Crystalline Naphthalene Research Articles

Effect of dynamical screening in the Bethe-Salpeter framework: Excitons in crystalline naphthalene

Effect of dynamical screening in the Bethe-Salpeter framework: Excitons in crystalline naphthalene

High-Mobility Naphthalene Diimide Derivatives Revealed by Raman-Based In Silico Screening.

Charge transport in crystalline organic semiconductors (OSCs) is considerably hindered by low-frequency vibrations introducing dynamic disorder in the charge transfer integrals. Recently, we have shown that the contributions of various vibrational modes to the dynamic disorder correlate with their Raman intensities and suggested a Raman-based approach for estimation of the dynamic disorder and search for potentially high-mobility OSCs. In the present paper, we showcase this approach by revealing the highest-mobility OSC(s) in two series of crystalline naphthalene diimide derivatives bearing alkyl or cycloalkyl substituents. In contrast to our previous studies, Raman spectra are not measured, but are instead calculated using periodic DFT. As a result, an OSC with a potentially high charge mobility is revealed in each of the two series, and further mobility calculations corroborate this choice. Namely, for the naphthalene diimide derivatives with butyl and cyclopentyl substituents, the estimated room-temperature isotropic electron mobilities are as high as 6 and 15 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively, in the latter case even exceeding 20 cm2 V-1 s-1 in a two-dimensional plane. Thus, our results highlight the potential of using the calculated Raman spectra to search for high-mobility crystalline OSCs and reveal two promising OSCs, which were previously overlooked.

Electronic spectra and structure of 1- and 2-fluoronaphthalene impurity centers in crystalline naphthalene

The results of experimental investigations on the low-temperature fluorescence and absorption spectra of the 1- and 2-fluoronaphthalene impurities in the crystalline naphthalene are presented and analyzed. When the 1- and 2-fluoronaphthalene concentrations are less than 1%, the absorption and fluorescence spectra are shown to be composed of two identical band series, induced by the formation of two different centers, consisting of the single impurity molecules. The impurity concentration increase of over 1% results in the appearance of the additional structure in the polarized absorption spectra near the 0-0 bands of the single centers in a form of narrow bands with similar intensity and different polarization. This structure is associated with a formation of impurity paired centers, consisting of the two resonantly interacting molecules of either 1-fluoronaphthalene, or 2-fluoronaphthalene. Besides, in the case of the 2-fluoronaphthalene, the absorption spectra contain intense peaks, located ∼ 45 cm−1 higher in frequency, relative to the 0−0 transition bands for each single-center, and consisted of complexes of narrow lines. These spectral peaks are also explained by a formation of impurity paired centers, but here interactions between the molecules are not resonant. For the pure naphthalene crystal factors, causing the observation of additional oppositely polarized weak bands in the absorption spectra at ∼ 10 cm−1 near the Davydov doublet components, are described.

Band gap renormalization, carrier mobilities, and the electron-phonon self-energy in crystalline naphthalene

Organic molecular crystals are expected to feature appreciable electron-phonon interactions that influence their electronic properties at zero and finite temperature. In this work, we report first-principles calculations and an analysis of the electron-phonon self-energy in naphthalene crystals. We compute the zero-point renormalization and temperature dependence of the fundamental band gap, and the resulting scattering lifetimes of electronic states near the valence- and conduction-band edges employing density functional theory. Further, our calculated phonon renormalization of the $GW$-corrected quasiparticle band structure predicts a fundamental band gap of 5 eV for naphthalene at room temperature, in good agreement with experiments. From our calculated phonon-induced electron lifetimes, we obtain the temperature-dependent mobilities of electrons and holes in good agreement with experimental measurements at room temperatures. Finally, we show that an approximate energy self-consistent computational scheme for the electron-phonon self-energy leads to the prediction of strong satellite bands in the electronic band structure. We find that a single calculation of the self-energy can reproduce the self-consistent results of the band gap renormalization and electrical mobilities for naphthalene, provided that the on-the-mass-shell approximation is used, i.e., if the self-energy is evaluated at the bare eigenvalues.

Modelling of an aza-Michael reaction from crystalline naphthalene derivatives containing peri–peri interactions: very long N–C bonds?

A correlation between N–C bond formation and CC bond breaking is constructed from the structures of a family of peri-naphthalenes with a second set of peri substituents.

A Crystalline Polyimide Porous Organic Framework for Selective Adsorption of Acetylene over Ethylene.

The separation of acetylene from ethylene is a crucial process in the petrochemical industry, as even small acetylene impurities can lead to premature termination of ethylene polymerization. Herein, we present the synthesis of a robust, crystalline naphthalene diimide porous aromatic framework via imidization of linear naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetracarboxylic dianhydride and triangular tris(4-aminophenyl)amine. The resulting material, PAF-110, exhibits impressive thermal and long-term structural stability, as indicated by thermogravimetric analysis and powder X-ray diffraction characterization. Gas adsorption characterization reveals that PAF-110 has a capacity for acetylene that is more than twice its ethylene capacity at 273 K and 1 bar, and it exhibits a moderate acetylene selectivity of 3.9 at 298 K and 1 bar. Complementary computational investigation of each guest binding in PAF-110 suggests that this affinity and selectivity for acetylene arises from its stronger electrostatic interaction with the carbonyl oxygen atoms of the framework. To the best of our knowledge, PAF-110 is the first crystalline porous organic material to exhibit selective adsorption of acetylene over ethylene, and its properties may provide insight into the further optimized design of porous organic materials for this key gas separation.

Solubility prediction of naphthalene in carbon dioxide from crystal microstructure

Crystals dissolved in solvents are ubiquitous in both natural and artificial systems. Due to the complicated structures and asymmetric interactions between the crystal and solvent, it is difficult to interpret the dissolution mechanism and predict solubility using traditional theories and models. Here we use the classical density functional theory (DFT) to describe the crystal dissolution behavior. As an example, naphthalene dissolved in carbon dioxide (CO2) is considered within the DFT framework. The unit cell dimensions and microstructure of crystalline naphthalene are determined by minimizing the free-energy of the crystal. According to the microstructure, the solubilities of naphthalene in CO2 are predicted based on the equality of naphthalene’s chemical potential in crystal and solution phases, and the interfacial structures and free-energies between different crystal planes and solution are determined to investigate the dissolution mechanism at the molecular level. The theoretical predictions are in general agreement with the available experimental data, implying that the present model is quantitatively reliable in describing crystal dissolution.

Understanding the effects of electronic polarization and delocalization on charge-transport levels in oligoacene systems.

Electronic polarization and charge delocalization are important aspects that affect the charge-transport levels in organic materials. Here, using a quantum mechanical/embedded-charge (QM/EC) approach based on a combination of the long-range corrected ωB97X-D exchange-correlation functional (QM) and charge model 5 (CM5) point-charge model (EC), we evaluate the vertical detachment energies and polarization energies of various sizes of crystalline and amorphous anionic oligoacene clusters. Our results indicate that QM/EC calculations yield vertical detachment energies and polarization energies that compare well with the experimental values obtained from ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurements. In order to understand the effect of charge delocalization on the transport levels, we considered crystalline naphthalene systems with QM regions including one or five-molecules. The results for these systems show that the delocalization and polarization effects are additive; therefore, allowing for electron delocalization by increasing the size of the QM region leads to the additional stabilization of the transport levels.

Mesogenic naphthyl derivatives

ABSTRACTTwo new mesogenic homologous series of liquid crystalline naphthalene derivatives with different central linkages: 2- Naphthyl-4-n-alkoxybenzoates (I) and trans-2-Naphthyl -4-n –alkoxycinnamates(II), have been synthesized and characterized by a combination of elemental analysis and standard spectroscopic methods. Twelve compounds have been synthesized in both the series I and II. In series I, methoxy to n-pentyloxy derivatives are non mesogenic, n-hexyloxy to n-hexadecyloxy derivatives exhibit monotropic nematic mesophase. Smectic A mesophase commences from n-decyloxy derivatives as a monotropy and persist up to the last member synthesized. All the 12 compounds of series II exhibit mesomorphism. Methoxy to n-propyloxy derivatives exhibit monotropic nematic mesophse, and n-butyloxy to n-tetradecyloxy derivatives exhibit enantiotropic nematic mesophase. n-Hexayloxy to n-hexadecyloxy derivatives also exhibit enantiotropic smectic A mesophase. The mesomorphic properties of present series were compared with each other and with a structurally related mesogenic homologous series to evaluate the effects of central linkage on mesomorphism.

Anion-Exchange Induced Strong π-π Interactions in Single Crystalline Naphthalene Diimide for Nitroexplosive Sensing: An Electronic Prototype for Visual on-Site Detection.

A new derivative of naphthalene diimide (NDMI) was synthesized that displayed optical, electrical, and visual changes exclusively for the most widespread nitroexplosive and highly water-soluble toxicant picric acid (PA) due to strong π-π interactions, dipole-charge interaction, and a favorable ground state electron transfer process facilitated by Coulombic attraction. The sensing mechanism and interaction between NDMI with PA is demonstrated via X-ray diffraction analysis, (1)H NMR studies, cyclic voltammetry, UV-visible/fluorescence spectroscopy, and lifetime measurements. Single crystal X-ray structure of NDMI revealed the formation of self-assembled crystalline network assisted by noncovalent C-H···I interactions that get disrupted upon introducing PA as a result of anion exchange and strong π-π stacking between NDMI and PA. Morphological studies of NDMI displayed large numbers of single crystalline microrods along with some three-dimensional (3D) daisy-like structures which were fabricated on Al-coated glass substrate to construct a low-cost two terminal sensor device for realizing vapor mode detection of PA at room temperature and under ambient conditions. Furthermore, an economical and portable electronic prototype was developed for visual and on-site detection of PA vapors under exceptionally realistic conditions.

Structural and electronic properties of solid naphthalene under pressure: density functional calculations

The pressure effect on the geometrical and electronic structures of crystalline naphthalene is calculated up to 30 GPa by performing density functional calculations. The lattice parameters a, b, and c, decrease by 1.77 A (–20.4%), 0.85 A (–14.1%), and 0.91 A (–8.2%), respectively, while the monoclinic angle β increases by 3.95° in this pressure region. At the highest pressure of 30 GPa the unit cell volume decreases by 62.7%. The detailed analysis of the molecular arrangement within crystal structure reveals that the molecular motion becomes more and more localized, and hints towards the evolution of intermolecular interaction with pressure. Moreover, the electronic structure of naphthalene under high pressure is also discussed. A pressure induced decrease of the band gap is observed.

Ab initiophonon dispersion in crystalline naphthalene using van der Waals density functionals

Acene molecular crystals are of current interest in organic optoelectronics, both as active materials and for exploring and understanding new phenomena. Phonon scattering can be an important facilitator and dissipation mechanism in charge separation and carrier transport processes. Here, we carry out density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the structure and the full phonon dispersion of crystalline naphthalene, a well-characterized acene crystal for which detailed neutron-diffraction measurements, as well as infrared and Raman spectroscopy, are available. We evaluate the performance, relative to experiments, of DFT within the local density approximation (LDA); the generalized gradient approximation of Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE); and a recent van der Waals--corrected nonlocal correlation (vdW-DF-cx) functional. We find that the vdW-DF-cx functional accurately predicts lattice parameters of naphthalene within 1%. Intermolecular and intramolecular phonon frequencies across the Brillouin zone are reproduced within 7.8% and 1%, respectively. As expected, LDA (PBE) underestimates (overestimates) the lattice parameters and overestimates (underestimates) phonon frequencies, demonstrating their shortcomings for predictive calculations of weakly bound materials. If the unit cell is fixed to the experimental lattice parameters, PBE is shown to lead to improved phonon frequencies. Our study provides a detailed understanding of the phonon spectrum of naphthalene, and highlights the importance of including van der Waals dispersion interactions in predictive calculations of lattice parameters and phonon frequencies of molecular crystals and related organic materials.

First principles study of the electronic structure and phonon dispersion of naphthalene under pressure

The structural, electronic and vibrational properties of crystalline naphthalene has been investigated within the framework of density functional theory including van der Waals interactions. The computed lattice parameters and cohesive energy have good agreement with experimental data. We study on the structural and electronic properties of the naphthalene under the hydrostatic pressure of 0–20GPa. The isothermal equations of state calculated from the results show good agreement with experiment in the pressure intervals studied. The phonon dispersion curves have been computed at ambient and hydrostatic pressure of 10 and 20GPa. We have also calculated the quasiparticle band structure of naphthalene with the G0W0 approximation.

PDF calculations from STOE STADI P Ag Kα1 low- and high-temperature data

An impressive comparison of G(r) calculated with PDFgetX2(1) from data of Naphthalen taken at room temperature with a Stoe Stadi P powder diffractometer in Transmission mode equipped with a Ag-tube, a Ge(111)-monochromator for pure Ag-Kα1-radiation (0.5594 Å) as well as the Dectris MYTHEN 1K with1mm chip size and from synchrotron data, beamline X17A, NSLS Brookhaven with a wavelength of 0.1839 Å, yields amazingly similar peak widths for both experiment sites. To observe the temperature dependence of this resolution, the same laboratory setup with an additional Oxford Cryosystems Cobra or a Stoe furnace has been chosen to compare the signal width as a function of T. Low temperature data for these PDF calculation experiments has been taken from LaB6 as a crystalline standard and Naphthalene as well known organic phase. In addition high temperature G(r)-data from Ammonium Nitride will be demonstrated.

Extraction of Ni(II) on micro crystalline naphthalene modified with organic-solution-processable functionalized nano graphene

A novel and selective method for the fast determination of trace amounts of Ni(II) ions in water samples is described. Method has been developed for preconcentration of Ni on organic-solution-processable functionalized-nano graphene (SPFGraphene) adsorbent in the pH range 5.0–10.0, prior to its spectrophotometric determination, based on the oxidation of bromopyrogallol red at λ = 517 nm. This method makes it possible to quantitize Ni in the range of 4.2 × 10−9 to 2.3 × 10−5 M, with a detection limit (S/N = 3) of 1.42 × 10−9 M. This procedure has been successfully applied to determine the ultra trace levels of Ni in the environmental samples, free from the interference of some diverse ions. The precision, expressed as relative standard deviation of three measurements is better than 3.0%.

Sulfur-34S Stable Isotope Labeling of Amino Acids for Quantification (SULAQ34) of Proteomic Changes in Pseudomonas fluorescens during Naphthalene Degradation

The relative quantification of proteins is one of the major techniques used to elucidate physiological reactions. Because it allows one to avoid artifacts due to chemical labeling, the metabolic introduction of heavy isotopes into proteins and peptides is the preferred method for relative quantification. For eukaryotic cells, stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) has become the gold standard and can be readily applied in a vast number of scenarios. In the microbial realm, with its highly versatile metabolic capabilities, SILAC is often not feasible, and the use of other (13)C or (15)N labeled substrates might not be practical. Here, the incorporation of heavy sulfur isotopes is shown to be a useful alternative. We introduce (34)S stable isotope labeling of amino acids for quantification and the corresponding tools required for spectra extraction and disintegration of the isotopic overlaps caused by the small mass shift. As proof of principle, we investigated the proteomic changes related to naphthalene degradation in P. fluorescens ATCC 17483 and uncovered a specific oxidative-stress-like response.

Spontaneous Crystalline-to-Amorphous Phase Transformation of Organic or Medicinal Compounds in the Presence of Porous Media, Part 3: Effect of Moisture

Amorphization of crystalline compounds using mesoporous media is a promising technique to improve the solubility and drug release of poorly-soluble compounds. The objective of this paper is to understand the effect of moisture on the capacity and performance of vapor-phase mediated amorphization. Mesoporous silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) and crystalline naphthalene were used as the model system. The effect of moisture on the amorphization capacity of naphthalene was determined using adsorption chambers with various levels of relative humidity. Enthalpy and capacity of water vapor adsorption on SiO(2) were measured using isothermal microcalorimetry and thermogravimetry. Moisture not only suppressed the amorphization capacity of naphthalene, but reversed an already-amorphized formulation as well. On the other hand, through the same competitive interaction, improved drug release and enhanced solubility were obtained. The initial supersaturation was followed by an entropy-driven crystallization. In addition, moisture-induced siloxane bond fracture was found at normal processing conditions, which led to the changes in silica surface chemistry. However, the implication in amorphization has not reached a definitive conclusion. Humidity during processing and storage must be carefully controlled for this type of amorphous formulation. Further investigation is needed to better understand the moisture-induced changes of silica.

Electronic structure and chemical bond in naphthalene and anthracene

We investigated the electronic structure of crystalline naphthalene and anthracene within the framework of density functional theory including van der Waals interactions (DFT-D). It is established that for better agreement with experimental values it is necessary to use the increased values of the van der Waals radii, which is caused by an overestimated value of the van der Waals interactions in crystalline linear oligoacenes. Utilization of the DFT-D leads to a correct account of the dispersion forces, which results in a high precision of the computed lattice parameters and cohesive energy. Based on the relaxed crystal structures, we have computed the total and deformation electron density and determined the mechanism of chemical bonds formation in crystals of naphthalene and anthracene. It has been established that the chemical bond in molecular crystals is formed under the influence of not only intramolecular but also intermolecular interactions. On the basis of the Mulliken population analysis it was revealed that two C(3) atoms in naphthalene (or C(3) and C(4) in anthracene) have a positive charge and the population of the rest of the carbon atoms increased, as compared with isolated molecule.

Molecular Motion by Refinement of TLS Matrices from High Resolution Laboratory Powder Diffraction Data: Implementation in the Program TOPAS and Application to Crystalline Naphthalene

Molecular motion by refinement of TLS matrices from high resolution laboratory powder diffraction data: implementation in the program TOPAS and application to crystalline naphthalene

Structure and molecular dynamics of crystalline and liquid anthracene and naphthalene: Possible transient rotator phase of naphthalene

We examine the structural and dynamical properties of the crystal and liquid states of anthracene and naphthalene, with special attention to melting. This molecular dynamics study is based on an all-atom force field, which we optimized for simulations of solid and liquid anthracene, over wide ranges of temperature and pressure. The force field is shown to be transferable to naphthalene. Local ordering of the simulated liquids is in fair agreement with structures deduced in the literature from X-ray scattering, while providing a much more detailed picture. In analogy with the rich polymorphism of substituted benzene and naphthalene complexes, we find for naphthalene (but not anthracene) a two-step melting process with a transient rotator phase in which rotational jumps precede the onset of full melting with translational diffusion.