scholarly journals Solar Driven Photocatalytic Activity of Porphyrin Sensitized TiO2: Experimental and Computational Studies

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3131
Author(s):  
Sebastian Otieno ◽  
Anabel E. Lanterna ◽  
John Mack ◽  
Solomon Derese ◽  
Edith K. Amuhaya ◽  
...  

The absence of a secure long-term sustainable energy supply is recognized as a major worldwide technological challenge. The generation of H2 through photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly alternative that can help solve the energy problem. Thus, the development of semiconductor materials that can absorb solar light is an attractive approach. TiO2 has a wide bandgap that suffers from no activity in the visible spectrum, limiting its use of solar radiation. In this research, the semiconductor absorption profile was extended into the visible region of the solar spectrum by preparing porphyrin-TiO2 (P-TiO2) composites of meso-tetra(4-bromophenyl)porphyrin (PP1) and meso-tetra(5-bromo-2-thienyl)porphyrin (PP2) and their In(III), Zn(II) and Ga(III) metal complexes. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed on the porphyrins to gain insight into their electron injection capability. The results demonstrate that P-TiO2 systems merit further in-depth study for applications that require efficient photocatalytic H2 generation.

2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (07) ◽  
pp. 592-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do Sung Huh ◽  
Sang Joon Choe

The recent interest in the application of density functional theory (DFT) has prompted us to test several functions in molecular geometries of methyl pheophorbides-a (MPa), an important starting material in photodynamic therapy (PDT). In this study, we report on tests for three popular DFT methods: M06-2X, B3LYP, and LSDA. Based on the standard deviation and the mean value, and by using the difference between optimized calculated value and experimental value in geometries, we drew the following conclusions: M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) attained the smallest standard deviation of difference among the tested DFT methods in terms of bond length, whereas the standard deviation of bond angle in LSDA/6-311+G(d,p) was the smallest. In terms of absolute value, the mean value of LSDA/6-311+G(d,p) calculation was larger than that of M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p). We found that M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) gave the best performance for MPa in the molecular geometries. The UV-visible spectrum was calculated with time-dependent density-functional theory (TD-DFT). Time-dependent M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) gave the best performance for MPa in CH2Cl2 solution. In general, TD-DFT calculations in CH2Cl2 solution were more red-shifted compared with those in the solid state.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdur Rauf ◽  
Muhammad Adil ◽  
Shabeer Ahmad Mian ◽  
Gul Rahman ◽  
Ejaz Ahmed ◽  
...  

AbstractHematite (Fe2O3) is one of the best candidates for photoelectrochemical water splitting due to its abundance and suitable bandgap. However, its efficiency is mostly impeded due to the intrinsically low conductivity and poor light absorption. In this study, we targeted this intrinsic behavior to investigate the thermodynamic stability, photoconductivity and optical properties of rhodium doped hematite using density functional theory. The calculated formation energy of pristine and rhodium doped hematite was − 4.47 eV and − 5.34 eV respectively, suggesting that the doped material is thermodynamically more stable. The DFT results established that the bandgap of doped hematite narrowed down to the lower edge (1.61 eV) in the visible region which enhanced the optical absorption and photoconductivity of the material. Moreover, doped hematite has the ability to absorb a broad spectrum (250–800) nm. The enhanced optical absorption boosted the photocurrent and incident photon to current efficiency. The calculated results also showed that the incorporation of rhodium in hematite induced a redshift in optical properties.


Author(s):  
Huimin Guo ◽  
Xiaolin Ma ◽  
Zhiwen Lei ◽  
Yang Qiu ◽  
Bernhard Dick ◽  
...  

The electronic structure and photophysical properties of a series of N-Methyl and N-Acetyl substituted alloxazine (AZs) were investigated with extensive density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT)...


2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (9) ◽  
pp. 872-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanislav R. Stoyanov ◽  
Cindy-Xing Yin ◽  
Murray R. Gray ◽  
Jeffrey M. Stryker ◽  
Sergey Gusarov ◽  
...  

The vanadium and nickel components in heavy oils and bitumen are important impurities in catalytic processing and form aggregates with other asphaltene components. Metalloporphyrins are commonly analyzed using the characteristic Soret band in the UV–vis absorption spectrum. However, the Soret band of metalloporphyrins in petroleum is broadened and weaker than expected based on the concentration of Ni and V in heavy oils and the extinction coefficients of isolated porphyrins. We hypothesize that the low intensity and broadening of the Soret band could be due to axial coordination of the metal center or fusion (annelation) of aromatic rings on the porphyrin π-system. This hypothesis is examined using the density functional theory for geometry optimization and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for calculation of excited states of nickel(II) and vanadyl porphyrins with axially coordinated ligands and annelated polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Predictions of the excited electronic states performed using the tandem of TD-DFT and conductor-like polarizable continuum model of solvation support this hypothesis and provide insight into the extent of Soret band broadening and intensity decrease due to coordination and annelation. These computational results, validated with respect to visible absorption spectra, are important for understanding asphaltene aggregation and spectroscopic characterization and suggest methods for removal of transition metals from heavy oil.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Nicksonsebastin ◽  
P. Pounraj ◽  
Prasath M

Abstract Perylene based novel organic sensitizers for the Dye sensitized solar cell applications are investigated by using Density functional theory (DFT) and time dependant density functional theory (TD-DFT).The designed sensitizers have perylene and dimethylamine (DM) and N-N-dimethylaniline(DMA) functionalized perylene for the dssc applications.π-spacers are thiophene andcyanovinyl groups and cyanoacrylic acid is chosen as the acceptor for the designed sensitizers. The studied sensitizers were fully optimized by density functional theory at B3LYP/6-311G basis set on gas phase and DMF phase. The electronic absorption of the sensitizers is analyzed by TD-DFT at B3LYP/6-311G basis set in both gas and DMF phase.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (40) ◽  
pp. 23295-23306
Author(s):  
Saunak Das ◽  
Johannes Fiedler ◽  
Oliver Stauffert ◽  
Michael Walter ◽  
Stefan Yoshi Buhmann ◽  
...  

Van der Waals potentials determine supramolecular structures of molecules in ground and long-lived electronically excited states. We investigate how macroscopic quantum electrodynamics can be used to efficiently describe such potentials based on (TD)DFT-derived polarizabilities.


Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 28
Author(s):  
Dawid Zych

In this work, the necessity of synthesis of 1,3-di(hetero)aryl-7-substituted pyrenes is presented based on the results of theoretical calculations by using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) by using Gaussian 09 program with B3LYP exchange-correlation functional and 6-31G** basis set. What is more, the synthetic routes with feasible reagents and conditions are presented. The subject of theoretical considerations are two pyrene derivatives which contain at position 1 and 3 pyrazolyl substituents and at position 7 amine (1) or boron (2) derivative. The theoretical calculations were also performed for the osmium complexes with mentioned ligands (3 and 4). The influence of electron-donating/accepting character of the substituent at position 7 of pyrene on the properties of molecules has been established.


2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-410
Author(s):  
Lei Liu ◽  
Bingqing Sun

2-Amino-4-hydroxypteridine (pterin) and its derivatives serve as photooxidants and exhibit strong fluorescence. When they interact with hydrogen acceptors such as acetate and phosphate, their fluorescences are significantly quenched in acidic conditions (pH 4.9–5.5) but are retained in basic conditions (pH 10.0–10.5). This pH-related fluorescence quenching mechanism of pterin and its derivatives are fully investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). Pterin and its derivatives are demonstrated to show favorable excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) abilities in acidic conditions that induce the experimentally observed fluorescence quenching. In contrast, the ESPT processes are found to be retarded due to the lack of strong hydrogen-bonding interactions in basic environments, which sustain their fluorescence. Interestingly, these ESPT processes are found to show different site specificities depending on the 6-site substituents. The introduction of electron-donating substituent activates the N1 site, making it the preferred ESPT site. By contrast, the introduction of an electron-withdrawing substituent activates the N5 site, making it the favorable ESPT site. The substitutions of different functional groups are found to affect the locations of acidic centers during the excitation and relaxation processes. This further affects the hydrogen-bonding patterns and ultimately brings site specificity to the ESPT process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-35
Author(s):  
Spyros Papantzikos ◽  
Alexandos G. Chronis ◽  
Fotios I. Michos ◽  
Mihail M. Sigalas

Background: ZnS nanoparticles (NPs) are attractive for quantum dots applications because they consist of abundant and non-toxic elements. Their major drawback is that they absorb in the UV region, ultimately limiting their applications. Objective: In the present study, 1D and 2D ZnS NPs have been found. The goal of this study is to find NPs that have absorption in the visible spectrum. Methods: Calculations based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT) have been used to find the optimized geometries. Their absorption spectra have been calculated with the Time-Dependent DFT. Results: Several shapes were examined, such as nanorod, and it is observed that these shapes move the absorption spectra in lower energies, into the visible spectrum, while the 3D NPs have absorption edges in the UV region. Conclusion: NPs with the shape of nanorod in different directions showed that their absorption spectra moved to lower energies well inside the visible spectrum with significantly high oscillator strength. In contrast with the mostly used CdSe NPs, the ZnS NPs are made from more abundant and less toxic elements. Therefore, by making them absorb in the visible region, they may find significant applications in solar cells and other photonic applications.


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