Density Functional Theory
Study of Poly(<i>o</i>‑phenylenediamine) Oligomers
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Abstract
Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT
(TD-DFT)
calculations have been performed to gain insight into the structure
of poly(<i>o</i>-phenylenediamine) (POPD). Both reported
structures of POPD, ladder (L)- and polyaniline (P)-like, are investigated
theoretically through the oligomers approach. The simulated vibrational
properties of 5POPD(L) and 5POPD(P) at B3LYP/6-31G (d) along with
their assignments are correlated with experimental frequencies. Vibrational
spectra show characteristic peaks for both POPD(L) and POPD(P) structures
and do not provide any conclusive evidence. Excited-state properties
such as band gap, ionization potential, electron affinities, and HOMO–LUMO
gaps of POPD(L) and POPD(P) from monomers to five repeating units
are simulated. UV–vis spectra are simulated at the TD-B3LYP/6-31+G
(d, p) level of theory, supportive to the ladder-like structure as
the major contributor. Comparison of the calculated data with the
experimental one strongly suggests that the ladder-like structure
is the predominant contributor to the molecular structure of POPD;
however, a small amount of POPD(P) is also believed to be present