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The chemical versatility and modular nature of Metal–Organic Frameworks (MOFs) make them unique hybrid inorganic–organic materials for several important applications. From a computational point of view, ab initio modeling of MOFs is a challenging and demanding task, in particular, when the system reaches the size of gigantic MOFs as MIL-100 and MIL-101 (where MIL stands for Materials Institute Lavoisier) with several thousand atoms in the unit cell. Here, we show how such complex systems can be successfully tackled by a recently proposed class of composite electronic structure methods revised for solid-state calculations. These methods rely on HF/density functional theory hybrid functionals (i.e., PBEsol0 and HSEsol) combined with a double-zeta quality basis set. They are augmented with semi-classical corrections to take into account dispersive interactions (D3 scheme) and the basis set superposition error (gCP). The resulting methodologies, dubbed "sol-3c," are cost-effective yet reach the hybrid functional accuracy. Here, sol-3c methods are effectively applied to predict the structural, vibrational, electronic, and adsorption properties of some of the most common MOFs. Calculations are feasible even on very large MOFs containing more than 2500 atoms in the unit cell as MIL-100 and MIL-101 with reasonable computing resources. We propose to use our composite methods for the routine in silico screening of MOFs targeting properties beyond plain structural features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to their current and future technological applications, including realization of water filters and desalination membranes, water adsorption on graphitic sp2-bonded carbon is of overwhelming interest. However, these systems are notoriously challenging to model, even for electronic structure methods such as density functional theory (DFT), because of the crucial role played by London dispersion forces and noncovalent interactions, in general. Recent efforts have established reference quality interactions of several carbon nanostructures interacting with water. Here, we compile a new benchmark set (dubbed WaC18), which includes a single water molecule interacting with a broad range of carbon structures and various bulk (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) ice polymorphs. The performance of 28 approaches, including semilocal exchange-correlation functionals, nonlocal (Fock) exchange contributions, and long-range van der Waals (vdW) treatments, is tested by computing the deviations from the reference interaction energies. The calculated mean absolute deviations on the WaC18 set depend crucially on the DFT approach, ranging from 135 meV for local density approximation (LDA) to 12 meV for PBE0-D4. We find that modern vdW corrections to DFT significantly improve over their precursors. Within the 28 tested approaches, we identify the best performing within the functional classes of generalized gradient approximated (GGA), meta-GGA, vdW-DF, and hybrid DF, which are BLYP-D4, TPSS-D4, rev-vdW-DF2, and PBE0-D4, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fixed node diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (FN-DMC) is an increasingly used computational approach for investigating the electronic structure of molecules, solids, and surfaces with controllable accuracy. It stands out among equally accurate electronic structure approaches for its favorable cubic scaling with system size, which often makes FN-DMC the only computationally affordable high-quality method in large condensed phase systems with more than 100 atoms. In such systems, FN-DMC deploys pseudopotentials (PPs) to substantially improve efficiency. In order to deal with nonlocal terms of PPs, the FN-DMC algorithm must use an additional approximation, leading to the so-called localization error. However, the two available approximations, the locality approximation (LA) and the T-move approximation (TM), have certain disadvantages and can make DMC calculations difficult to reproduce. Here, we introduce a third approach, called the determinant localization approximation (DLA). DLA eliminates reproducibility issues and systematically provides good quality results and stable simulations that are slightly more efficient than LA and TM. When calculating energy differences—such as interaction and ionization energies—DLA is also more accurate than the LA and TM approaches. We believe that DLA paves the way to the automation of FN-DMC and its much easier application in large systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A density functional theory (DFT) based composite electronic structure approach is proposed to efficiently compute structures and interaction energies in large chemical systems. It is based on the well-known and numerically robust Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhoff (PBE) generalized-gradientapproximation in a modified global hybrid functional with a relatively large amount of non-local Fock-exchange. The orbitals are expanded in Ahlrichs-type valence-double zeta atomic orbital (AO) Gaussian basis sets, which are available for many elements. In order to correct for the basis set superposition error (BSSE) and to account for the important long-range London dispersion effects, our well-established atom-pairwise potentials are used. In the design of the new method, particular attention has been paid to an accurate description of structural parameters in various covalent and non-covalent bonding situations as well as in periodic systems. Together with the recently proposed three-fold corrected (3c) Hartree-Fock method, the new composite scheme (termed PBEh-3c) represents the next member in a hierarchy of "low-cost" electronic structure approaches. They are mainly free of BSSE and account for most interactions in a physically sound and asymptotically correct manner. PBEh-3c yields good results for thermochemical properties in the huge GMTKN30 energy database. Furthermore, the method shows excellent performance for non-covalent interaction energies in small and large complexes. For evaluating its performance on equilibrium structures, a new compilation of standard test sets is suggested. These consist of small (light) molecules, partially flexible, medium-sized organic molecules, molecules comprising heavy main group elements, larger systems with long bonds, 3d-transition metal systems, non-covalently bound complexes (S22 and S66×8 sets), and peptide conformations. For these sets, overall deviations from accurate reference data are smaller than for various other tested DFT methods and reach that of triple-zeta AO basis set second-order perturbation theory (MP2/TZ) level at a tiny fraction of computational effort. Periodic calculations conducted for molecular crystals to test structures (including cell volumes) and sublimation enthalpies indicate very good accuracy competitive to computationally more involved plane-wave based calculations. PBEh-3c can be applied routinely to several hundreds of atoms on a single processor and it is suggested as a robust "high-speed" computational tool in theoretical chemistry and physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A density functional theory (DFT) based composite electronic structure approach is proposed to efficiently compute structures and interaction energies in large chemical systems. It is based on the well-known and numerically robust Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhoff (PBE) generalized-gradientapproximation in a modified global hybrid functional with a relatively large amount of non-local Fock-exchange. The orbitals are expanded in Ahlrichs-type valence-double zeta atomic orbital (AO) Gaussian basis sets, which are available for many elements. In order to correct for the basis set superposition error (BSSE) and to account for the important long-range London dispersion effects, our well-established atom-pairwise potentials are used. In the design of the new method, particular attention has been paid to an accurate description of structural parameters in various covalent and non-covalent bonding situations as well as in periodic systems. Together with the recently proposed three-fold corrected (3c) Hartree-Fock method, the new composite scheme (termed PBEh-3c) represents the next member in a hierarchy of "low-cost" electronic structure approaches. They are mainly free of BSSE and account for most interactions in a physically sound and asymptotically correct manner. PBEh-3c yields good results for thermochemical properties in the huge GMTKN30 energy database. Furthermore, the method shows excellent performance for non-covalent interaction energies in small and large complexes. For evaluating its performance on equilibrium structures, a new compilation of standard test sets is suggested. These consist of small (light) molecules, partially flexible, medium-sized organic molecules, molecules comprising heavy main group elements, larger systems with long bonds, 3d-transition metal systems, non-covalently bound complexes (S22 and S66×8 sets), and peptide conformations. For these sets, overall deviations from accurate reference data are smaller than for various other tested DFT methods and reach that of triple-zeta AO basis set second-order perturbation theory (MP2/TZ) level at a tiny fraction of computational effort. Periodic calculations conducted for molecular crystals to test structures (including cell volumes) and sublimation enthalpies indicate very good accuracy competitive to computationally more involved plane-wave based calculations. PBEh-3c can be applied routinely to several hundreds of atoms on a single processor and it is suggested as a robust "high-speed" computational tool in theoretical chemistry and physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water in different phases under various external conditions is very important in bio-chemical systems and for material science at surfaces. Density functional theory methods and approximations thereof have to be tested system specifically to benchmark their accuracy regarding computed structures and interaction energies. In this study, we present and test a set of ten ice polymorphs in comparison to experimental data with mass densities ranging from 0.9 to 1.5 g/cm³ and including explicit corrections for zero-point vibrational and thermal effects. London dispersion inclusive density functionals at the generalized gradient approximation (GGA), meta-GGA, and hybrid level as well as alternative low-cost molecular orbital methods are considered. The widely used functional of Perdew, Burke and Ernzerhof (PBE) systematically overbinds and overall provides inconsistent results. All other tested methods yield reasonable to very good accuracy. BLYP-D3atm gives excellent results with mean absolute errors for the lattice energy below 1 kcal/mol (7% relative deviation). The corresponding optimized structures are very accurate with mean absolute relative deviations (MARDs) from the reference unit cell volume below 1%. The impact of Axilrod-Teller-Muto (atm) type three-body dispersion and of non-local Fock exchange is small but on average their inclusion improves the results. While the density functional tight-binding model DFTB3-D3 performs well for low density phases, it does not yield good high density structures. As low-cost alternative for structure related problems, we recommend the recently introduced minimal basis Hartree-Fock method HF-3c with a MARD of about 3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer simulation plays a central role in modern-day materials science. The utility of a given computational approach depends largely on the balance it provides between accuracy and computational cost. Molecular crystals are a class of materials of great technological importance which are challenging for even the most sophisticated ab initio electronic structure theories to accurately describe. This is partly because they are held together by a balance of weak intermolecular forces but also because the primitive cells of molecular crystals are often substantially larger than those of atomic solids. Here, we demonstrate that diffusion quantum Monte Carlo (DMC) delivers subchemical accuracy for a diverse set of molecular crystals at a surprisingly moderate computational cost. As such, we anticipate that DMC can play an important role in understanding and predicting the properties of a large number of molecular crystals, including those built from relatively large molecules which are far beyond reach of other high-accuracy methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the concept of small molecule activation by frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) has been expanded to the solid state showing a variety of interesting reactivities. Therefore, there is a need to establish a computational protocol to investigate such systems theoretically. In the present study, we selected several FLPs and applied multiple levels of theory, ranging from a semi-empirical tight-binding Hamiltonian to dispersion corrected hybrid density functionals. Their performance is benchmarked for the computation of crystal geometries, thermostatistical contributions, and reaction energies. We show that the computationally efficient HF-3c method gives accurate crystal structures and is numerically stable and sufficiently fast for routine applications. This method also gives reliable values for the thermostatistical contributions to Gibbs free energies. The meta-generalized gradient approximated TPSSD3 evaluated in a projector augmented plane wave basis set is able to produce sufficiently accurate reaction electronic energies. The established protocol is intended to support experimental studies and to predict new reactions in the emerging field of solid-state FLPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the energy landscape of the sixth crystal structure prediction blind test targets with various first principles and semi-empirical quantum chemical methodologies. A new benchmark set of 59 crystal structures (termed POLY59) for testing quantum chemical methods based on the blind test target crystals is presented. We focus on different means to include London dispersion interactions within the density functional theory (DFT) framework. We show the impact of pairwise dispersion corrections like the semi-empirical D2 scheme, the Tkatchenko-Scheffler (TS) method, and the density-dependent dispersion correction dDsC. Recent methodological progress includes higher-order contributions in both the many-body and multipole expansions. We use the D3 correction with Axilrod-Teller-Muto type three-body contribution, the TS based many-body dispersion (MBD), and the nonlocal van der Waals density functional (vdW-DF2). The density functionals with D3 and MBD correction provide an energy ranking of the blind test polymorphs in excellent agreement with the experimentally found structures. As a computationally less demanding method, we test our recently presented minimal basis Hartree-Fock method (HF-3c) and a density functional tight-binding Hamiltonian (DFTB). Considering the speed-up of three to four orders of magnitudes, the energy ranking provided by the low-cost methods is very reasonable. We compare the computed geometries with the corresponding X-ray data where TPSS-D3 performs best. The importance of zero-point vibrational energy and thermal effects on crystal densities is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In quantum chemical computations the combination of Hartree-Fock or a density functional theory (DFT) approximation with relatively small atomic orbital basis sets of double-zeta quality is still widely used, for example, in the popular B3LYP/6-31G* approach. In this Review, we critically analyze the two main sources of error in such computations, that is, the basis set superposition error on the one hand and the missing London dispersion interactions on the other. We review various strategies to correct those errors and present exemplary calculations on mainly noncovalently bound systems of widely varying size. Energies and geometries of small dimers, large supramolecular complexes, and molecular crystals are covered. We conclude that it is not justified to rely on fortunate error compensation, as the main inconsistencies can be cured by modern correction schemes which clearly outperform the plain mean-field methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel supramolecular meso-helicates have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Both compounds show a considerably high stabilization of the high-spin state of the metal centres compared with other compounds with similar types of ligands. Whereas the pyridyl complex [Fe2L2 3] [L2 = N,N'-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzene-1,3-diamine] exhibits the beginning of a spin transition at around 350 K, the imidazolyl complex [Fe2L2 3][L1 = N,N'-bis(1H imidazol-4-ylmethylene)benzene-1,3-diamine] still exhibits a high-spin configuration at 20 K. We applied DFT to characterize the molecular as well as solid states of both compounds. Although the low-spin state of both systems is stabilized by crystal packing, an additional stabilization of the high-spin state is induced by intramolecular interactions. This effect can be ascribed to mechanical strain in the backbone of the ligands hailing from very short CH-π interactions and being similar in effect to sterically demanding methyl groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel supramolecular meso-helicates have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements, NMR and UV/Vis spectroscopy, mass spectrometry and density functional theory (DFT) simulations. Both compounds show a considerably high stabilization of the high-spin state of the metal centres compared with other compounds with similar types of ligands. Whereas the pyridyl complex [Fe2L23] [L2 = N, N′-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethylene)benzene-1,3-diamine] exhibits the beginning of a spin transition at around 350 K, the imidazolyl complex [Fe2L13] [L1 = N, N′-bis(1 H-imidazol-4-ylmethylene)benzene-1,3-diamine] still exhibits a high-spin configuration at 20 K. We applied DFT to characterize the molecular as well as solid states of both compounds. Although the low-spin state of both systems is stabilized by crystal packing, an additional stabilization of the high-spin state is induced by intramolecular interactions. This effect can be ascribed to mechanical strain in the backbone of the ligands hailing from very short CH-π interactions and being similar in effect to sterically demanding methyl groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a combined theoreticaland experimental analysis ofthe carbon–carbon bond character in two prototypical zirconocenecomplexes. The two cyclic seven-membered ring zirconium compounds 2aand 2bdiffer by the substitution of a tert-butyl by a trimethylsilyl group. Due to the coordinationof the π-system to the metal atom, a formally forbidden (η2-allenyl)/enamido-Zr to (η2-alkyne)/κN-imine-Zr complex isomerization is feasible. State-of-the-artdispersion-corrected density functional theory (DFT-D3) is used inboth the solid and condensed phase to examine and quantify the experimentalstructures (X-ray diffraction) and 13C NMR magnetic shielding.The complementary investigations demonstrate the importance of nonlocalLondon dispersion interactions. Both X-ray structures agree excellentlywith the results of the solid-state DFT-D3 calculations. Interestingly, 2bexhibits a mixed allene–alkyne form in the solidstate, while its gas phase structure has a strong allene character.The substitution leading to 2aprevents this isomerizationin the solid state by the intramolecular stabilization of the allenestructure. NMR solid and liquid phase measurements confirm the theoreticallyproposed transition. By combining the experimental and theoreticalinformation, the rather unusual triple/single to double/double-bondtransition is attributed to an intermolecular London dispersion inducedcrystal packing effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revised version of the well-established B97-D density functional approximation with general applicability for chemical properties of large systems is proposed. Like B97-D, it is based on Becke’s power-series ansatz from 1997 and is explicitly parametrized by including the standard D3 semi-classical dispersion correction. The orbitals are expanded in a modified valence triple-zeta Gaussian basis set, which is available for all elements up to Rn. Remaining basis set errors are mostly absorbed in the modified B97 parametrization, while an established atom-pairwise short-range potential is applied to correct for the systematically too long bonds of main group elements which are typical for most semi-local density functionals. The new composite scheme (termed B97-3c) completes the hierarchy of “low-cost” electronic structure methods, which are all mainly free of basis set superposition error and account for most interactions in a physically sound and asymptotically correct manner. B97-3c yields excellent molecular and condensed phase geometries, similar to most hybrid functionals evaluated in a larger basis set expansion. Results on the comprehensive GMTKN55 energy database demonstrate its good performance for main group thermochemistry, kinetics, and non-covalent interactions, when compared to functionals of the same class. This also transfers to metal-organic reactions, which is a major area of applicability for semi-local functionals. B97-3c can be routinely applied to hundreds of atoms on a single processor and we suggest it as a robust computational tool, in particular, for more strongly correlated systems where our previously published “3c” schemes might be problematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We extend the previously developedgeometrical correction for theinter- and intramolecular basis set superposition error (gCP) to periodicdensity functional theory (DFT) calculations. We report gCP resultscompared to those from the standard Boys–Bernardi counterpoisecorrection scheme and large basis set calculations. The applicabilityof the method to molecular crystals as the main target is tested forthe benchmark set X23. It consists of 23 noncovalently bound crystalsas introduced by Johnson et al. (J. Chem. Phys.2012, 137, 054103) and refined by Tkatchenko etal. (J. Chem. Phys.2013, 139, 024705). In order to accurately describe long-range electron correlationeffects, we use the standard atom-pairwise dispersion correction schemeDFT-D3. We show that a combination of DFT energies with small atom-centeredbasis sets, the D3 dispersion correction, and the gCP correction canaccurately describe van der Waals and hydrogen-bonded crystals. Meanabsolute deviations of the X23 sublimation energies can be reducedby more than 70% and 80% for the standard functionals PBE and B3LYP,respectively, to small residual mean absolute deviations of about2 kcal/mol (corresponding to 13% of the average sublimation energy).As a further test, we compute the interlayer interaction of graphitefor varying distances and obtain a good equilibrium distance and interactionenergy of 6.75 Å and −43.0 meV/atom at the PBE-D3-gCP/SVPlevel. We fit the gCP scheme for a recently developed pob-TZVP solid-statebasis set and obtain reasonable results for the X23 benchmark setand the potential energy curve for water adsorption on a nickel (110)surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined X-ray diffraction and theoretical study of the solid-state molecular and crystal structures of tribenzotriquinacene (TBTQ, 2) and its centro-methyl derivative ( 3) is presented. The molecular structure of the parent hydrocarbon displays C3 v symmetry and the three indane wings adopt mutually orthogonal orientations, similar to the case in its previously reported methyl derivative ( 3). Also similarly to the latter structure, the bowl-shaped molecules of compound 2 form infinite molecular stacks with perfectly axial, face-to-back (convex-concave) packing and with parallel and unidirectional orientation of the stacks. The experimentally determined intra-stack molecular distance is 4.75 Å for compound 2 and 5.95 Å for compound 3. Whereas the molecules of compound 2 show a slight alternating rotation (±6°) about the common axis of each stack, those of compound 3 show perfect translational symmetry within the stacks. We used dispersion-corrected density functional theory to compute the crystal structures of tribenzotriquinacenes 2 and 3. The London dispersion correction was crucial for obtaining an accurate description of the crystallization of both analyzed systems and the calculated results agreed excellently with the experimental measurements. We also obtained reasonable sublimation energies for both compounds. In addition, the geometries and dimerization energies of oligomeric stacks of compound 2 were computed and showed smooth convergence to the properties of the infinite polymeric stack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 123 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We combine a regularized variant of the strongly constrained and appropriately normed semilocal density functional [J. Sun, A. Ruzsinszky, and J. P. Perdew, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 036402 (2015)] with the latest generation semi-classical London dispersion correction. The resulting density functional approximation r2SCAN-D4 has the speed of generalized gradient approximations while approaching the accuracy of hybrid functionals for general chemical applications. We demonstrate its numerical robustness in real-life settings and benchmark molecular geometries, general main group and organo-metallic thermochemistry, and non-covalent interactions in supramolecular complexes and molecular crystals. Main group and transition metal bond lengths have errors of just 0.8%, which is competitive with hybrid functionals for main group molecules and outperforms them for transition metal complexes. The weighted mean absolute deviation (WTMAD2) on the large GMTKN55 database of chemical properties is exceptionally small at 7.5 kcal/mol. This also holds for metal organic reactions with an MAD of 3.3 kcal/mol. The versatile applicability to organic and metal–organic systems transfers to condensed systems, where lattice energies of molecular crystals are within the chemical accuracy (errors <1 kcal/mol). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation of an enantiomer from a racemic mixture is of primary relevance to the pharmaceutical industry. The thermochemical properties of organic enantiopure and racemate crystals can be exploited to design an enantioselective crystallization process. The thermodynamic difference between the two crystal forms is accessible by two cycles which give the eutectic composition in solution. The "sublimation cycle" requires calculating the lattice energy and phonon frequencies of the crystal structures. Experimental results from heat capacity and other thermodynamic measurements of enantiopure and racemic crystals are compared with a variety of molecular and crystal structure-based calculations. This is done for three prototypes of pharmaceutical-like molecules with different degrees of molecular flexibility. Differences in crystal packing result in varying temperature-dependent heat capacities and affect the sublimation thermodynamics, relative solubility, and eutectic composition. Many simplifying assumptions about the thermodynamics and solubilities of the racemic and enantiopure crystals are critically evaluated. We show that calculations and experimental information using the sublimation cycle can guide the design of processes to resolve enantiomers by crystallization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crystal habit can have a profound influence on the physical properties of crystalline materials, and thus controlling the crystal morphology is of great practical relevance across many industries. Herein, this work investigates the effect of polymer additives on the crystal habit of metformin HCl with both experiments and computational methods with the aim of developing a combined screening approach for crystal morphology engineering. Crystallization experiments of metformin HCl are conducted in methanol and in an isopropanol‐water mixture (8:2 V/V). Polyethylene glycol, polyvinylpyrrolidone, Tween80, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose polymer additives are used in low concentrations (1–2% w/w) in the experiments to study the effect they have on modifying the crystal habit. Additionally, this work has developed computational methods to characterize the morphology "landscape" and quantifies the overall effect of solvent and additives on the predicted crystal habits. Further analysis of the molecular dynamics simulations is used to rationalize the effect of additives on specific crystal faces. This work demonstrates that the effects of additives on the crystal habit are a result of their absorption and interactions with the slow growing {100} and {020} faces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mean-field electronic structure methods like Hartree-Fock, semilocal density functional approximations, or semiempirical molecular orbital (MO) theories do not account for long-range electron correlation (London dispersion interaction). Inclusion of these effects is mandatory for realistic calculations on large or condensed chemical systems and for various intramolecular phenomena (thermochemistry). This Review describes the recent developments (including some historical aspects) of dispersion corrections with an emphasis on methods that can be employed routinely with reasonable accuracy in large-scale applications. The most prominent correction schemes are classified into three groups: (i) nonlocal, density-based functionals, (ii) semiclassical C6-based, and (iii) one-electron effective potentials. The properties as well as pros and cons of these methods are critically discussed, and typical examples and benchmarks on molecular complexes and crystals are provided. Although there are some areas for further improvement (robustness, many-body and short-range effects), the situation regarding the overall accuracy is clear. Various approaches yield long-range dispersion energies with a typical relative error of 5%. For many chemical problems, this accuracy is higher compared to that of the underlying mean-field method (i.e., a typical semilocal (hybrid) functional like B3LYP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular adsorption on surfaces plays an important part in catalysis, corrosion, desalination, and various other processes that are relevant to industry and in nature. As a complement to experiments, accurate adsorption energies can be obtained using various sophisticated electronic structure methods that can now be applied to periodic systems. The adsorption energy of water on boron nitride substrates, going from zero to 2-dimensional periodicity, is particularly interesting as it calls for an accurate treatment of polarizable electrostatics and dispersion interactions, as well as posing a practical challenge to experiments and electronic structure methods. Here, we present reference adsorption energies, static polarizabilities, and dynamic polarizabilities, for water on BN substrates of varying size and dimension. Adsorption energies are computed with coupled cluster theory, fixed-node quantum Monte Carlo (FNQMC), the random phase approximation, and second order Møller-Plesset theory. These wavefunction based correlated methods are found to agree in molecular as well as periodic systems. The best estimate of the water/h-BN adsorption energy is -107±7 meV from FNQMC. In addition, the water adsorption energy on the BN substrates could be expected to grow monotonically with the size of the substrate due to increased dispersion interactions, but interestingly, this is not the case here. This peculiar finding is explained using the static polarizabilities and molecular dispersion coefficients of the systems, as computed from time-dependent density functional theory (DFT). Dynamic as well as static polarizabilities are found to be highly anisotropic in these systems. In addition, the many-body dispersion method in DFT emerges as a particularly useful estimation of finite size effects for other expensive, many-body wavefunction based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the past two decades, density-functional (DF) theory has evolved from niche applications for simple solid-state materials to become a workhorse method for studying a wide range of phenomena in a variety of system classes throughout physics, chemistry, biology, and materials science. Here, we review the recent advances in DF calculations for materials modeling, giving a classification of modern DF-based methods when viewed from the materials modeling perspective. While progress has been very substantial, many challenges remain on the way to achieving consensus on a set of universally applicable DF-based methods for materials modeling. Hence, we focus on recent successes and remaining challenges in DF calculations for modeling hard solids, molecular and biological matter, low-dimensional materials, and hybrid organic-inorganic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black phosphorus is a bulk solid allotrope of elemental phosphorus and can be seen as an infinite stack of phosphorene sheets. It is interesting from a technological point of view as well as from an electronic structure perspective due to the importance of electron correlation effects. In a recent paper [M. Schütz, L. Maschio, A. J. Karttunen and D. Usvyat, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 2017, 8, 1290–1294] a highly accurate exfoliation energy has been computed. Building upon these results we carefully benchmark various dispersion-corrected density functional approximations. The choice of the range-separating function that suppresses London dispersion at short interatomic distances apparently has a substantial influence on the results. Having chosen the suitable functional, we have computed the thermal expansion coefficients of black phosphorous via a quasi-harmonic approximation. The computed coefficients manifest a strong anisotropy between the two in-plane directions. Our calculations, however, do not support the existence of negative thermal expansion in black phosphorus, as reported in some theoretical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymorphic selectivity within crystals grown via physical vapour transport (PVT) is dependent on the thermodynamic stabilities of differing molecular conformations and the kinetic regime within the growth apparatus. Crystals of bis(4-bromophenyl)fumaronitrile have been grown for the first time via this method, with the formation of both the conventional polymorph and a new, unforseen polymorph. Analysis suggests that the conventional form is less thermodynamically stable, with this form crystallising at higher temperature than the newly discovered form due to the release of binding energy of intermolecular interactions during the growth process. Fluorometry reveals the new form to exhibit weaker, red-shifted fluorescence emission owing to greater intermolecular π–π overlap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent experiments on ice formed by water under nanoconfinement provide evidence for a two-dimensional (2D) "square ice" phase. However, the interpretation of the experiments has been questioned and the stability of square ice has become a matter of debate. Partially this is because the simulation approaches employed so far (force fields and density functional theory) struggle to accurately describe the very small energy differences between the relevant phases. Here we report a study of 2D ice using an accurate wave-function based electronic structure approach, namely diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC). We find that at relatively high pressure, square ice is indeed the lowest enthalpy phase examined, supporting the initial experimental claim. Moreover, at lower pressures, a "pentagonal ice" phase (not yet observed experimentally) has the lowest enthalpy, and at ambient pressure, the "pentagonal ice" phase is degenerate with a "hexagonal ice" phase. Our DMC results also allow us to evaluate the accuracy of various density functional theory exchange-correlation functionals and force field models, and in doing so we extend the understanding of how such methodologies perform to challenging 2D structures presenting dangling hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sixth blind test of organic crystal structure prediction (CSP) methods has been held, with five target systems: a small nearly rigid molecule, a polymorphic former drug candidate, a chloride salt hydrate, a co-crystal and a bulky flexible molecule. This blind test has seen substantial growth in the number of participants, with the broad range of prediction methods giving a unique insight into the state of the art in the field. Significant progress has been seen in treating flexible molecules, usage of hierarchical approaches to ranking structures, the application of density-functional approximations, and the establishment of new workflows and `best practices' for performing CSP calculations. All of the targets, apart from a single potentially disordered Z′ = 2 polymorph of the drug candidate, were predicted by at least one submission. Despite many remaining challenges, it is clear that CSP methods are becoming more applicable to a wider range of real systems, including salts, hydrates and larger flexible molecules. The results also highlight the potential for CSP calculations to complement and augment experimental studies of organic solid forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexes [Fe(tbta)2](BF4)2⋅2EtOH (1), [Fe(tbta)2](BF4)2⋅2CH3CN (2), [Fe(tbta)2](BF4)2⋅2CHCl3 (3), and [Fe(tbta)2](BF4)2 (4) were synthesized from the respective metal salts and the click-derived tripodal ligand tris[(1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)methyl]amine (tbta). Structural characterization of these complexes (at 100 or 133 K) revealed Fe-N bond lengths for the solvent containing compounds 1-3 that are typical of a high spin (HS) Fe(II) complex. In contrast, the solvent-free compound 4 show Fe-N bond lengths that are characteristic of a low spin (LS) Fe(II) state. The Fe center in all complexes is bound to two triazole and one amine N atom from each tbta ligand, with the third triazole arm remaining uncoordinated. The benzyl substituents of the uncoordinated triazole arms and the triazole rings engage in strong intermolecular and intramolecular noncovalent interactions. These interactions are missing in the solvent containing molecules 1, 2, and 3, where the solvent molecules occupy positions that hinder these noncovalent interactions. The solvent-free complex (4) displays spin crossover (SCO) with a spin transition temperature T1/2 near room temperature, as revealed by superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometric and Mössbauer spectroscopic measurements. The complexes 1, 2, and 3 remain HS throughout the investigated temperature range. Different torsion angles at the metal centers, which are influenced by the noncovalent interactions, are likely responsible for the differences in the magnetic behavior of these complexes. The corresponding solvent-free Co(II) complex (6) is also LS at lower temperatures and displays SCO with a temperature T1/2 near room temperature. Theoretical calculations at molecular and periodic DFT-D3 levels for 1-4 qualitatively reproduce the experimental findings, and corroborate the importance of intermolecular and intramolecular noncovalent interactions for the magnetic properties of these complexes. The present work thus represents rare examples of SCO complexes where the use of identical ligand sets produces SCO in Fe(II) as well as Co(II) complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]