals (Epfrs) Formation, Lucy W. Kiruri

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first part of the thesis investigates the use of theoretical quantum calculations for the study of EPFRs as the initial and fundamental step in the formation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran. The computational model comprised of density functionals (B3LYP, PBE1PBE, and M06) and two types of basis set namely: LANL2DZ for all atoms and GEN (LANL2DZ for metals and aug-cc-pVDZ for non-metals). Full mechanisms of EPFRs formation over (CuO)1-8, and aluminum oxide clusters were studied. The most stable intermediates and products have been determined and compared to available experimental data. In case of (CuO)1-8 clusters, the small clusters are …

The Golden Pathway To Thiolate-Stabilized Nanoparticles: Following The Formation Of Gold (I) Thiolate From Gold (Iii) Chloride, Brian M. Barngrover, Christine M. Aikens

Faculty Publications

Pathways for the formation of gold thiolate complexes from gold(III) chloride precursors AuCl₄^– and AuCl₃ are examined. This work demonstrates that two distinct reaction pathways are possible; which pathway is accessible in a given reaction may depend on factors such as the residue group R on the incoming thiol. Density functional theory calculations using the BP86 functional and a polarized triple-ζ basis set show that the pathway resulting in gold(III) reduction is favored for R = methyl. A two-to-one ratio of thiol or thiolate to gold can reduce Au(III) to Au(I), and a three-to-one ratio can lead …

A Dft Study On The Structural And Optical Properties And Cation Selectivities Of Some Metal-Coumarin-Crown Ether Complexes, Emi̇ne Esra Kasapbaşi, Mi̇ne Yurtsever

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

Macrocyclic ethers are well-known molecules because of their high cation-binding capacities. They form stable complexes with alkaline and soil alkaline metals through strong oxygen bridges in solution. For enhanced optical properties, a new series of crown ethers was synthesized with a coumarin ring fused to it. The effects of the position of the coumarin ring, the type of the substituent on the coumarin ring, and the size of the crown on the optical properties of the material were studied according to the density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-31g(d) level of theory in the gas phase as well as …

Density Functional Theory Study On The Electronic Structure Of N- And P-Type Doped Srtio3 At Anodic Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Conditions, Suwit Suthirakun, Salai Cheettu Ammal, Guoliang Xiao, Fanglin Chen, Andreas Heyden, Hans-Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

The electronic conductivity and thermodynamic stability of mixed n-type and p-type doped SrTiO₃ have been investigated at anodic solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) conditions using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. In particular, constrained ab initio thermodynamic calculations have been performed to evaluate the phase stability and reducibility of various Nb- and Ga-doped SrTiO₃ at synthesized and anodic SOFC conditions. The density of states (DOS) of these materials was analyzed to study the effects of n- and p-doping on the electronic conductivity. In agreement with experimental observations, we find that the transformation from 20% Nb-doped Sr-deficient SrTiO …

Examination Of 4he Droplets And Droplets Containing Impurities At Zero Kelvin Using A Density Functional Approach, Ellen Brown

Masters Theses

Abstract

Detailed in this manuscript is a methodology to model ground state properties of ⁴He droplets at zero pressure and zero Kelvin using a density functional theory of liquid helium. The density functional approach examined here consists of two noted functionals from the literature and corresponding mean field definitions. A mean field and trial density are defined for each system and optimized to self-consistency using a matrix diagonalization technique. Initial calculations of planar slabs are performed and demonstrate reasonable agreement with experiment and with prior studies using density functional theory. Quantum properties of droplets and droplets containing atomic dopants …

Incremental Binding Energies Of Gold (I) And Silver (I) Thiolate Clusters, Brian M. Barngrover, Christine M. Aikens

Faculty Publications

Density functional theory is used to find incremental fragmentation energy, overall dissociation energy, and average monomer fragmentation energy of cyclic gold(I) thiolate clusters and anionic chain structures of gold(I) and silver(I) thiolate clusters as a measure of the relative stability of these systems. Two different functionals, BP86 and PBE, and two different basis sets, TZP and QZ4P, are employed. Anionic chains are examined with various residue groups including hydrogen, methyl, and phenyl. Hydrogen and methyl are shown to have approximately the same binding energy, which is higher than phenyl. Gold–thiolate clusters are bound more strongly than corresponding silver clusters. Lastly, …

Electron And Hydride Addition To Gold (I) Thiolate Oligomers: Implications For Gold–Thiolate Nanoparticle Growth Mechanisms, Brian M. Barngrover, Christine M. Aikens

Faculty Publications

Electron and hydride addition to Au(I):SR oligomers is investigated using density functional theory. Cyclic and chain-like clusters are examined in this work. Dissociation to Au^– ions and Au_n(SR)_n+1^– chains is observed after 2–4 electrons are added to these systems. The free thiolate (SR^–) is rarely produced in this work; dissociation of Au^– is preferred over dissociation of SR^–. Electron affinities calculated in gas phase, toluene, and water suggest that the electron addition process is unlikely, although it may be possible in polar solvents. In contrast, hydride addition to Au(I):SR …

Reduction Of Benzylidene Dibenzo[ A, D ]Cycloheptenes: Over-Reduction Of Antiaromatic Dianions To Aromatic Tetraanions, Blakely Tresca, Macdonald Higbee, Nancy S. Mills

Chemistry Faculty Research

The antiaromaticity of a series of dianions of p-substituted benzylidene dibenzo[a,d]cycloheptenes was examined through calculated measures of antiaromaticity. The nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) and magnetic susceptibility exaltation both showed substantial antiaromatic character in the benzannulated tropylium anion. When the antiaromaticity was normalized for the area of the ring, these tropylium anions were shown to be among the most antiaromatic anions in the chemical literature. Attempts to make the dianion through reduction with lithium or potassium gave the tetraanion as the only species observable in the (1)H NMR spectrum. Quench of the reaction mixture with trimethylsilyl chloride or D(2)O confirmed the …

Enhanced Oxygen Activation Over Supported Bimetallic Au-Ni Catalysts, Bert D. Chandler, Cormac G. Long, John D. Gilbertson, Christopher J. Pursell, G. Vijayaraghavan, K. J. Stevenson

Chemistry Faculty Research

New bimetallic Ni-Au supported nanoparticle catalysts were prepared by using dendrimer templated nanoparticles. Amine-terminated generation 5 polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were anchored to a commercial silica with a siloxane linked anhydride. The dendrimer was then alkylated and used to template Ni-Au nanoparticles, which were subsequently extracted into organic solution as thiol monolayer protected clusters (MPCs). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicated bimetallic nanoparticles of about 2 nm in size. Nanoparticles were deposited onto P-25 TiO2, and the capping thiol ligands were removed under flowing H2. DRIFTS infrared spectra of adsorbed CO showed only Au on the catalyst …

Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy And Density Functional Theory Study Of Weak Interactions Of Metal Carbonyls And Organic Solvents, Carolyn Evans Sheffield

Theses and Dissertations

Pulsed laser flash photolysis of M(CO)6 (M = Cr, W) in cyclohexane with a small amount of benzene results in three sequential reactions. The first is the photodissociation of the parent to yield a M(CO)5:C6H12 complex, which takes place faster than the time resolution of our experiments. The second reaction is the replacement of the cyclohexane ligand with benzene to form a M(CO)5:C6H6 complex, in which benzene is coordinated to the metal via one side of the ring. This complex then falls apart in solution as M(CO)5 coordinates with a trace impurity in the solution that is likely water. Kinetic …

Structure–Mutagenicity Relationships And Energies Of 1-, And 2-Nitrotriphenylenes [Abstract], Kefa Karimu Onchoke

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Computational Studies Of The Properties Of Copper Oxide Clusters And The Reactions Of Phenol And Chlorinated Phenols With Copper Oxide Clusters, Gyun-Tack Bae

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

We used ab initio simulations and calculations to study the structures and stabilities of copper oxide clusters, CunOn (n=1-8) and CuOn (n=1-6). The lowest energy structures of neutral and charged copper oxide clusters were determined using primarily the B3LYP/LANL2DZ model chemistry. In CunOn clusters with n=1-8, a transition from planar to nonplanar geometries occurs at n=4. In CuOn clusters with n=1-6, all geometries of neutral, positively, and negatively charged clusters are planar or near planar structures. Selected electronic properties, including binding energies, ionization energies, and electronic affinities, were calculated and examined as a function of n. Stabilities were examined by …

Activation Of Light Alkanes On Pure And Fe And Al Doped Silica Clusters: A Density Functional And Oniom Study, Mehmet Ferdi̇ Fellah, Işik Önal

Turkish Journal of Chemistry

C-H bond activation was studied by use of density functional theory (DFT) and ONIOM calculations as implemented in Gaussian 2003 at the B3LYP level utilising 6-31G* as the basis set for Si, Al, and Fe atoms and 3-21G** as the basis set for O and H atoms. Relative energy profiles were determined for pure silica modeled by a Si_7O_{21} cluster and Fe and Al doped silica clusters via coordinate driving calculations. The activation barriers for C-H bond activation of methane and ethane decrease with the substitution of Fe on the silica surface, which theoretically demonstrates a favorable effect of Fe …

Structure And Vibrational Spectra Of Mononitrated Benzo [A] Pyrenes., Kefa Karimu Onchoke, Christopher M. Hadad, Prabir K. Dutta

Faculty Publications

The molecules benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and 1-, 3-, and 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (1-NBaP, 3-NBaP, 6-NBaP) are currently of significant interest due to their presence in respirable combustion exhaust particulates and their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Structure−function correlations as well as spectroscopic signatures for trace analysis are necessary for these benzo[a]pyrene derivatives. In this paper, detailed infrared and Raman spectroscopic data of BaP and its three mononitrated isomers are provided for the first time. By utilizing density functional theory (DFT, B3LYP method with 6-311+G** basis set), the molecular geometries and the vibrational spectra are calculated. Good agreement is …

Temperature Dependence Of The Double Layer Capacitance For The Restricted Primitive Model Of An Electrolyte Solution From A Density Functional Approach, Douglas Henderson, J. Reszko-Zygmunt, Stefan Sokolowski, Dezso Boda

Faculty Publications

We apply a different version of the density functional theory, given by Pizio, Patrykiejew, and Sokolowski [J. Chem. Phys. 121, 11957 (2004)], for a nonuniform restricted primitive model of an electrolyte solution to evaluate the temperature dependence of the capacitance of an electric double layer. We show that this theory is capable of reproducing the computer simulation data at a quantitative level. In particular, the reversal of the temperature dependence of the capacitance at low temperatures is predicted. This phenomenon has been difficult to predict from theory. Further, this theory also leads to an accurate description of the double layer …

Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory Investigation Of The Ground And Excited States Of Coumarins 102, 152, 153, And 343, Robert J. Cave, Edward W. Castner Jr.

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We present calculations of various properties of the ground and excited electronic states of coumarins 102, 152, 153, and 343. Using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), we examine the excitation energies to the S₁ and S₂ states, the ground and excited-state dipole moments, and the lowest ionization potentials of these coumarins. In the case of C153, we locate two distinct S₀ minima due to differing conformations of the julolidyl ring structure and compare properties for the syn and anti conformers. For C343, we examine the possibility of proton transfers in the ground …