Davide Presti

Prediction uncertainty of density functional approximations for properties of crystals with cubic symmetry.

The performance of a method is generally measured by an assessment of the errors between the methods results and a set of reference data. The prediction uncertainty is a measure of the confidence that can be attached to a methods prediction. Its estimation is based on the random part of the errors not explained by reference data uncertainty, which implies an evaluation of the systematic component(s) of the errors. As the predictions of most density functional approximations (DFA) present systematic errors, the standard performance statistics, such as the mean of the absolute errors (MAE or MUE), cannot be directly used to infer prediction uncertainty. We investigate here an a posteriori calibration method to estimate the prediction uncertainty of DFAs for properties of solids. A linear model is shown to be adequate to address the systematic trend in the errors. The applicability of this approach to modest-size reference sets (28 systems) is evaluated for the prediction of band gaps, bulk moduli, and lattice constants with a wide panel of DFAs.

On choosing the best density functional approximation

The relative merits and deficiencies of density functional approximations are often quantified by presenting mean errors and mean absolute errors. However, there are other ways to analyze the data, for example using measures given by robust statistics (less affected by data that do not follow the general pattern). Weighting the data of the set, or dividing the data into groups (e.g., for identifying the situations when a given approximation is reliable) may also modify the appreciation of the errors. Finally, the proper choice of reference data also plays a role. These aspects will be illustrated with results obtained for band gaps of solids. It will be shown that different criteria can lead to different choices for the “best functional”. To decide which specific density functional approximation should be used can thus be made only by introducing some supplementary, external, possibly personal criterion.

Unraveling the Polymorphism of [(p-cymene)Ru(κN-INA)Cl2] through Dispersion-Corrected DFT and NMR GIPAW Calculations

The structural and (13)C/(1)H NMR parameters of the four crystal forms (1α, 1·H2O, 1β, and 1γ) of the solid wheel-and-axle (WAA) metal-organic compound [(p-cymene)Ru(κN-INA)Cl2] have been studied by means of periodic DFT calculations. The quality of the results obtained strongly depends on a correct description of long-range interactions; thus, in the geometry refinement protocol used, the pure DFT functionals need to be coupled with a dispersion-correction term (B3LYP-D2, B3LYP-D*). The solid-state (13)C/(1)H NMR δ(iso) parameters and (13)C MAS NMR spectra, calculated by means of the PBE-GIPAW method, agree well with the experimental data for the four crystal forms (mean absolute deviations of the (13)C and (1)H δ(iso) data values lie in the ranges 1.3-2.9 and 0.3-1.0 ppm, respectively). In this context, some revisions in the experimental assignment of the (13)C/(1)H NMR δ(iso) parameters of the 1·H2O, 1β, and 1γ crystal forms can be suggested. The mismatch in the assignment seems to be due to the rotation of the -COOH moiety, which occurs at the 1α-1·H2O transition and was not considered in the experiments. Finally, the results obtained suggest the presence of two COOH···Cl hydrogen bonds of comparable strength established by the two molecules in the asymmetric unit of the 1γ polymorph, in partial disagreement with previous findings.

Modeling emission features of salicylidene aniline molecular crystals: A QM/QM' approach

A new computational protocol relying on the use of electrostatic embedding, derived from QM/QM’ ONIOM calculations, to simulate the effect of the crystalline environment on the emission spectra of molecular crystals is here applied to the β‐form of salicylidene aniline (SA). The first singlet excited states (S1) of the SA cis‐keto and trans‐keto conformers, surrounded by a cluster of other molecules representing the crystalline structure, were optimized by using a QM/QM’ ONIOM approach with and without electronic embedding. The model system consisting of the central salicylidene aniline molecule was treated at the DFT level by using either the B3LYP, PBE0, or the CAM‐B3LYP functional, whereas the real system was treated at the HF level. The CAM‐B3LYP/HF level of theory provides emission energies in good agreement with experiment with differences of −20/−32 nm (cis‐keto form) and −8/−14 nm (trans‐keto form), respectively, whereas notably larger differences are obtained using global hybrids. Though such differences on the optical properties arise from the density functional choice, the contribution of the electronic embedding is rather independent of the functional used. This plays in favor of a more general applicability of the present protocol to other crystalline molecular systems.

Insights into structural and dynamical features of water at halloysite interfaces probed by DFT and classical molecular dynamics simulations

Density functional theory calculations and classical molecular dynamics simulations have been used to investigate the structure and dynamics of water molecules on kaolinite surfaces and confined in the interlayer of a halloysite model of nanometric dimension. The first technique allowed us to accurately describe the structure of the tetrahedral-octahedral slab of kaolinite in vacuum and in interaction with water molecules and to assess the performance of two widely employed empirical force fields to model water/clay interfaces. Classical molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the hydrogen bond network structure and dynamics of water adsorbed on kaolinite surfaces and confined in the halloysite interlayer. The results are in nice agreement with the few experimental data available in the literature, showing a pronounced ordering and reduced mobility of water molecules at the hydrophilic octahedral surfaces of kaolinite and confined in the halloysite interlayer, with respect to water interacting with the hydrophobic tetrahedral surfaces and in the bulk. Finally, this investigation provides new atomistic insights into the structural and dynamical properties of water-clay interfaces, which are of fundamental importance for both natural processes and industrial applications.

On the Use of Benchmarks for Multiple Properties

Benchmark calculations provide a large amount of information that can be very useful in assessing the performance of density functional approximations, and for choosing the one to use. In order to condense the information some indicators are provided. However, these indicators might be insufficient and a more careful analysis is needed, as shown by some examples from an existing data set for cubic crystals.

A Modular Implementation for the Simulation of 1D and 2D Solid-State NMR Spectra of Quadrupolar Nuclei in the Virtual Multifrequency Spectrometer–Draw Graphical Interface

We present the implementation of the solid state (SoS)NMR module for the simulation of several 1D and 2D NMR spectra of all the elements in the periodic table in the virtual multifrequency spectrometer (VMS). This module is fully integrated with the graphical user interface of VMS (VMS-Draw) [Licari et al., J. Comput. Chem. 36, 2015, 321-334], a freeware tool which allows a user-friendly handling of structures and analyses of advanced spectroscopical properties of chemical compounds-from model systems to real-world applications. Besides the numerous modules already available in VMS for the study of electronic, optical, vibrational, vibronic, and EPR properties, here the simulation of NMR spectra is presented with a particular emphasis on those techniques usually employed to investigate solid state systems. The SoSNMR module benefits from its ability to work under both periodic and nonperiodic conditions, such that small molecules/molecular clusters can be treated, as well as extended three-dimensional systems enforcing (or not) translational periodicity. These features allow VMS to simulate spectra resulting from NMR calculations by some popular quantum chemistry codes, namely Gaussian09/16, Castep, and Quantum Espresso. The effectiveness of the SoSNMR module of VMS is examined throughout the manuscript, and applied to simulate 1D static, MAS, and VAS NMR spectra as well as 2D correlation (90°, MAS) and MQMAS spectra of active NMR nuclei embedded in different amorphous and crystalline systems of actual interest in chemistry and material science. Finally, the program is able to simulate the spectra of both the total ensemble of spin-active nuclei present in the system and of subensembles differentiated depending on the chemical environment of the first and second coordination sphere in a very general way applicable to any kind of systems.