Range-separated Exchange-correlation Research Articles

Exact non-adiabatic coupling vectors for the time-dependent density functional based tight-binding method.

We report on non-adiabatic coupling vectors between electronic excited states for the time-dependent-density functional theory based tight-binding (TD-DFTB) method. The implementation includes orbital relaxation effects that have been previously neglected and covers also the case of range-separated exchange-correlation functionals. Benchmark calculations with respect to first principles TD-DFT highlight the large dependence of non-adiabatic couplings on the functional. Closer investigations of the topology around a conical intersection between excited states show that TD-DFTB delivers near-exact values of the Berry phase, which paves the way for consistent non-adiabatic molecular dynamics simulations for large systems.

Probing Charge Carrier Movement in Organic Semiconductor Thin Films via Nanowire Conductance Spectroscopy

Understanding the movement of charge within organic semiconducting films is crucial for applications in photo-voltaics and flexible electronics. We study the sensitivity of the electrical conductance of a silicon nanowire to changes of charge states within an organic semiconductor physisorbed on the surface of the nanowire. Elastic scattering caused by motion of charge carriers near the nanowire modifies the mean-free path for backscattering of electrons propagating within it, which we have mathematically expressed in terms of the causal Green's functions. The scattering potential has been computed using a combination of the polarizable continuum model and density functional theory with the range-separated exchange-correlation functional for organic molecules and the semi-empirical tight-binding model for silicon. As an example, the sensitivity to charge state changes in tetracene is computed as a function of operating temperature and geometrical parameters of a nanowire. For a single molecule, ultra-thin silicon nanowires with characteristic sizes of the cross-section below 2 nm produce a detectable conductance change at room temperature. For larger nanowires the sensitivity is reduced, however the conductance change grows with the number of charged molecules: with sub-4 nm nanowires being sensitive enough to detect several tens of charge carriers. We propose using noise spectroscopy to access the temporal evolution of the charge states. Information regarding the spatial distribution of charge carries in organic thin films can be obtained using a grid of nanowire resistors and electric impedance tomography.

Size evolution study on the electronic and optical properties of gold-cluster complexes [formula omitted]-S-[formula omitted]-[formula omitted]-[formula omitted] (n = 2–5)

Relativistic unrestricted time-dependent density functional theory calculations were performed for obtaining the absorption spectra of gold-cluster complexes Au4-S-CnH2n-S′-Au4′ (n = 2–5). The range-separated exchange-correlation functional CAMYB3LYP was used to properly predict charge transfer excitations. The absorption UV–vis spectrum is not affected by size if structure and metal-molecule bonding remains similar. Changes in the ‘local’ structure and bonding have drastic effects on these systems’ electronic transitions. The HOMO-LUMO gap of the cluster complexes shows a zig-zag behavior typical of gold nanoclusters with respect to the size of the alkanedithiol chain (n).

Excited State Dipole Moments in Solution: Comparison between State-Specific and Linear-Response TD-DFT Values.

We compare different response schemes for coupling continuum solvation models to time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) for the determination of solvent effects on the excited state dipole moments of solvated molecules. In particular, linear-response (LR) and state-specific (SS) formalisms are compared. Using 20 low-lying electronic excitations, displaying both localized and charge-transfer character, this study highlights the importance of applying a SS model not only for the calculation of energies, as previously reported ( J. Chem. Theory Comput. , 2015 , 11 , 5782 , DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.5b00679 ), but also for the prediction of excited state properties. Generally, when a range-separated exchange-correlation functional is used, both LR and SS schemes provide very similar dipole moments for local transitions, whereas differences of a few Debye units with respect to LR values are observed for CT transitions. The delicate interplay between the response scheme and the exchange-correlation functional is discussed as well, and we show that using an inadequate functional in a SS framework can yield to dramatic overestimations of the dipole moments.

Range-Separation Parameter in Tuned Exchange-Correlation Functionals: Successive Ionizations and the Fukui Function.

The range-separation parameter in tuned, range-separated exchange-correlation functionals is investigated in two contexts. First, the system dependence of the parameter is investigated for a series of systems obtained by successively ionizing a single species, paying particular attention to the degree of linearity in the energy versus electron number curve. The parameter exhibits significant system dependence and, therefore, achieving near-linearity in one segment of the curve leads to strong nonlinearity in other segments. This provides a challenging test case for the development of new functionals designed to overcome the known problems of this class of functional. Next, the study considers whether a range-separation parameter tuned to a Koopmans energy condition is also applicable for the analogous density condition. This is tested by comparing two formulations of the Fukui function of conceptual density functional theory, for three representative systems. Both formulations yield the same general features and are not highly sensitive to the range-separation parameter. However, the agreement between the two is near-optimal when the energy-tuned parameter is used, indicating that this parameter is applicable for the analogous density condition.

The QTP family of consistent functionals and potentials in Kohn-Sham density functional theory.

This manuscript presents the second, consistent density functional in the QTP (Quantum Theory Project) family, that is, the CAM-QTP(01). It is a new range-separated exchange-correlation functional in which the non-local exchange contribution is 100% at large separation. It follows the same basic principles of this family that the Kohn-Sham eigenvalues of the occupied orbitals approximately equal the vertical ionization energies, which is not fulfilled by most of the traditional density functional methods. This new CAM-QTP(01) functional significantly improves the accuracy of the vertical excitation energies especially for the Rydberg states in the test set. It also reproduces many other properties such as geometries, reaction barrier heights, and atomization energies.

Electronic Structure and Bonding in Co-Based Single and Mixed Valence Oxides: A Quantum Chemical Perspective.

The mixed valence cobalt oxide, Co3O4, is a potential candidate as a photovoltaic (PV) material, which also exhibits intriguing chemical and catalytic properties. Here, we present a comparative study of the electronic, magnetic, and chemical bonding properties of mixed valence Co3O4 (i.e., Co(2+/3+)) with the related single valence CoO (i.e., Co(2+)) and Co2O3 (i.e., Co(3+)) oxides using density functional theory (DFT). We have employed a range of theoretical methods, including pure DFT, DFT+U, and a range-separated exchange-correlation functional (HSE06). We compare the electronic structure and band gap of the oxide materials, with available photoemission spectroscopy and optical band gaps. Our calculations suggest that the bonding between Co(3+) and O(2-) ions in Co2O3 and Co3O4 and Co(2+) and O(2-) ions in CoO and Co3O4 are rather different. We find that Co2O3 and Co3O4 are weakly correlated materials, whereas CoO is a strongly correlated material. Furthermore, our computed one-electron energy level diagrams reveal that strong Co-O antibonding states are present at the top of the valence band for all the cobalt oxides, hinting at a defect tolerant capacity in these materials. These results, which give a detailed picture of the chemical bonding in related single and mixed valence cobalt oxides, may serve as a guide to enhance the PV or photoelectrochemical activity of Co3O4, by reducing its internal defect states or changing its electronic structure by doping or alloying with suitable elements.

Toward the complete range separation of non-hybrid exchange-correlation functional.

In this study, we use a very simple scheme to achieve range separation of a total exchange-correlation functional. We have utilized this methodology to combine a short-range pure density functional theory (DFT) functional with a corresponding long-range pure DFT, leading to a "Range-separated eXchange-Correlation" (RXC) scheme. By examining the performance of a range of standard exchange-correlation functionals for prototypical short- and long-range properties, we have chosen B-LYP as the short-range functional and PBE-B95 as the long-range counterpart. The results of our testing using a more diverse range of data sets show that, for properties that we deem to be short-range in nature, the performance of this prescribed RXC-DFT protocol does resemble that of B-LYP in most cases, and vice versa. Thus, this RXC-DFT protocol already provides meaningful numerical results. Furthermore, we envisage that the general RXC scheme can be easily implemented in computational chemistry software packages. This study paves a way for further refinement of such a range-separation technique for the development of better performing DFT procedures.

Putting DFT to the test: a first-principles study of electronic, magnetic, and optical properties of Co3O4.

First-principles density functional theory (DFT) and a many-body Green's function method have been employed to elucidate the electronic, magnetic, and photonic properties of a spinel compound, Co3O4. Co3O4 is an antiferromagnetic semiconductor composed of cobalt ions in the Co(2+) and Co(3+) oxidation states. Co3O4 is believed to be a strongly correlated material, where the on-site Coulomb interaction (U) on Co d orbitals is presumably important, although this view has recently been contested. The suggested optical band gap for this material ranges from 0.8 to 2.0 eV, depending on the type of experiments and theoretical treatment. Thus, the correlated nature of the Co d orbitals in Co3O4 and the extent of the band gap are still under debate, raising questions regarding the ability of DFT to correctly treat the electronic structure in this material. To resolve the above controversies, we have employed a range of theoretical methods, including pure DFT, DFT+U, and a range-separated exchange-correlation functional (HSE06) as well as many-body Green's function theory (i.e., the GW method). We compare the electronic structure and band gap of Co3O4 with available photoemission spectroscopy and optical band gap data and confirm a direct band gap of ca. 0.8 eV. Furthermore, we have also studied the optical properties of Co3O4 by calculating the imaginary part of the dielectric function (Im(ε)), facilitating direct comparison with the measured optical absorption spectra. Finally, we have calculated the nearest-neighbor interaction (J1) between Co(2+) ions to understand the complex magnetic structure of Co3O4.

Charge Separation and Exciton Dynamics at Polymer/ZnO Interface from First-Principles Simulations.

Charge separation and exciton dynamics play a crucial role in determining the performance of excitonic photovoltaics. Using time-dependent density functional theory with a range-separated exchange-correlation functional as well as nonadiabatic ab initio molecular dynamics, we have studied the formation and dynamics of charge-transfer (CT) excitons at polymer/ZnO interface. The interfacial atomic structure, exciton density of states and conversions between exciton species are examined from first-principles. The exciton dynamics exhibits both adiabatic and nonadiabatic characters. While the adiabatic transitions are facilitated by C═C vibrations along the polymer (P3HT) backbone, the nonadiabatic transitions are realized by exciton hopping between the excited states. We find that the localized ZnO surface states lead to localized low-energy CT states and poor charge separation. In contrast, the surface states of crystalline C60 are indistinguishable from the bulk states, resulting in delocalized CT states and efficient charge separation in polymer/fullerene (P3HT/PCBM) heterojunctions. The hot CT states are found to cool down in an ultrafast time scale and may not play a major role in charge separation of P3HT/ZnO. Finally we suggest that the dimensions of nanostructured acceptors can be tuned to obtain both efficient charge separation and high open circuit voltages.

Optical excitation of MgO nanoparticles; a computational perspective.

The optical absorption spectra of magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles, along with the atomic centres responsible, are studied using a combination of time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) and coupled-cluster methods. We demonstrate that TD-DFT calculations on MgO nanoparticles require the use of range-separated exchange-correlation (XC-) functionals or hybrid XC-functionals with a high percentage of Hartree-Fock like exchange to circumvent problems related to the description of charge-transfer excitations. Furthermore, we show that the vertical excitations responsible for the experimentally studied range of the spectra of the MgO nanoparticles typically involve both 3-coordinated corner sites and 4-coordinated edge sites. We argue therefore that to label peaks in these absorption spectra exclusively as either corner or edge features does not provide insight into the full physical picture.

Excited-State Studies of Polyacenes: A Comparative Picture Using EOMCCSD, CR-EOMCCSD(T), Range-Separated (LR/RT)-TDDFT, TD-PM3, and TD-ZINDO.

The low-lying excited states (La and Lb) of polyacenes from naphthalene to heptacene (N = 2-7) are studied using various time-dependent computational approaches. We perform high-level excited-state calculations using equation of motion coupled cluster with singles and doubles (EOMCCSD) and completely renormalized equation of motion coupled cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples (CR-EOMCCSD(T)) and use these results to evaluate the performance of various range-separated exchange-correlation functionals within linear-response (LR) and real-time (RT) time-dependent density functional theories (TDDFT). As has been reported recently, we find that the range-separated family of functionals addresses the well-documented TDDFT failures in describing these low-lying singlet excited states to a large extent and are as about as accurate as results from EOMCCSD on average. Real-time TDDFT visualization shows that the excited state charged densities are consistent with the predictions of the perimeter free electron orbital (PFEO) model. This corresponds to particle-on-a-ring confinement, which leads to the well-known red-shift of the excitations with acene length. We also use time-dependent semiempirical methods like TD-PM3 and TD-ZINDO, which are capable of handling very large systems. Once reparametrized to match the CR-EOMCCSD(T) results, TD-ZINDO becomes roughly as accurate as range-separated TDDFT, which opens the door to modeling systems such as large molecular assemblies.

Challenges with range-separated exchange-correlation functionals in time-dependent density functional theory calculations

The conventional approximate exchange-correlation functionals and kernels can lead to a large error in time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations in certain cases, such as in the descriptions of charge-transfer excited states, Rydberg states, and double excitations, which can be remedied to some degree with the recently developed range-separated exchange-correlation functionals. How do these range-separated functionals perform in the TDDFT calculations? In this work, we explored the S0(A′) → T1(A′) and S0(A′) → S1(A′) transition energies of C2H4 and other molecules by TDDFT methods and ▵SCF calculations in density functional theory (DFT), with several regular and range-separated exchange-correlation functionals. We have found the following: (1) for the S0 → S1 transition, both range- and non-range-separated exchange-correlation functionals work well and consistently in the TDDFT calculations; (2) for the S0 → T1 transition, the used range-separated exchange-correlation functionals work on average worse than the non-separated ones in the TDDFT calculations; in the ▵SCF DFT calculations, however, both kinds of functionals achieve a similar performance. Because of the common approximations used in DFT and TDDFT, our present computational results suggest that the adiabatic approximation error in the range-separated exchange-correlation functionals is much larger than that in the non-range-separated ones for the S0 → T1 transition, and the adiabatic approximation error for the S0 → T1 transition – a spin-flip process – is larger than that for the S0 → S1 transition. These findings will be useful for designing better exchange-correlation functionals and kernels that will work well not only for excited singlet states, but also for excited triplet states. Furthermore, this study will provide insights into the drawbacks of the present approximate exchange-correlation functionals and kernels used in TDDFT calculations.