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The detection of toxic molecules has gained imperial attention to protect living organisms and their environment. The broadly explored sensor behaviour of triazine-based C3N4 reveals their ultra-high sensitivity towards numerous toxic molecules e.g., chemical welfare agents. However, another potential analogue of C3N4 composed of heptazine exhibits remarkable electrical and optical properties but has not been much explored in sensor technology, especially for toxic pollutants. Keeping this in mind, the sensing performance of heptazine-based g-C3N4 is explored for the detection of toxic amides by using First Principles calculations. In this context, acryloyl amide (C2H3CONH2), acryloyl chloride (C2H3COCl), fluoroacetic acid (C2H3FCOOH), flouroaceta amide (C2H2FONH2), flouroacetyl chloride (C2H2FOCl) are selected as toxic pollutants; herein, for the ease of understanding, these molecules are represented as AAM, ACl, FAAc, FAA, & FACl, respectively. The electrochemical sensitivity of g-C3N4 is determined via geometric, energetic, and electronic properties analysis, whereas the photochemical sensitivity is explored by UV–Vis absorption analysis based on TD-DFT calculations. The interaction energies of studied molecules on C3N4 range between − 9.09 and - 23.39 kcal/mol depending upon the type of interactions e.g., hydrogen bonding or dispersion, which are explained on the basis of Symmetry Adopted Perturbation Theory, Non-Covalent Interaction Index, and Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules analyses. The density of State analysis, Frontier Molecular Orbitals and NBO charge transfer characterized that the electronic behaviour of g-C3N4 can be an effective sensor material with a semiconducting nature and significant charge transfer. Lastly, UV–Vis absorption analysis confirms the photosensitivity of g-C3N4 upon interaction with toxic molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, for the first time, boron oxide nanoflake is analyzed as drug carrier for favipiravir using computational studies. The thermodynamic stability of the boron oxide and favipiravir justifies the strong interaction between both species. Four orientations are investigated for the interaction between the favipiravir and the B3O3 nanoflake. The Eint of the most stable orientation is −26.98 kcal/mol, whereas the counterpoise-corrected energy is −22.59 kcal/mol. Noncovalent interaction index (NCI) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses are performed to obtain insights about the behavior and the types of interactions that occur between B3O3 nanoflake and favipiravir. The results indicate the presence of hydrogen bonding between the hydrogen in the favipiravir and the oxygen in the B3O3 nanoflake in the most stable complex (FAV@B3O3-C1). The electronic properties are investigated through frontier molecular orbital analysis, dipole moments and chemical reactivity descriptors. These parameters showed the significant activity of B3O3 for favipiravir. NBO charge analysis transfer illustrated the charge transfer between the two species, and UV-VIS analysis confirmed the electronic excitation. Our work suggested a suitable drug carrier system for the antiviral drug favipiravir, which can be considered by the experimentalist for better drug delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the gas sensing applications of graphdiyne have widely reported; however, the biosensing utility of graphdiyne needs to be explored. This study deals with the sensitivity of graphdiyne nanoflake (GDY) towards the uric acid (UA) within the density functional framework. The uric acid is allowed to interact with graphdiyne nanoflake from all the possible orientations. Based on these interacting geometries, the complexes are differentiated with naming, i.e., UA1@GDY, UA2@GDY, UA3@GDY, and UA4@GDY (Fig. 1). The essence of interface interactions of UA on GDY is derived by computing geometric, energetic, electronic, and optical properties. The adsorbing affinity of complexes is evaluated at ωB97XD/6–31 + G(d, p) level of theory. The stabilities of the complexes are quantified through the interaction energies (Eint) with reasonable accuracy. The calculated Eint of the UA1@GDY, UA2@GDY, UA3@GDY, and UA4@GDY complexes are − 31.13, − 25.87, − 20.59, and − 16.54 kcal/mol, respectively. In comparison with geometries, it is revealed that the higher stability of complexes is facilitated by π-π stacking. Other energetic analyses including symmetry adopted perturbation theory (SAPT), noncovalent interaction index (NCI), and quantum theory of atoms in molecule (QTAIM) provide the evidence of dominating dispersion energy in stabilizing the resultant complexes. The HOMO–LUMO energies, NBO charge transfer, and UV–vis analysis justify the higher electronic transition in UA1@GDY, plays a role of higher sensitivity of GDY towards the π-stacked geometries over all other possible interaction orientations. The present findings bestow the higher sensitivity of GDY towards uric acid via π-stacking interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promising sensor applications of graphdiyne for various gases and toxic molecules have extensively been studied; however, similar studies for the detection of chemical warfare agents (CWA) are not reported. Here, we report the adsorption of Lewisites (L1, L2, and L3), on graphdiyne nanoflake (GDY) using density functional theory (DFT) ωB97XD/6‐31+G (d,p) method. Our results show that Lewisite molecules are preferably physiosorbed at the triangular portion of GDY nanoflake. In particular, the binding of L3 (3‐chlorovinyl arsine) on GDY nanoflake is thermodynamically favorable than L1 (1‐chlorovinylarsonous dichloride) and L2 (2‐chlorovinylarsonous chloride). Symmetry adopted perturbation theory (SAPT0) analysis reveals that the least contribution of repulsive exchange component is present in case of L2@GDY complex. Further, the smallest HOMO‐LUMO energy gap, appreciable charge transfer (NBO), and largest red shift in ultraviolet‐visible (UV‐Vis) spectrum are also in accord with the higher %sensitivity of graphdiyne toward L2. Quantum theory of atom in molecule (QTAIM) analysis is performed to get insight into the noncovalent interactions. Therefore, it is predicted that the sensitivity of GDY nanoflake is potentially high for Lewisite especially for L2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The drug carrier ability of B 3 O 3 toward Foscarnet is investigated via DFT. • The interaction is characterized by the geometric, energetic, electronic, and optical analyses. • Widely accepted ωB97XD/6-31+G(d,p) method of DFT is adopted for geometric analysis whereas for electronic properties B3LYP/6-31+G (d,p) method is used. • NCI and QTAIM analyses confirmed the nature of interactions. In this study, B 3 O 3 quantum dot is investigated via density functional theory (DFT) calculations as an antiviral drug carrier toward Foscarnet. Geometric analysis is carried out to find stable orientations of interaction between Foscarnet drug and the B 3 O 3 quantum dot. As a result, three stable orientations are proposed. The E int of the most stable orientation is –32.63 kcal/mol whereas the BSSE corrected energy is −26.98 kcal/mol. Noncovalent interaction index (NCI) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses are employed to understand the nature and the type of interactions taking place between drug and the B 3 O 3 quantum dot. Their results indicated the presence of hydrogen bonding in the most stable complex (orientation A). The HOMO-LUMO analysis is performed to study the electronic properties of the interacting moieties. The lowest E gap is observed in case of orientation A. The value of dipole moments and chemical descriptors showed the significant activity of B 3 O 3 quantum dot toward Foscarnet drug molecule. The overall findings from this study suggest the B 3 O 3 quantum dot as a potential drug carrier system for antiviral drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Drug carrying application of Triazine-based COF toward Tegafur is investigated via DFT calculations. • Boron-doping makes the Triazine-COF more applicable for Tegafur delivery. • Boron-doped Triazine-COF is more sensitive toward Tegafur. • Drug recovery time is better than previously reported carriers. The therapeutic potential of Triazines-based six-membered ring covalent organic framework (COF) and respective boron doped derivative toward anticancer drug i.e. , Tegafur (TG) is evaluated using the first principles DFT calculations. The geometric, energetic, and electronic properties of TG@Triazine and TG@TriazineB2 are computed to explore and compare the efficacy of selected COFs as drug carrier systems. The strength of the adsorption of tegafur onto the triazine-COFs is illustrated through the counterpoise corrected adsorption energies (Ecp). The computed Ecp of TG@Triazine and TG@TriazineB2 are −21.81 and −25.57 kcal/mol, which illustrate the physisorption of the drug on adsorbent. The nature of interactions i.e. , physisorption between tegafur and Triazine COFs is further illustrated via the noncovalent interaction index (NCI) plot and quantum theory of atom in molecules (QTAIM), which illustrated that the weak dispersion forces are present between the drug and COF adsorbents. In comparison, the adsorption strength is significantly high in boronated triazineB2 COF. The electronic properties, including HOMO-LUMO analysis and NBO charge transfer analysis, reveal the significant variation in the electronic behavior of triazine COF, upon doping with boron, the E g (HOMO-LUMO gap) of pristine Triazine (4.15 eV) reduced to 0.49 eV in TriazineB2 analogue. This significant decrease in the E g of Triazine on boron doping illustrates the shifting of the semiconducting behavior of pristine Triazine to the metallic nature of TriazineB2, thus the electron transportation becomes double the magnitude (0.018 |e|) on interaction with tegafur drug as compared to 0.07 |e| in TG@Triazine. Finally, the recovery time is computed to illustrate the time taken by the drug in detaching at the active site. With this study, it is confirmed that the triazine-COF can be a significant drug carrier, however, the doping of boron further enhances the therapeutic potential of the adsorbent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C 4 N is a novel porous two-dimensional material with fascinating electronic and chemical properties. Thereby, the sensing ability of C 4 N is the most aspect topic of research nowadays. In this study, potential application of C 4 N nanoflake as a chemical sensor for the toxic pesticides has been investigated using density functional theory calculations. The sensing ability of C 4 N for pesticides is evaluated through the interaction energy, noncovalent interaction index (NCI), quantum theory of atoms in molecule (QTAIM), molecular orbitals and CHELPG charge transfer analyses. The first principle calculations on ωB97XD/6-31G(d, p) level of DFT show that the C 4 N is selectively sensitive to Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), Fenitrothion (FNT), Dimethoxy (DMDT), Ronnel (RN) and Fenthion (FT). The interaction of pesticides leads to the significant changes in the electronic structure of C 4 N. The observed sequence of interaction energy of our reported complexes is DDT@C 4 N > FNT@C 4 N > DMDT@C 4 N > RN@C 4 N > FT@C 4 N. The electronic structure changes can be demonstrated from two aspects: the strong interaction between pesticide molecule and C 4 N, the variation in HOMO-LUMO orbital energies and charge transfer from C 4 N to pesticide. The charges distribution between analytes and C 4 N nanoflake on interaction is analyzed by the electron density differences (EDD) and charge decomposition analysis (CDA). Our results reveal the potential application of C 4 N in electronic and sensor devices especially for the detection of toxic chemicals. [Display omitted] • The sensing of C 4 N nanoflake toward pesticides is investigated theoretically. • The results are based on the geometric, energetic, and electronic analyses. • ωB97XD and M052X-D3/6-31G (d,p) levels of DFT are implemented to measure the sensing affinity of C 4 N. • The thermodynamic stability is in the order of DDT@C 4 N > FNT@C 4 N > DMDT@C 4 N > RN@C 4 N > FT@C 4 N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are highly toxic for living systems and environment. These diverse effects of CWAs, especially blistering agents, need the development of highly selective sensors for their rapid and effective detection. Herein, by using density functional theory calculations, we explained the adsorption of nitrogen (NM) and sulphur mustard (SM) blistering agents on graphdiyne (GDY) sheet. The calculated adsorption energies illustrate the physisorption of blistering (SM & NM) agents on the graphdiyne surface. The symmetry adopted perturbation theory (SAPT) analysis predicts that the dispersion is a dominating component of interaction energy. Reduced density gradient (RDG) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses are performed to justify the nature of interactions. Based on QTAIM analysis, the interaction energies between graphdiyne and blistering agents are noncovalent in nature. Furthermore, RDG results reveals that the van der Waals interactions i.e., dispersion forces dominate in the complexes. The %sensitivity and average energy gap variations are illustrated by HOMO-LUMO gaps. The detection ability of graphdiyne is further studied using UV–Vis analysis, NBO charge transfer and density of state analysis. These properties depict the appreciable sensitivity of graphdiyne towards blistering agents (SM and NM). We believe that the results of this study are fruitful for experimentalist to design highly sensitive CWAs sensors using graphdiyne sheet. Unlabelled Image • The adsorption of blistering agents on GDY is studied by ωB97XD/6-31+G(d,p) method of DFT. • Adsorption behaviour is elucidated by SAPT, RDG and QTAIM analyses. • The dispersion forces dominate between BA-GDY complexes. • This study shows that GDY sheet has high sensitivity towards blistering agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the numerous publications describing the photocatalytic and electronic properties of heptazine-based C 3 N 4 , the systematic study on the sensing behavior of pure heptazine-C 3 N 4 toward harmful chemical warfare agents (CWAs) is still lacking. Herein, we performed DFT calculations to investigate the adsorption behavior of C 3 N 4 toward various harmful and toxic CWAs including formaldehyde (OCH 2), thioformaldehyde (SCH 2), phosgene (OCCl 2), and thiophosgene (SCCl 2). ωB97XD functional of DFT along with 6–31G (d, p) basis set is used for all calculations for accurate estimation of noncovalent interactions. The CWAs are physiosorbed onto the C 3 N 4 having calculated interaction energy between −16.01 and −11.00 kcal/mol. Noncovalent interactions are further analyzed by symmetry-adapted perturbation theory (SAPT0), noncovalent interaction index (NCI), and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses. The electronic behavior is characterized by the HOMO and LUMO energies, their energy gaps, and natural bond orbital (NBO) charge transfer. The charge transportation either donation or back donation is characterized by energy density difference (EDD) and charge decomposition analysis (CDA) analyses. The results demonstrate the trend of sensitivity of C 3 N 4 for toxic gases is OCH 2 @C 3 N 4 > SCH 2 @C 3 N 4 > OCCl 2 @C 3 N 4 > SCCl 2 @C 3 N 4. This theoretical work suggests that the C 3 N 4 can act as a good electrochemical sensor for a variety of toxic gaseous molecules. [Display omitted] • The sensing abilities of C 3 N 4 towards toxic molecules have been characterized by using ωB97XD/6-31G(d, p) level of DFT. • The sensing behavior of C 3 N 4 is studied through interaction geometries, energies, and electronic properties. • Among designed structures, OCH 2 @h-g-C 3 N 4 exhibits the strongest interaction due to electrostatic interactions. • C 3 N 4 exhibits significant sensitivity towards toxic molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]