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Using spin-polarized density functional theory calculations, we performed theoretical investigations on the electronic and magnetic properties of transition metal embedded porphyrin-based nanowires (TM-PNWs, TM = Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn). Our results indicate that Ni-PNW and Zn-PNW are nonmagnetic while the rest species are magnetic, and the magnetic moments in TM-PNWs and their corresponding isolated monomer structures are found to be the same. In addition, the spin coupling in the magnetic nanowires can be ignored leading to their degenerate AFM and FM states. These results can be ascribed to the weak intermetallic interactions because of the relatively large distances between neighbor TM atoms. Among all TM-PNW structures considered here, only Mn-PNW shows a half-metallic property while the others are predicted to be semiconducting. The present work paves a new way of obtaining ferromagnetic porphyrin-based nanowires with TM atoms distributed separately and orderly, which are expected to be good candidates for catalysts, energy storage and molecular spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report a soft porous crystal possessing hemilabile cross-links in its framework that exhibits exclusive gate opening for ethylene, enabling the discriminatory adsorption of ethylene over ethane. A Co-based porous coordination polymer (PCP) bearing vinylogous tetrathiafulvalene (VTTF) ligands, [Co(VTTF)], forms Co−S bonds as intermolecular cross-links in its framework in the evacuated closed state. The PCP recognizes ethylene via d−π complexation on the accessible metal site that displaces and cleaves the Co−S bond to “unlock” the closed structure. This ethylene-triggered unlocking event facilitates remarkable nonporous-to-porous transformations that open up accessible void space. This structural transformation follows a two-step gate-opening process. Each phase, including the intermediate structure, was successfully characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis, which revealed an intriguing “half-open” structure suggestive of a disproportionate gate-opening phenomenon. The gate-opening mechanism was also investigated theoretically; density functional theory and Monte Carlo calculations revealed that the unique “half-open” phase corresponds to a substantially stable intermediate over the possible transformation trajectories. While ethylene opens the gate, ethane does not because it is unable to coordinate to the Co center. This feature is maintained even at pressures above 1 MPa and at a temperature of 303 K, demonstrating the potential of the “gate-locking/unlocking” mechanism that exploits the hemilabile cross-linking in soft porous crystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometric, electronic structure, and thermodynamic stability of large gadolinium-containing endohedral metallofullerenes, Gd2@C98, have been systematically investigated by comprehensive density functional theory calculations combined with statistical mechanics treatments. The Gd2@C2(230924)-C98 structure, which satisfies the isolated-pentagon rule (IPR), is determined to possess the lowest energy followed with some stable non-IPR isomers. In order to clarify the relative stabilities at elevated temperatures, entropy contributions are taken into account on the basis of the Gibbs energy at the B3LYP level for the first time. Interestingly, a novel non-IPR Gd2@C1(168785)-C98 isomer which has one pair of pentagon adjacency is more thermodynamically stable than the lowest energy IPR species within a wide temperature interval related to fullerene formation. Therefore, the Gd2@C1(168785)-C98 is predicted to be the most proper isomer obtained experimentally, which is the largest non-IPR carbon cage found so far. Our findings demonstrate that interaction between metals and carbon cages could stabilize the fused pentagons effectively, and thus, the non-IPR isomers should not be ignored in some cases of endohedral metallofullerenes. The IR features of Gd2@C98 are simulated to assist its future experimental characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury-stimulated peroxidase mimetic activity of gold nanoparticles was presented, with which a sensitive label-free colorimetric method for Hg2+was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]