Recent advances in solid-state NMR computational spectroscopy: The case of alumino-silicate glasses

Solid-state NMR spectroscopy and computational approaches such as Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and Density Functional Theory have proven to be very useful and versatile techniques for studying the structure and the dynamics of noncrystalline materials if a direct comparison between experiment and theory is established. In this review, the basic concepts in first-principle modeling of solid-state NMR spectra of oxide glasses are presented. There are three theoretical ingredients in the computational recipe. First, classical or ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are employed to generate the structural models of the glasses of interest. Second, periodic Density Functional Theory calculations coupled with the gauge including projector augmented-wave (GIPAW) algorithm form the basis for the ab initio calculations of NMR parameters (chemical shielding and quadrupolar parameters). Finally, Spin-effective Hamiltonian are employed to simulate the solid-state NMR spectra directly comparable with the experimental counterparts. As an example of this methodology, the investigation of the local and medium range structure of Na-Ca silicate and aluminosilicate glasses that are usually employed as simplified models for basaltic, andesitic and rhyolitic magmas will be reported. We will show how the direct comparison of the theoretical NMR spectra of MD derived structural models with the experimental counterparts allows gaining new insights into the atomistic structure of very complex oxide glasses

Computational simulations of solid state NMR spectra: a new era in structure determination of oxide glasses

The application of the MD-GIPAW approach to the calculation of NMR parameters, line widths and shapes of the spectra of oxide glasses is reviewed. Emphasis is given to the decisive role of this approach both as an interpretative tool for a deeper understanding of the spectral behavior of complex systems and as a predictive instrument to map NMR data in a distribution of structural parameters and vice versa (structural inversion method). After a brief overview of the basic features of oxide glasses and the experimental techniques routinely employed to investigate their structure, a general description of the computational methods usually adopted to generate sound structural models of amorphous materials is offered. The computational recipe used to compute the solid state NMR spectra of oxide glasses and to establish quantitative structural-NMR property relationships is then described. Finally, these concepts are applied to 'simple' network former glasses and more complex silicates, aluminosilicate, phosphosilicate and borosilicate glasses of scientific relevance. The final section is dedicated to the future developments that will hopefully improve the computational approach described overcoming some of the current limitations

Raman and DFT study of methimazole chemisorbed on gold colloidal nanoparticles

The adsorption of methimazole on gold colloidal nanoparticles was investigated using a combination of surface-enhanced Raman scattering and density functional theory calculations, which allowed identifying the thiolate anion as the molecular species chemically interacting with the active sites of the gold surface, modeled as zero-charge metal adatoms, only through the sulfur atom. This result can be important for the use of these ligand/metal nanohybrids in the process of drug delivery. Moreover, functionalized gold nanoparticles are able to promote the Raman enhancement in the red-light region as well as in the near-infrared, where generally no fluorescence emission occurs. This paves the way for the use of these nanosystems in a biological environment, even in vivo experiments

Assessment of the basis set effect on the structural and electronic properties of organic-protected gold nanoclusters

We have investigated the structural and optical properties of five monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters with a combination of exchange–correlation functionals, namely B-PBE for the geometry relaxation and CAM-B3LYP for the time-dependent calculations. We have tested the accuracy of five different basis sets in reproducing the experimental structures of these nanoclusters, and we have found that even a rather small basis set (single zeta) can outperform a significantly larger one (double zeta) if some selected atoms are treated with polarization functions. Namely, the sulfur and phosphorous atoms of the capping thiols and phosphines usually are hypervalent when bonded to the gold inner core; therefore, polarization functions allow them significantly more structural flexibility. With the two best performing basis sets, we carried out optical calculations and found that the resulting UV–Vis profiles are largely similar, in particular the energy and orbital contributions of the optical gaps are very close. The results support the use of the small basis set proposed here to investigate larger nanoclusters with general hybrid and range-corrected hybrid functionals

Insight into the Structure of Vanadium containing Glasses: a Molecular Dynamics Study

In this manuscript, classical molecular dynamics simulations (MD) have been applied to study the short and medium range order of very complex vanadium containing glasses with the aim of improving the first microscopic picture of such materials. A rigid ionic force-field has been extended to include the V5+-O, V4+-O and Cu2+-O interatomic pair parameters and tested to reproduce structural properties of known crystal phases with quite good accuracy. Then the structure of Na2O-SiO2, CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 and Na2O-P2O5 glass compositions in which vanadium is present in the range 1-72 wt% (0.3-60 mol.%) have been fully described in terms of vanadium local structure and Qn distributions. A fairly good agreement was found with experimental data further validating our computational models and providing a computational approach that could be used and extend to investigate in detail the structural information (V-V distances, V-O-V linkages and BO/NBO) directly correlated to macroscopic properties of application interest

In Silico Study of Hydroxyapatite and Bioglass®: How Computational Science Sheds Light on Biomaterials

In the present Chapter it has been explained how crucial the computational techniques arewhen applied together with experimentalist measurements in the understanding ofbiological complex systems and mechanisms dealing with biomaterials for a large numberof reasons. Indeed, computational methods are extremely powerfully applied to predictstructure formation and crystal growth as well as to describe at a molecular level the realinteractions responsible of the attachment of the inorganic biomaterial to the organic tissue.In the investigation of phenomena related to a complex system such as the human body,many approximations are required, so a reductionist approach is employed also in thecomputational analysi

Accurate First-Principle Prediction of 29Si and 17O NMR Parameters in SiO2 Polymorphs: The Cases of Zeolites Sigma-2 and Ferrierite

Abstract: The magnetic shielding tensors of silica polymorphs have been investigated by meansof quantum chemical calculations. Several levels of theory, from Hartree-Fock to the lastgeneration of Density Functional Theory based approaches, have been tested on predicting29Si and 17O isotropic and principal components of the chemical shift tensors together with 17Oquadrupolar coupling constants. The NMR parameters have been computed on all known silicasystems, namely, R-quartz, R-cristobalite, coesite, Sigma-2, and ferrierite zeolites. Besides, clusterbased approaches have been compared to a hybrid Quantum-Mechanics/Molecular-Mechanics(QM/MM) method, within the ONIOM scheme. The convergence of computed 17O NMRparameters with respect to cluster size is found to be system-dependent. Excellent agreementbetween computed and experimental data has been found for 29Si NMR parameters of thedifferent Si sites of silica polymorphs and of Sigma-2 and ferrierite zeolites

An atomic-level look at the structure-property relationship of cerium-doped glasses using classical molecular dynamics

Ce-containing bioactive glasses are of great interest in biomedical field since they exert antioxidant properties associated with low toxicity and a broad spectrum of bacteriostatic activities. The results obtained by classical molecular dynamics simulations allow the elucidation of the correlations between the effect of the inclusion of cerium doping ions into the structure of phosphosilicate and silicate bioactive glasses and their properties. The addition of small quantities of Ce to the silicate bioglass favours the depolymerisation of the silicate network with a positive effect on the ability to dissolve in body fluid. Moreover, the under coordination of both the Ce3+ and Ce4+ species in these glasses enhances their catalytic activity towards hydrogen peroxide. Conversely, the formation of cerium phosphate domains in the phosphosilicate glasses leads to detrimental effects for both the solubility and the catalytic activity of the glasses. Finally, a new quantitative view of the structure-activity relationships governing the macroscopic properties of these glasses has been obtained by means of structural descriptor that takes into account the fragmentation of the Si network and the consequent rearrangement of the modifier ions and the network destruction per cerium unit descriptor

The antioxidant properties of Ce-containing bioactive glass nanoparticles explained by Molecular Dynamics simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations of two glass nanoparticles with composition 25Na2O\ub725CaO 50SiO2 mol% (Ce-K NP) and 46.1SiO2\ub724.4Na2O\ub726.9CaO\ub7 2.6P2O5 mol.% (Ce-BG NP) doped with 3.6 mol% of CeO2 have been carried out in order to explain the enhanced antioxidant properties of the former glass with respect to the latter. The present models show that the different catalase mimetic activity of the two NPs is related to the Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio exposed at their surface. In fact, this ratio is about 3.5 and 13 in the bulk and at the surface of the Ce-BG NP, and 1.0 and 2.1 in the bulk and at the surface of the Ce-K NPs, respectively. Since both oxidation states are necessary for the catalysis of the dismutation reaction of hydrogen peroxides, NPs with a very high Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio possess poorer antioxidant properties. Moreover, our simulations reveal that the already low silicate connectivity found in the bulk glasses examined here is further reduced on the nanoparticle surface, whereas the Na+/Ca2+ ratio rapidly increases. Sodium, calcium and cerium sites in proximity of the surface are found to be under-coordinated, prone to quickly react with water present in physiological environments, thus accelerating the glass biodegradatio

Can DFT Calculations Provide Useful Information for SERS Applications?

: Density functional theory (DFT) calculations allow us to reproduce the SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) spectra of molecules adsorbed on nanostructured metal surfaces and extract the most information this spectroscopy is potentially able to provide. The latter point mainly concerns the anchoring mechanism and the bond strength between molecule and metal as well as the structural and electronic modifications of the adsorbed molecule. These findings are of fundamental importance for the application of this spectroscopic technique. This review presents and discusses some SERS-DFT studies carried out in Italy as a collaboration between the universities of Modena and Reggio-Emilia and of Florence, giving an overview of the information that we can extract with a combination of experimental SERS spectra and DFT modeling. In addition, a selection of the most recent studies and advancements on the DFT approach to SERS spectroscopy is reported with commentary