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Melatonin is a neurohormone that ameliorates many health conditions when it is administered as a drug, but its drawbacks are its oral and intravenous fast release. To overcome the limitations associated with melatonin release, cyclodextrin-based nanosponges (CD-based NSs) can be used. Under their attractive properties, CD-based NSs are well-known to provide the sustained release of the drug. Green cyclodextrin (CD)-based molecularly imprinted nanosponges (MIP-NSs) are successfully synthesized by reacting β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD) or Methyl-β Cyclodextrin (M-βCD) with citric acid as a cross-linking agent at a 1:8 molar ratio, and melatonin is introduced as a template molecule. In addition, CD-based non-molecularly imprinted nanosponges (NIP-NSs) are synthesized following the same procedure as MIP-NSs without the presence of melatonin. The resulting polymers are characterized by CHNS-O Elemental, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Zeta Potential, and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC-UV) analyses, etc. The encapsulation efficiencies are 60–90% for MIP-NSs and 20–40% for NIP-NSs, whereas melatonin loading capacities are 1–1.5% for MIP-NSs and 4–7% for NIP-NSs. A better-controlled drug release performance (pH = 7.4) for 24 h is displayed by the in vitro release study of MIP-NSs (30–50% released melatonin) than NIP-NSs (50–70% released melatonin) due to the different associations within the polymeric structure. Furthermore, a computational study, through the static simulations in the gas phase at a Geometry Frequency Non-covalent interactions (GFN2 level), is performed to support the inclusion complex between βCD and melatonin with the automatic energy exploration performed by Conformer-Rotamer Ensemble Sampling Tool (CREST). A total of 58% of the CD/melatonin interactions are dominated by weak forces. CD-based MIP-NSs and CD-based NIP-NSs are mixed with cream formulations for enhancing and sustaining the melatonin delivery into the skin. The efficiency of cream formulations is determined by stability, spreadability, viscosity, and pH. This development of a new skin formulation, based on an imprinting approach, will be of the utmost importance in future research at improving skin permeation through transdermal delivery, associated with narrow therapeutic windows or low bioavailability of drugs with various health benefits.

Collagen proteins are spread in almost every vertebrate's tissue with mechanical function. The defining feature of this fundamental family of proteins is its well-known collagen triple-helical domain. This helical domain can have different geometries, varying in helical elongation and interstrands contact, as a function of the amino acidic composition. The helical geometrical features play an important role in the interaction of the collagen protein with cell receptors, but for the vast majority of collagen compositions, these geometrical features are unknown. Quantum mechanical (QM) simulations based on the density functional theory (DFT) provide a robust approach to characterize the scenario on the collagen composition-structure relationships. In this work, we analyze the role of the adopted computational method in predicting the collagen structure for two purposes. First, we look for a cost-effective computational approach to apply to a large-scale composition-structure analysis. Second, we attempt to assess the robustness of the predictions by varying the QM methods. Therefore, we have run geometry optimization on periodic models of the collagen protein using a variety of approaches based on the most commonly used DFT functionals (PBE, HSE06, and B3LYP) with and without dispersion correction (D3ABC). We have coupled these methods with several different basis sets, looking for the highest accuracy/cost ratio. Furthermore, we have studied the performance of the composite HF-3c method and the semiempirical GFN1-xTB method. Our results identify a computational recipe that is potentially capable of predicting collagen structural features in line with DFT simulations, with orders of magnitude reduced computational cost, encouraging further investigations on the topic.

Inhaled crystalline silica causes inflammatory lung diseases, but the mechanism for its unique activity compared to other oxides remains unclear, preventing the development of potential therapeutics. Here, the molecular recognition mechanism between membrane epitopes and "nearly free silanols" (NFS), a specific subgroup of surface silanols, is identified and proposed as a novel broad explanation for particle toxicity in general. Silica samples having different bulk and surface properties, specifically different amounts of NFS, are tested with a set of membrane systems of decreasing molecular complexity and different charge. The results demonstrate that NFS content is the primary determinant of membrane disruption causing red blood cell lysis and changes in lipid order in zwitterionic, but not in negatively charged liposomes. NFS-rich silica strongly and irreversibly adsorbs zwitterionic self-assembled phospholipid structures. This selective interaction is corroborated by density functional theory and supports the hypothesis that NFS recognize membrane epitopes that exhibit a positive quaternary amino and negative phosphate group. These new findings define a new paradigm for deciphering particle-biomembrane interactions that will support safer design of materials and what types of treatments might interrupt particle-biomembrane interactions.

This work reports for the first time a quantum mechanical study of the interactions of a model benzodiazepine drug, i.e., nitrazepam, with various models of amorphous silica surfaces, differing in structural and interface properties. The interest in these systems is related to the use of mesoporous silica as carrier in drug delivery. The adopted computational procedure has been chosen to investigate whether silica–drug interactions favor the drug degradation mechanism or not, hindering the beneficial pharmaceutical effect. Computed structural, energetics, and vibrational properties represent a relevant comparison for future experiments. Our simulations demonstrate that adsorption of nitrazepam on amorphous silica is a strongly exothermic process in which a partial proton transfer from the surface to the drug is observed, highlighting a possible catalytic role of silica in the degradation reaction of benzodiazepines.

This paper aims at addressing the exploitation of solid-state carriers for hydrogen storage, with attention paid both to the technical aspects, through a wide review of the available integrated systems, and to the social aspects, through a preliminary overview of the connected impacts from a gender perspective. As for the technical perspective, carriers to be used for solid-state hydrogen storage for various applications can be classified into two classes: metal and complex hydrides. Related crystal structures and corresponding hydrogen sorption properties are reviewed and discussed. Fundamentals of thermodynamics of hydrogen sorption evidences the key role of the enthalpy of reaction, which determines the operating conditions (i.e. temperatures and pressures). In addition, it rules the heat to be removed from the tank during hydrogen absorption and to be delivered to the tank during hydrogen desorption. Suitable values for the enthalpy of hydrogen sorption reaction for operating conditions close to ambient (i.e. room temperature and 1-10 bar of hydrogen) are close to 30 kJ·molH2 1. The kinetics of hydrogen sorption reaction is strongly related to the microstructure and to the morphology (i.e. loose powder or pellets) of the carriers. Usually, kinetics of hydrogen sorption reaction is rather fast, and the thermal management of the tank is the rate determining step of the processes. As for the social perspective, various scenarios for the applications in different socio-economic contexts of solid-state hydrogen storage technologies are described. As it occurs with the exploitation of other renewables innovative technologies, a wide consideration of the social factors connected to these processes is needed to assess the extent to which a specific innovation might produce positive or negative impacts in the recipient socio-economic system and to explore the potential role of the social components and dynamics in fostering the diffusion of the innovation itself. Attention has been addressed to the gender perspective, in view of the enhancement of hydrogen-related energy storage systems, intended both in terms of the role of women in triggering the exploitation of hydrogen-based storage as well as to the impact of this innovation in their current conditions, at work and in daily life.

There are different environments in the interstellar medium (ISM), depending on the density, temperature and chemical composition. Among them, molecular clouds, often referred to as the cradle of stars, are paradigmatic environments relative to the chemical diversity and complexity in space. Indeed, there, radio to far-infrared observations revealed the presence of several molecules in the gas phase, while near-infrared spectroscopy detected the existence of submicron sized dust grains covered by H2O -dominated ice mantles. The interaction between gas-phase species and the surfaces of water ices is measured by the binding energy (BE), a crucial parameter in astrochemical modelling. In this work, the BEs of a set of sulphur-containing species on water ice mantles have been computed by adopting a periodic ab initio approach using a crystalline surface model. The Density Functional Theory (DFT)-based B3LYP-D3(BJ) functional was used for the prediction of the structures and energetics. DFT BEs were refined by adopting an ONIOM-like procedure to estimate them at CCSD(T) level toward complete basis set extrapolation, in which a very good correlation between values has been found. Moreover, we show that geometry optimization with the computationally cheaper HF-3c method followed by single point energy calculations at DFT to compute the BEs is a suitable cost-effective recipe to arrive at BE values of the same quality as those computed at full DFT level. Finally, computed data were compared with the available literature data., Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Computational Science and Its Applications, ICCSA 2021

Melatonin (MT) is a molecule of paramount importance in all living organisms, due to its presence in many biological activities, such as circadian (sleep–wake cycle) and seasonal rhythms (reproduction, fattening, molting, etc.). Unfortunately, it suffers from poor solubility and, to be used as a drug, an appropriate transport vehicle has to be developed, in order to optimize its release in the human tissues. As a possible drug-delivery system, β-cyclodextrin (βCD) represents a promising scaffold which can encapsulate the melatonin, releasing when needed. In this work, we present a computational study supported by experimental IR spectra on inclusion MT/βCD complexes. The aim is to provide a robust, accurate and, at the same time, low-cost methodology to investigate these inclusion complexes both with static and dynamic simulations, in order to study the main actors that drive the interactions of melatonin with β-cyclodextrin and, therefore, to understand its release mechanism.

In this work, we model thin films of β-Ca(BH4)2 to understand how nanostructuration of the material can be an effective way to decrease the dehydrogenation enthalpy. Two different crystallographic faces of Ca(BH4)2 have been investigated (i.e., (001) and (101)), and two reaction pathways have been considered that release hydrogen through the formation of CaH2 and CaB6, respectively. Quantum mechanical calculations predict that size reduction from bulk to nanoscale leads to a sizeable decrease of the decomposition enthalpy of the borohydride of about 5 kJ/molH2. Therefore, the present results corroborate the evidence that nanostructured metal borohydrides show advantages for energy storage applications compared to their bulk counterparts.

ACS applied energy materials 4(7), 7327-7337 (2021). doi:10.1021/acsaem.1c01455, Because substitutions of BH$_4$$^–$ anion with Br$^–$ can stabilize the hexagonal structure of the LiBH$_4$ at room temperature, leading to a high Li-ion conductivity, its thermodynamic stability has been investigated in this work. The binary LiBH$_4$–LiBr system has been explored by means of X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, combined with an assessment of thermodynamic properties. The monophasic zone of the hexagonal Li(BH$_4$)$_{1–x}$(Br)$_x$ solid solution has been defined equal to 0.30 ≤ x ≤ 0.55 at 30 °C. Solubility limits have been determined by in situ X-ray diffraction at various temperatures. For the formation of the h-Li(BH$_4$)$_{0.6}$(Br)$_{0.4}$ solid solution, a value of the enthalpy of mixing ($ΔH_{mix}$) has been determined experimentally equal to −1.0 ± 0.2 kJ/mol. In addition, the enthalpy of melting has been measured for various compositions. Lattice stabilities of LiBH$_4$ and LiBr have been determined by ab initio calculations using CRYSTAL and VASP codes. Combining results of experiments and theoretical calculations, the LiBH$_4$–LiBr phase diagram has been determined in all composition and temperature ranges by the CALPHAD method., Published by ACS Publications, Washington, DC

Bone has a hierarchical structure based on the mineralized fibril, an organic matrix envisaging collagen protein in tight interaction with hydroxyapatite mineral (HAP) and stabilized by water molecules. The tremendous complexity of this natural composite material hides the extraordinary features in terms of high compressive strength and elasticity imparted by the collagen protein. Clearly, understanding the nanoscale interface and mechanics of bone at atomistic level can dramatically improve the development of biocomposite and the understanding of bone related diseases. In this work, we aim at elucidating the features of the interaction between a model of a single-collagen-strand (COL) with the most common dried P-rich (010) HAP surface. The methods of choice are static and dynamic simulations based on density functional theory at PBE-D2, PBE-D3 and B3LYP-D3 levels. Collagen is made to a large extent by proline (PRO) and derivatives, and PRO’s side chain is known to affect the collagen triple helix stabil...

The calculation through the supermolecular approach of the hydrogen bond strength EHB between silanol groups at the surface of an ample class of silica-based materials is hindered by the intrinsic difficulty to define the “H-bond free” reference system. We propose, for the first time, to evaluate EHB by adopting the literature empirical correlation relating the Bader local electronic kinetic energy density Gb computed at the H⋅⋅⋅O bond critical point with EHB. Remarkably, EHB for the hydroxylated surfaces of quartz polymorphs correlates with surface formation energy, showing that the surface EHB is responsible of the surface stability. A number of correlations between hydrogen bond features are established, with that between EHB and the enhanced infrared intensity associated to surface hydrogen bond formation, obeying the literature formula semi-quantitatively. The present results are quite general and can be extended to other inorganic surfaces where hydrogen bonds between surface sites are the dominant features.

A combination of experimental and computational techniques has been used to fully describe the thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of the LiBH4-NaBH4-KBH4 system. The Calphad method was used to assess the thermodynamic properties of LiBH4-NaBH4, LiBH4-KBH4, and NaBH4-KBH4 binary systems and to extend the investigation to the LiBH4-NaBH4-KBH4 ternary system. Samples with various compositions in the ternary system were synthesised, both by ball milling and manual mixing of the parent borohydrides, and their thermal stability has been studied using in situ synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction as a function of temperature and using differential scanning calorimetry. From collected experimental and literature data, a thermodynamic assessment of the ternary system led to the determination of the phase diagrams. In all cases, the solid solutions can be described in the frame of the regular solution model, with interaction parameters positive or equal to zero (i.e. ideal solution). In contrast, the liquid phase was described using negative interaction parameters. A new ternary eutectic composition was estimated and it was confirmed experimentally to be equal to a molar fraction of 0.66LiBH4-0.11NaBH4-0.23KBH4 with a melting temperature of 102 °C.

We studied the sensitivity of the energetic and geometrical features of the proline ring (pyrrolidine) to the quantum mechanical computational approach by adopting the proline monomer, trimer, and polymer, as simplified collagen protein models. Within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) approach, we tested the ability of different functionals (GGA PBE and the hybrid B3LYP), added with a posteriori empirical dispersion corrections (D), to predict the conformational potential energy surface of the five-membered heterocycle pyrrolidine ring for the above models, dictating the collagen main features. We also compared the DFT-D results with those from the recently proposed cost-effective HF-3c method and our variant HF-3c-027, both based on Hartree-Fock Hamiltonian and Gaussian minimal basis set properly corrected for basis set superposition error, structure deficiencies, and dispersion interactions. We found that dispersion interactions are essential to destabilize specific conformers. While the HF-3c and its HF-3c-027 variant are unreliable to predict accurately the energy of the ring conformers, structures are accurate. Indeed, the cost-effective DFT-D//HF-3c-027 approach in which the energetic is from the accurate DFT-D method on HF-3c-027 structures provides energetic in line with that derived by the costly DFT-D//DFT-D approach, paving the way to simulate more realistic collagen models of much larger size. The adoption of either PBE or B3LYP functional for the electronic part of the DFT-D method gives very similar results, recommending the first as the most cost-effective method for simulating large collagen models. The predicted most stable conformation computed for the periodic poly proline (type II) model allows for a higher flexibility, in agreement with experimental studies on collagen protein. The present results open the way to large-scale calculations of the collagen/hydroxyapatite system, crucial for understanding the atomistic details in bones and teeth.

Among materials usually employed for drug delivery, silica plays a key role, particularly in its mesoporous form. Although much research has been performed on the topic of silica drug delivery, the understanding of the interactions occurring between the material surface and drug molecules is still scarce, despite this knowledge is essential for determining the final performance of a drug-delivery system (DDS). Molecular modeling can give a precious insight on this issue, acting as a virtual microscope to study the processes occurring inside the drug carrier. Ab initio simulations, in particular, can accurately predict geometries and enthalpies of adsorption, infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, and other experimental observables that can help pharmaceutical researchers to better predict the features of novel DDSs.

A combination of experimental and computational techniques has been used to fully describe the thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams of the LiBH

A density functional theory (PBE functional) investigation is carried out, in which a model of an amorphous silica surface is functionalized by ortho-benzoquinone. Surface functionalization with catechol and quinone-based compounds is relevant in biomedical fields, from prosthetic implants to dentistry, to develop multifunctional coatings with antimicrobial properties. The present study provides atomistic information on the specific interactions between the functionalizing agent and the silanol groups at the silica surface. The distinct configurations of the functional groups, the hydrogen bond pattern, the role of dispersion forces and the simulated IR spectra provide detailed insight into the features of this model surface coating. Ab initio molecular dynamics gives further insights into the mobility of the functionalizing groups. As a final step, we studied the condensation reaction with allylamine, via Schiff base formation, to ground subsequent simulations on condensation with model peptides of antimicrobial activity.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is the second most abundant gas-phase molecule after molecular hydrogen (H2) of the interstellar medium (ISM). In molecular clouds, an important component of the ISM, it adsorbs at the surface of core grains, usually made of Mg/Fe silicates, and originates complex organic molecules through the catalytic power of active sites at the grain surfaces. To understand the atomistic, energetic, and spectroscopic details of the CO adsorption on core grains, we resorted to density functional theory based on the hybrid B3LYP-D* functional inclusive of dispersion contribution. We modeled the complexity of interstellar silicate grains by studying adsorption events on a large set of infinite extended surfaces cut out from the bulk Mg2SiO4 forsterite, the Mg end-member of olivines (Mg2xFe2–2xSiO4), also a very common mineral on the Earth’s crust. Energetic and structural features indicate that CO is exclusively physisorbed with binding energy values in the 23–68 kJ mol–1 range. Detailed analysis of ...

In this work ab initio calculations and Calphad modelling have been coupled to describe the effect of fluorine substitution on the thermodynamics of hydrogenation–dehydrogenation in simple hydrides (NaH, AlH 3 and CaH 2 ). These example systems have been used to discuss the conditions required for the formation of a stable hydride–fluoride solid solution necessary to obtain a reversible hydrogenation reaction.

As also observed for conventional silicate glasses, water can be incorporated in the bulk interstitial regions of a bioactive glass (BG) matrix during the glass preparation and/or upon exposure to an aqueous environment. However, in the case of BGs, very little is known about the effect of hydration on the bulk structure, and then on key properties of these materials, such as biodegradation and bioactivity, that depend on the bulk structure itself. Here we employ a combination of atomistic simulation techniques to explore the nature and effects of water–BG interactions in the bulk of a bioactive glass. The fate of water inserted in the bulk interstitial region of 45S5 bioglass has been studied by ab initio geometry relaxations and Molecular Dynamics (AIMD) simulations. We probed the interaction of a water molecule with silica rings and cages of different size, as well as the stability of potentially relevant configurations involving manually dissociated water and opened rings. The local stability of selected configurations was further assessed by subjecting them to AIMD runs, in order to overcome possible kinetic barriers for water diffusion and dissociation. Small rings do not appear as favourable absorption sites in the bulk of a bioactive glass as they are for bioinert glasses. Moreover, water dissociation through rupture of Si–O bonds of silica rings formed in the bulk was thermodynamically unfavourable. However, a high-temperature AIMD run led to a dissociated state involving no broken Si–O bonds and a free hydroxyl: because re-optimization of this state produced the most favourable hydration energy identified in this study, dissociative absorption through this mechanism appears a likely outcome of the water–45S5 interaction at low water content. We discuss the structural and dynamical basis for the stability of this and other water–glass adducts identified, and the potential consequences of these interactions for the behaviour of the glass in a biological context.

In this work, the vibrational spectra of hexagonal hydroxylapatite OHAp (space group P 6 3 ) and type A carbonated apatite [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (CO 3 ), space group P 1] have been calculated with an ab initio approach by the density function method using the hybrid B3LYP functional and an all-electron polarized double-ζ quality Gaussian-type basis set using the CRYSTAL09 computer program. The effect on the vibrational properties due to improving the Ca pseudopotential, usually adopted in previous studies on hydroxylapatite, toward the present all-electron basis set has also been briefly addressed. The anharmonic correction for hydroxyl groups in OHAp has also been considered. The results of the modeling are in good agreement with the available FTIR and Raman data presented in the literature and can be useful to experimental researchers to assign unequivocally the bands in infrared and Raman spectra to specific fundamental vibrational modes.

Hydroxyapatite [HA, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2], the main constituent of bones and teeth enamels, is a widely studied and employed biomaterial. Its applications span from dental to orthopedic implants, including bone tissue engineering scaffolds, coating, filler and many others. Previous theoretical and experimental studies have already characterized the physical–chemical foundations of water adsorption on a number of HA surfaces, an essential step in the mechanism of biomaterial integration. Here, we extend such knowledge by simulating, at a hybrid DFT level of theory, different HA surface terminations, both stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric, as free and in interaction with water. Such a goal is achieved at an unprecedented accuracy, with a large all-electron basis set and including dispersion forces contributions. The calculated results are then compared with experimental micro-calorimetric data, showing a good agreement in the loading trend of the (010) surfaces. More generally, this theoretical approach is confirmed to be an efficient tool to analyze these biomaterials, giving the possibility to investigate the HA behavior toward more complex molecules, from amino acids to collagen, at the here-presented level of theory, to shed some light on the complex biomineralization process of human bones and teeth.

A comparative assessment of the accuracy of different quantum mechanical methods for evaluating the structure and the cohesive energy of molecular crystals is presented. In particular, we evaluate the performance of the semiempirical HF-3c method in comparison with the B3LYP-D* and the Local MP2 (LMP2) methods by means of a fully periodic approach. Three benchmark sets have been investigated: X23, G60, and the new K7; for a total of 82 molecular crystals. The original HF-3c method performs well but shows a tendency at overbinding molecular crystals, in particular for weakly bounded systems. For the X23 set, the mean absolute error for the cohesive energies computed with the HF-3c method is comparable to the LMP2 one. A refinement of the HF-3c has been attempted by tuning the dispersion term in the HF-3c energy. While the performance on cohesive energy prediction slightly worsens, optimized unit cell volumes are in excellent agreement with experiment. Overall, the B3LYP-D* method combined with a TZP basis set gives the best results. For cost-effective calculations on molecular crystals, we propose to compute cohesive energies at the B3LYP-D*/TZP level of theory on the dispersion-scaled HF-3c optimized geometries (i.e., B3LYP-D*/TZP//HF-3c(0.27) also dubbed as SP-B3LYP-D*). Besides, for further benchmarking on molecular crystals, we propose to combine the three test sets in a new one denoted as MC82.

Confinement in mesoporous silica can greatly increase the solubility of pharmaceutical compounds. Propionic acid derivatives (a very popular class of drugs that include ibuprofen and ketoprofen) would greatly benefit from such technology, given their common apolar character. However, it is still debated whether, after confinement, these drugs are adsorbed on the pore walls as individual molecules or they keep the H-bonded dimeric structure that exists in their crystalline form. Their physical state inside the mesopores could have important consequences on the final performances of the drug delivery system. We employed accurate periodic density functional theory simulations, both static and dynamic, to investigate the issue. We simulated ibuprofen, as a model for all propionic acid derivatives, adsorbed both as a monomer and as a dimer inside a realistic model for the MCM-41 mesoporous silica. We found that adsorption is energetically favored in both cases, driven by both vdW and H-bond interactions. However, through ab initio molecular dynamics, we observed a continuous forming, breaking and reforming of these interactions. In the end, by comparing computed energetics, vibrational spectra and mobility, we were able to provide some important clues on the physical state of this class of drugs inside mesoporous silica, helping to define which drug family (monomer or dimer) is more probable after confinement.

The LiBH4–NaBH4 pseudo-binary system has been investigated by X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed photographic analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry, in order to establish the phase diagram. The polymorphic orthorhombic-to-hexagonal phase transition of LiBH4 was observed at 94 °C in samples containing NaBH4, i.e. 15 °C lower than for pure LiBH4, which indicates the dissolution of sodium into LiBH4. The formation of solid solutions was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction measurements performed as a function of temperature. A new eutectic composition between Li0.65Na0.35BH4 and Li0.70Na0.30BH4, with a melting temperature of 216 °C, is observed. Ab initio calculations have been performed to establish the relative stabilities of the pure compounds in orthorhombic, hexagonal and cubic structures. The obtained experimental and calculated data were compared with available literature values and they were used for a thermodynamic assessment of the LiBH4–NaBH4 system by the calphad method. The enthalpy of mixing for solid and liquid solutions has been estimated on the basis of experimental data.

Zirconium tetraborohydride, Zr(BH4)4, was synthesized by a metathesis reaction between LiBH4 and ZrCl4 using high-energy ball milling. Initially, a white powder was produced, and during storage at ...

The synthesis of halide-substituted Mg(BH4)2 by ball-milling, and characterization with respect to thermodynamics and crystal structure, has been addressed. The ball-milled mixture of Mg(BH4)2 and MgX2 (X = Cl, Br) has been investigated by in situ/ex situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and infrared and Raman spectroscopy. High resolution SR-PXD patterns reveal that the unit cell volume of β-Mg(BH4)2 in milled and annealed mixtures of Mg(BH4)2 with MgCl2/MgBr2 is smaller than that of pure β-Mg(BH4)2. This is due to substitution of BH4– by Cl–/Br– ions which have ionic radii smaller than that of BH4–. For comparison, ab initio calculations were run to simulate Cl substitution in α-Mg(BH4)2. The α-polymorph was used rather than the β-polymorph because the size of the unit cell was more manageable. Electronic energy data and thermodynamic considerations confirm the miscibility of MgCl2 and Mg(BH4)2, both in α- and β-polymorphs.

Hydrogen substitution by fluorine in the orthorhombic phase of LiBH 4 has been investigated with quantum-mechanics calculations aiming at describing thermodynamic properties of LiB(H,F) 4 solid solutions for hydrogen storage applications. Excess enthalpy of the mixed compounds was computed with the periodic ab initio CRYSTAL09 code, within the density functional approach and localised Gaussian basis sets, and used for Calphad thermodynamic modelling. The large number of possible mixed configurations for a given fluorine content were reduced by symmetry equivalence criteria. Deep analysis of the results highlights the relevance of structures in which, for a given H/F ratio, fluorine ions are likely to belong to the same BH 4 tetrahedron, rather than be dispersed over the available tetrahedra. This “locality principle” dramatically reduced the configurational space to be explored by expensive quantum-mechanical calculations. Our data show that, at room temperature, the formation of solid solutions between lithium borohydride and borofluoride is not thermodynamically favoured, so that the fluorine substitution destabilizes the pure hydride.

The affinity of the (001) and of the water reacted (010)WR hydroxyapatite surfaces towards formic and alendronic acids is studied with density functional theory (PBE functional) using periodic boundary conditions based on Gaussian basis set. Structures, energetic of the adsorption and vibrational features of the adsorbates are computed in order to understand at the atomic level both the cariogenic processes (for the formic acid) and the features of anti-osteoporosis drugs (for the alendronic acid). For both molecules the interaction energy is very high on an absolute scale, and for all examined cases, it is higher on the (010)WR HA surface than on the (001) one. For the latter, a number of cases by which the acidic proton of the adsorbate is transferred to the HA surface are also characterized. For the formic acid case, experimental infrared spectra are also measured and the position and nature of the C=O stretching bands have been found to be in excellent agreement with the quantum mechanical simulations. For alendronic acid IR experiments are still not available and the present predicted infrared spectra will be useful as a guide to interpret future experimental studies.

The possibility of changing the thermodynamic properties of AlH3, alane, by fluorine anion substitution has been investigated by experimental measurements, ab initio calculations and thermodynamic modelling. No solid solution phases are observed experimentally. In accordance to this the calculations give a positive free energy of mixing for all compositions, showing that a mixed phase is not thermodynamically favourable. Thus fluorine anion substitution does not seem feasible for the alane system.

In order to be used for applications, the thermodynamic stability of a candidate hydrogen storage material should be suitable for hydrogen sorption at room conditions. By mixing different hydrides, it is possible to promote the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation processes. On the other hand, small changes in composition allow a tailoring of thermodynamic stability of hydrides. Knowledge of thermodynamic stability of hydrides is thus fundamental to study the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation processes and useful to rationalize synthesis reactions and to suggest possible alternative reaction routes. The purpose of this work is to develop a consistent thermodynamic database for hydrogen storage systems by the CALPHAD approach. Experimental data have been collected from the literature. When experimental measurements were scarce or completely lacking, estimations of the energy of formation of hydrides have been obtained by ab initio calculations performed with the CRYSTAL code. Several systems of interest for hydrogen storage have been investigated, including metallic hydrides (M-H) and complex hydrides. The effect on thermodynamic properties of fluorine-to-hydrogen substitution in some simple hydrides is also considered. Calculated and experimental thermodynamic properties of various hydrides have been compared and a satisfactory agreement has been achieved.

B3LYP periodic calculations with double-ζ polarised basis set using C rystal 06 code have been run on a bioactive phospho-silicate glass similar in composition to Bioglass ® 45S5 (46.1 SiO 2 , 24.4 Na 2 O, 26.9 CaO and 2.6 P 2 O 5 mol%) and a phosphorous-free soda-lime glass (49.5 SiO 2 , 24.2 Na 2 O and 26.4 CaO mol%). Initial structures have been obtained through a melt-quench process by classical molecular dynamics techniques and the effect of phosphorous on the glass network structure and dynamics have been assessed by B3LYP vibrational spectra.

The (001) surface of the hexagonal hydroxyapatite HA [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 , layer group P 3] is simulated with the slab approach by fully optimizing (cell size and internal coordinates) two models, respectively 6 A and 14 A thick, in a fully ab initio periodic approach. The B3LYP hybrid functional and a Gaussian basis set of polarized double zeta quality and pseudo potentials for Ca ions only have been adopted, as encoded in the CRYSTAL03 computer program. Both slab models are cut out of the optimized structure of the hexagonal HA bulk phase ( P 6 3 space group). Because the (001) surface derived from the hexagonal HA shows ferroelectricity due to the orientation of the OH groups, the convergence of the E surf with the slab thickness (until a thickness of about 60 A) has been studied at B3LYP level on slabs whose geometry has been optimized using the GULP program with a recently developed shell-ion model potential. Structural and electronic features are addressed and a comparison between results for the considered slabs is carried out with respect to the: i) surface energy, E surf ; ii) geometrical relaxation; iii) band gap, field across the slab and Mulliken analysis; iv) electrostatic features in close proximity of the surface; v) harmonic/anharmonic OH vibrational features. The same procedure has been adopted for non-ferroelectric slabs derived from the HA monoclinic phase (bulk belonging to the P 2 1 / b space group). E surf for hexagonal HA increases slightly, as a function of the slab thickness, from 1.080 J/m 2 (doublelayer) to 1.107 J/m 2 (nonalayer), showing that the OH ferroelectricity imparts an instability of ≈0.003 J/m 2 for each added layer (7 A thick). For the non-ferroelectric HA monoclinic phase, E surf converges to 1.337 J/m 2 within 1.0 −4 J/m 2 already for the doublelayer. It is shown that the OH ferroelectricity does not prevent the formation of a (001) slab of thickness of at least 10 nm, a fact relevant for technological applications. The HA doublelayer slab is suggested as a proper model of the HA (001) face to study adsorption processes relevant to understand the role of hydroxyapatite surface in biological processes.

This study demonstrates the feasibility of periodic all-electron hybrid density functional theory calculations in the description of protein crystals, using crambin as a test case., Molecular simulations of proteins have been usually accomplished through empirical or semi-empirical potentials, due to the large size and inherent complexity of these biological systems. On the other hand, a theoretical description of proteins based on quantum-mechanical methods would however provide an unbiased characterization of their electronic properties, possibly offering a link between these and the ultimate biological activity. Yet, such approaches have been historically hindered by the large amount of requested computational power. Here we demonstrate the feasibility of periodic all-electron density functional theory calculations in the description of the crystal of the protein crambin (46 aminoacids), which is determined with exceptional structural accuracy. We have employed the hybrid B3LYP functional, coupled to an empirical description of London interactions (D*) to simulate the crambin crystal with an increasing amount of lattice water molecules in the cell (up to 172H2O per cell). The agreement with the experiment is good for both protein geometry and protein–water interactions. The energetics was computed to predict crystal formation energies, protein–water and protein–protein interaction energies. We studied the role of dispersion interactions which are crucial for holding the crambin crystal in place. B3LYP-D* electrostatic potential and dipole moment of crambin as well as the electronic charge flow from crambin to the solvating water molecules (0.0015e per H2O) have also been predicted. These results proved that quantum-mechanical simulations of small proteins, both free and in their crystalline state, are now feasible in a reasonable amount of time, by programs capable of exploiting high performance computing architectures, allowing the study of protein properties not easily amenable through classical force fields.

Ordered mesoporous silicas have been widely investigated as drug carriers in several fields, from tissue engineering to cancer therapy. The knowledge of the specific interactions between the surface of mesoporous silicas and drugs is necessary to guide development of new and improved drug delivery systems. However, such knowledge is still scarce, due to the arduous interpretation of experimental results. In this work, we characterize the incorporation of clotrimazole, a common antifungal drug, inside ordered mesoporous silica by means of a joint computational and experimental approach. Experimentally the drug was loaded through supercritical CO2 and its adsorption investigated through infrared spectroscopy, N2 adsorption isotherms, and thermogravimetric analysis. Modeling involved static and dynamic Density Functional Theory simulations of clotrimazole adsorbed on realistic models of amorphous silica surfaces. A good agreement between the computational and the experimental results was obtained, concerning...

In silico modeling of acidic (CH2COOH) or basic (CH2NH2) functionalized silica surfaces has been carried out by means of a density functional approach based on a gradient-corrected functional to provide insight into the characterization of experimentally functionalized surfaces via a plasma method. Hydroxylated surfaces of crystalline cristobalite (sporting 4.8 OH/nm2) mimic an amorphous silica interface as unsubstituted material. To functionalize the silica surface we transformed the surface Si-OH groups into Si-CH2COOH and Si-CH2NH2 moieties to represent acidic/basic chemical character for the substitution. Structures, energetics, electronic, and vibrational properties were computed and compared as a function of the increasing loading of the functional groups (from 1 to 4 per surface unit cell). Classical molecular dynamics simulations of selected cases have been performed through a Reax-FF reactive force field to assess the mobility of the surface added chains. Both DFT and force field calculations identify the CH2NH2 moderate surface loading (1 group per unit cell) as the most stable functionalization, at variance with the case of the CH2COOH group, where higher loadings are preferred (2 groups per unit cell). The vibrational fingerprints of the surface functionalities, which are the ?(C=O) stretching and ?(NH2) bending modes for acidic/basic cases, have been characterized as a function of substitution percentage in order to guide the assignment of the experimental data. The final results highlighted the different behavior of the two types of functionalization. On the one hand, the frequency associated with the ?(C=O) mode shifts to lower wavenumbers as a function of the H-bond strength between the surface functionalities (both COOH and SiOH groups), and on the other hand, the ?(NH2) frequency shift seems to be caused by a subtle balance between the H-bond donor and acceptor abilities of the NH2 moiety. Both sets of data are in general agreement with experimental measurements on the corresponding silica-functionalized materials and provide finer details for a deeper interpretation of experimental spectra.

Halide substitution in Ca(BH4)2 has been investigated in ball milled mixtures of Ca(BH4)2 and CaX2 (X = F, Cl, Br) with different molar ratios. In situ synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction measurements of Ca(BH4)2 + CaCl2 with 1:0.5, 1:1 and 1:2 molar ratios reveal that no substitution of Cl− for BH4− occurs from the ball milling process. However, substitution readily occurs after the transitions from α- to β-Ca(BH4)2 and from orthorhombic to tetragonal CaCl2 upon heating above ∼250 °C, which is evident from both contraction of the unit cell and changes in the relative Bragg peak intensities, in agreement with theoretical calculations. Rietveld analyses of the obtained β-Ca((BH4)1−xClx)2 solid solutions indicate compositions from x = 0 to 0.6, depending on the amount of CaCl2 in the parent mixtures. β-Ca((BH4)0.5Cl0.5)2 was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry and has a slightly higher decomposition temperature compared to pure Ca(BH4)2. No substitution with CaF2 or CaBr2 is observed.

Carbonate apatite is a material of the utmost importance as it represents the inorganic fraction of biological hard tissues in bones and teeth. Here we study the static and dynamic features of CO 3 2 − ion in the apatitic channel of carbonate apatite (A- type substitution), by applying both static and dynamic quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional methods with B3LYP-D * and PBE functionals. The static calculations reveal a number of almost energetically equivalent carbonate con fi gurations in the channel, leading to cell parameters compatible with the P 3 ̅space group assigned by the experimental X-ray structure determination. Ab initio isothermal − isobaric molecular dynamics simulations provide insights on the CO 3 2 − mobility, showing that at the temperature of the experimental structural determination the CO 3 2 − moiety undergoes a dynamic disorder, as the carbonate group is almost free to move within the apatitic channel enhancing its exchangeability with other anions. Carbonate apatite is a material of the utmost importance as it represents the inorganic fraction of biological hard tissues in bones and teeth. Here we study the static and dynamic features of CO32- ion in the apatitic channel of carbonate apatite (A-type substitution), by applying both static and dynamic quantum mechanical calculations based on density functional methods with B3LYP-D* and PBE functionals. The static calculations reveal a number of almost energetically equivalent carbonate configurations in the channel, leading to cell parameters compatible with the P3Ì... space group assigned by the experimental X-ray structure determination. Ab initio isothermal-isobaric molecular dynamics simulations provide insights on the CO32- mobility, showing that at the temperature of the experimental structural determination the CO32- moiety undergoes a dynamic disorder, as the carbonate group is almost free to move within the apatitic channel enhancing its exchangeability with other anions. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

In nature, hydroxylapatite [Ca-10(PO4)(6)(OH)(2)] is mostly present with various stoichiometric defects. The most abundant is the carbonate ion that can occupy different crystallographic sites (namely A and B types), however, its effects on the apatite structure is still an object of debate. Type A carbonated apatite was quantum mechanically simulated in a previous study, here we extend the simulation to bulk structural and vibrational features of Na-bearing type B and mixed type A-B carbonated hydroxylapatite [Ca10-xNax(PO4)(6-x)(CO3)(x+y)(OH)(2(1-y)), space group P1]. The simulation has been performed by ab initio density functional methods. The geometry of the models (lattice parameters and internal coordinates) have been fully optimized exploring different positions of the sodium ion in the apatite unit cell. The results, in agreement with XRD data, suggest that in each crystallographic cell in the biological mineral there is at least one calcium ion substitution or vacancy per cell. The carbonate ion presence in the apatite structure is in good agreement with biological/chemical data. Furthermore, there is also a very good agreement with FTIR data reported in literature. In nature, hydroxylapatite [Ca10(PO4) 6(OH)2] is mostly present with various stoichiometric defects. The most abundant is the carbonate ion that can occupy different crystallographic sites (namely A and B types), however, its effects on the apatite structure is still an object of debate. Type A carbonated apatite was quantum mechanically simulated in a previous study, here we extend the simulation to bulk structural and vibrational features of Na-bearing type B and mixed type A-B carbonated hydroxylapatite [Ca10-xNa x(PO4)6-x(CO3)x+y(OH) 2(1-y), space group P1]. The simulation has been performed by ab initio density functional methods. The geometry of the models (lattice parameters and internal coordinates) have been fully optimized exploring different positions of the sodium ion in the apatite unit cell. The results, in agreement with XRD data, suggest that in each crystallographic cell in the biological mineral there is at least one calcium ion substitution or vacancy per cell. The carbonate ion presence in the apatite structure is in good agreement with biological/chemical data. Furthermore, there is also a very good agreement with FTIR data reported in literature. © 1997 - 2014 Mineralogical Society of America. All rights reserved.

The properties of hydroxyapatite can be improved by substitution of biologically relevant ions, such as magnesium (Mg) and strontium (Sr), into its structure. Previous work in the literature has not reached agreement as to site preferences in these substitutions, and there are suggestions that these may change with differing levels of substitution. The current work adopted a quantum mechanical approach based on density functional theory using the CRYSTAL09 code to investigate the structural changes relating to, and site preferences of, magnesium and strontium substitution (to 10 mol%) in hydroxyapatites and also to predict the corresponding vibrational spectra in the harmonic approximation. The structures underwent full geometrical optimisation within the P63 space group, indicating an energetic site preference for the Ca (2) site in the case of Mg substitution, and the Ca (1) site in the case of Sr. Shrinkage of the unit cell was observed in the case of Mg substitution, and expansion in the case of Sr substitution, in agreement with the corresponding ionic radii. Thermodynamic properties of the structures obtained from the harmonic vibrational frequency calculations confirmed that the structures were minima on the potential energy surface. Isotopic substitutions indicated that the main contribution of Sr and Mg to vibrational modes is at frequencies < 400 cm-1.

The adsorption of CO at hydroxyapatite (HA) surfaces has been studied by combining quantum mechanical modeling with experimental IR results. To model the adsorption, the hybrid B3LYP-D*, inclusive of dispersive interactions, has been adopted within the periodic boundary conditions, using the CRYSTAL09 program and a polarized Gaussian type basis set. Four HA surfaces have been investigated using slabs of finite thickness: two stoichiometric HA(001) and HA(010)R surfaces and two nonstoichiometric HA(010) in which the value of the Ca/P ratio was either higher (HA(010)_Ca-rich) or lower (HA(010)_P-rich) than the bulk value. Geometrical, energetic, and vibrational features of the adsorption process have been fully investigated, by considering CO coverage ranging from 1.5 to 6 CO/nm2, respectively. By combining the results from the modeling study with experimental IR data, it was assessed that the vibrational features of adsorbed CO can be proposed as a potential tool for the recognition of types of surface ter...

The reactivity of bioglasses, which is related to the dissolution of cations and orthosilicate groups in the physiological fluid, strongly depends on the key structural features present at the glass surfaces. On the basis of the composition and the synthetic routes employed to make the glass, surfaces with very different characteristics and thus presenting different mechanisms of dissolution can be observed. In this paper, the surface structures of two very different bioglass compositions, namely 45S5 (46.1 SiO2, 24.4 Na2O, 26.9 CaO, and 2.6 P2O5 mol %) and 77S (80.0 SiO2, 16.0 CaO, and 4.0 P2O5 mol %), have been investigated by means of periodic DFT calculations based on a PBE functional and localized Gaussian basis set as encoded in the CRYSTAL code. Our calculations show that the two glass surfaces differ by the relative amount of key structural sites such as NBOs, exposed ions, orthosilicate units, and small rings. We have demonstrated how the number of these sites affects the surface stability and reactivity (bioactivity).

Apatite minerals draw the attention of many researchers not only in mineralogy, but also in biology, biochemistry, and medicine because hydroxylapatite [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ] is the main component of the mineral phase of mammalian bones. However, in nature this mineral is mostly present with various stoichiometric defects. The carbonate ion is found commonly in its structure where it can occupy different crystallographic sites; however, its configurational energy and relative orientation in the apatite lattice is still debated. In this work, bulk structural features of hexagonal hydroxylapatite (space group P 6 3 ) and type A carbonated apatite [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (CO 3 ), space group P 1] have been modeled by density function method using the hybrid B3LYP functional and an all-electron polarized double-ζ quality Gaussian-type basis set using the CRYSTAL09 computer program. The effect on the structural parameters due to the adoption of the present all-electron basis set for the Ca ion compared to the pseuodpotential adopted in previous work has also been discussed. Different orientations of the carbonate ion in the apatite unit cell have been considered. The B3LYP functional and Gaussian-type basis set with polarization have been adopted. The geometry of the model (lattice parameters and internal coordinates) has been fully optimized and resulted in very good agreement with XRD data reported in literature that suggest a “close” configuration (type A1) of the carbonate ion, i.e., with a C-O bond perpendicular to the c -axis of the apatite cell.