Sharif Digital Repository

Based on the fact that the manipulation of fine nanoclusters calls for more precise modelling, the aim of this paper is to conduct an atomistic investigation for interaction analysis of particle-substrate system for pushing and positioning purposes. In the present research, 2D molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate such behaviours. Performing the planar simulations can provide a fairly acceptable qualitative tool for our purpose while the computation time is reduced extremely in comparison to 3D simulations. To perform this study, Nose-Hoover dynamics and Sutton-Chen interatomic potential will be used to investigate the behaviour of the aforementioned system. Pushing of... 

Silica gel-confined ionic liquid (IL) is a class of heterogeneous catalysts with broad catalytic applications. Leaching of the IL from the surface of the support is the major drawback of these catalysts, which reduce the catalyst efficiency during the chemical reactions. To investigate the effect of the hydrogen bonding on the leaching phenomena, the interaction between the 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium-based IL with various anions (Cl-, Br-, HSO4 -, NO3 -, BF 4 -, and PF6 -) and the surface of the silica gel were studied using density functional theory. Hence, a hydroxylated cage-like cluster of silica gel, Si4O6(OH), was selected to mimic the surface. The values of ÎEinteraction show that... 

We present an approach for constant-pressure molecular dynamics simulations. This approach is especially designed for finite systems, for which no periodic boundary condition applies. A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation for Ni nanoclusters is used to calculate their pressurevolumetemperature (pvT) data for the temperature range 200 K≤T≤400 K, and pressures up to 600 kbar. Isothermal sets of pvT data were generated by the simulation; each set was fitted by three equations of state (EoSs): Linear Isotherm Regularity-II (LIRII), BirchMurnaghan (BM), and EOS III. It is found that the MD data are satisfactorily reproduced by the EoSs with reasonable precision. Some features of the EoSs criteria,... 

Exploring deprotonation properties of silica-functionalized propylsulfonic acid catalyst (silica-propyl-SO3H) is the subject of various experimental and theoretical researches. In the current study, the structure of the silica-propyl-SO3H has been simulated using density functional theory (DFT) methods by mimicking the surface of the silica in the form of cubic cage-like nanoclusters of silicon and oxygen. The values of ΔHacidity for gas-phase deprotonation are calculated considering various possible interactions of the propylsulfonic acid on the surface of the silica. Our investigations indicate that interactions of sulfonic acid (-SO3H) head... 

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study the assembly of metallic nanoclusters using manipulation process. These particles are assumed as potential building blocks for bottom-up manufacturing of nanoscale structures. One of the key factors in the assembly of nanoclusters is their precise positioning by a manipulation system. Prediction of the corresponding behavior under the influence of working conditions is of crucial importance for planning of controlled positioning and assembly of nanoclusters. The focus of the present research is on ultra-fine metallic nanoclusters. The effects of material type and manipulation strategy on the success of the process are investigated by molecular... 

The formation and diffusion of a vacancy in a silver nanocluster are studied via a combination of first-principles and statistical mechanics simulations. A 38-atom truncated-octahedral (TO) arrangement and its homologue with 37 Ag atoms and one vacancy are considered, and density-functional calculations are performed to derive the energies of the local minima and the energy barriers connecting them. These data are then used as an input for a study of the system dynamics via a kinetic Monte Carlo algorithm, evaluating site occupancies, diffusion coefficient and equilibration time. It is found that vacancy formation and diffusion represents a viable path for atom-atom exchange in these... 

Using molecular dynamics, the behavior of nanoparticles during manipulation process is investigated in this paper. The system consists of a tip, cluster and substrate. The focus of the present research is on ultra-fine metallic nanoclusters. The system of concern is made of different transition metals. Two criteria have been proposed for evaluation of success in a pushing process. Such criteria describe the intactness of nanoparticle/substrate pair. The effects of cluster material and manipulation speed on the success of the process are investigated by atomistic simulations. Such qualitative simulation studies can evaluate the level of success of manipulation regarding different working... 

Theoretical study of carbon monoxide adsorption on SixGe4 - x(x = 0-4) nano-clusters has been carried out using advanced hybrid meta density functional method of Truhlar (MPW1B95). MG3 semi-diffuse (MG3S) and correlation consistent valence basis sets with relativistic core potential were employed to improve the results. The agreement of the calculated ionization and dissociation energies with experimental values validates the reported structures of nano-clusters and justifies the use of hybrid meta density functional method. The geometry, adsorption energy, charge distribution, and vibrational frequency of CO adsorption on all possible structures were investigated. The maximum vibrational... 

Precise positioning of nanoclusters through manipulation in the presence of other clusters is one of the main challenging tasks in nanoclusters assembly. Currently, the size of clusters which are used as building blocks is decreasing to a few nanometers. As a result, the particle nature of the matter has a crucial role in manipulator/cluster/substrate interactions. In order to understand and predict the behavior of nanoclusters during the positioning process, it is, therefore, essential to have a deep insight into the aforementioned nanoscale interactions, in this research, 2-D molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate such behaviors. Performing the planar simulations can... 

Using molecular dynamics, the behavior of nanoparticles during manipulation process is investigated in this paper. The system consists of a tip, cluster and substrate. The focus of the present research is on ultra-fine metallic nanoclusters. The system of concern is made of different transition metals. Two criteria have been proposed for evaluation of success in a pushing process. Such criteria describe the intactness of nanoparticle/substrate pair. The effects of cluster material and manipulation speed on the success of the process are investigated by atomistic simulations. Such qualitative simulation studies can evaluate the level of success of manipulation regarding different working... 

Tetraethylammonium salt of a new keggin-type 12-molybdovanadate nanocluster, [(C2H5)4N]4[VMo12O40] (1) was synthesized via reaction between sodium tungstate, ammonium vanadate and tetraethylammonium bromide in acidic medium. Compound 1 was characterized by X-ray crystallography, FT-IR, UV–Vis and cyclic voltammetry and then applied as an efficient heterogeneous catalyst to oxidation of various organosulfides to sulfoxides with H2O2 at room temperature with 81–100% conversion and 60–99% selectivity. Nanocluster 1 was also shown to display excellent recyclability – it can be reused more than 10 times. © 2017 Elsevier B.V  

MD simulations were used for investigation on the kinetic formation of Ni-Pd nanoalloys at different simulation times. We have examined excess energies and bond order parameters for initial gas phase compositions including pure Ni, and Pd, and also Ni0.2Pd0.8, Ni0.4Pd0.6, Ni0.6Pd0.4, Ni0.8Pd0.2 concentrations. Excess energies for created Ni-Pd nanoalloys exhibit more instabilities for larger nanoparticles. Also, bond order results demonstrate amorphous structures for all of created nanoclusters. Moreover, number of formed clusters for pure Ni at 5 ns is more than pure Pd nanoclusters and number of formed clusters decreases when Pd is doped in pure Ni nanocluster. © 2017 Elsevier B.V  

Adsorption and dissociation of NO on RhxCu4-x(x = 0–4) nano clusters were investigated using density functional theory. Adsorption energy, total charge on NO, NO bond length, and NO vibrational frequency for various modes of NO adsorption were analyzed. Adsorption from the nitrogen end of NO on the Rh atom(s) of the clusters are more favored and adsorption energies are in the −1.02 eV to −2.59 eV range. NO binds stronger to Rh-Cu mixed clusters compared to pure Cu4 cluster, so N[sbnd]O bond is significantly weakened upon adsorption on the former. NO binding to more atoms of the clusters results in a corresponding decrease of the N[sbnd]O vibrational frequency. Dissociation of NO was also... 

Owing to its dual role as a hormone and neurotransmitter, norepinephrine (NE) detection is of great significance to biomedical diagnosis. In the present work, we have explored intense green fluorescence of poly (norepinephrine) (PNE) nanoparticles synthesized by oxidizing NE in alkaline condition, in combination with red fluorescent bovine serum albumin-stabilized gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs) for naked-eye detection of NE. The effect of sodium hydroxide on the emission behavior of NE was studied. The surface morphology and optical properties of PNE nanoparticles were characterized by UV–Vis, fluorescence, FTIR, Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS)... 

Pulse-potential coelectrodeposition of reduced graphene oxide/zinc (rGO-Zn) nanocomposite coating is directly controlled upon a steel substrate from a one-pot aqueous mixture containing [GO-/Zn2+]δ+ nanoclusters. GO nanosheets are synthesized by modified Hummer's approach while Zn cations are produced in the solution and deposited on GO nanosheets using anodic dissolution technique. Eventually, nanoclusters are reduced to rGO-Zn film through an electrochemical process. Chemical composition, surface morphology, and corrosion resistance of the thin film are characterized. Results show that the corrosion resistance of rGO-Zn coating is approximately 10 times more than the bare steel. © 2018 S.... 

This work introduces a new gradient fiber coating for microextraction of chlorobenzenes. Nanoclusters of organoclay-Cu(II) on a copper wire were fabricated by wireless electrofunctionalization. The resultant gradient coatings are more robust, and thermally and mechanically stable. Wireless electrofunctionalization was carried out in a bipolar cell under a constant deposition potential and using an ethanolic electrolyte solution containing stearic acid and montmorillonite. Stearic acid acts as an inexpensive and green coating while montmorillonite acts as a modifier to impart thermal stability. The gradient morphology of the nanoclusters was investigated by scanning electron microscopy,... 

Using the gradient-corrected hybrid density functional method of Predew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBEPBE) and the new hybrid meta-density functional method of Truhlar (MPW1B95), the geometry, adsorption energy, vibrational frequency, and charge distribution of carbon monoxide adsorption on a Si4 nano-cluster has been studied. Taking into account spin multicipility in the calculations, a new stable structure of CO absorbed on the Si4 cluster has been found, in addition to the previously reported structures. Exhaustive vibrational frequency analysis of optimized structures shows that some of the formerly reported structures have imaginary vibrational frequencies and are not proper stable...