En los últimos años, las técnicas de modelado y simulación a escala cuántica han alcanzado logros inimaginables gracias a los avances tecnológicos y como respuesta a la necesidad de correlacionar un sistema de partículas interactuantes con comportamientos observados experimentalmente. Los actuales métodos ab-initio conducen a una mayor diversidad y exactitud de resultados predictivos aunque son computacionalmente más costosos. En la presente tesis doctoral, se propuso como objetivo estudiar la hidrogenación de aceites comestibles sobre catalizadores metálicos modelo usando métodos de primeros principios y empleando un modelo periódico para representar mejor al sistema; todo motivado a partir del interés suscitado por la hidrogenación catalítica de los ácidos grasos para obtener productos 0% trans con el fin de mejorar la selectividad y especificidad de los catalizadores empleados. En particular se ha utilizado al 1,3-butadieno (13BD) como modelo de un ácido graso, por ser el alqueno más simple con dos dobles enlaces conjugados, y a superficies bimetálicas multilaminares de Pd-Ni, como catalizadores. Estas superficies resultan ser modelos de catalizadores modificados a los de Pd y Ni puros, conocidos por sus actividades catalíticas en el estudio de la hidrogenación parcial, así como por sus desventajas asociadas al alto costo y/o limitada actividad en la formación de isómeros cis. La incorporación de pequeñas cantidades de otro metal de transición, como por ejemplo Pd en una superficie de Ni, mejora la actividad y la selectividad hacia los isómeros butenos. Las superficies evaluadas PdnNim(111), donde n corresponde al número de capas de Pd (n = 0 - 4) depositadas sobre m capas de Ni (n + m = 4), fueron caracterizadas mediante sus propiedades estructurales, electrónicas y magnéticas. A partir de una correcta descripción de las mismas se seleccionaron dos de ellas: PdNi3(111) y Pd3Ni(111), sobre las cuales se adsorbieron el 13BD, los intermediarios y los productos de reacción. Mediante el análisis de las geometrías, las energías de adsorción y las densidades de estados se pudieron identificar las geometrías más estables que fueron empleadas en el posterior análisis de la reacción. La hidrogenación parcial del 13BD se evaluó de acuerdo al mecanismo de Horiuti-Polanyi. El proceso resultó ser exotérmico en la superficie modelo de PdNi3(111) con barreras de activación más bajas y endotérmico en la de Pd3Ni(111). Sobre la superficie PdNi3(111) se obtuvieron como productos de la reacción exclusivamente butenos, con cierta selectividad hacia el isómero 2-buteno. El trans-2- buteno es el isómero geométrico más esperable del 2-buteno, debido a la geometría de adsorción más estable del 13BD. Al evaluar la isomerización del trans al cis-2-buteno y la formación del cis-2-buteno, a partir de la hidrogenación del dieno adsorbido en el modo apropiado para esta geometría, se descubrió que el cis-2-buteno sólo se formaría a partir de la hidrogenación del 13BD adsorbido en el sitio de igual geometría. Mediante la extrapolación de los resultados obtenidos en esta tesis sería de esperar que un catalizador con las características del modelo PdNi3(111) mejore la actividad y aumente la selectividad de los productos hacia los isómeros cis al hidrogenar aceites comestibles. / In recent years, modeling techniques and scale quantum simulation have reached unimaginable achievements through technological progress and as response to the need to correlate a system of interacting particles with experimentally observed behaviour. Current ab-initio methods lead to greater diversity and accuracy of predictable results, but are computationally expensive. This thesis mainly studies hydrogenation of edible oils on model metallic catalysts using first principle methods and a periodic model to better represent the system, all motivated from the interest generated by fatty acid catalyst hydrogenation to obtain 0% trans products in order to improve selectivity and specificity of the catalysts employed. In particular, 1,3-butadiene (13BD) has been used as a fatty acid model since it is the simplest alkene with two conjugated double bonds, and the two bi-metallic Pd-Ni surfaces multilayers have been used as catalysts. These surfaces are modified catalysts models of Pd and Ni, known for their catalytic activity in the study of the partial hydrogenation catalysts, but presenting some disadvantages associated with high cost and/or limited activity in the formation of cis isomers. The incorporation of small amounts of other transition metal such as Pd in a surface of Ni greatly improves the activity and selectivity towards butenes isomers. The evaluated PdnNim(111) surfaces, where n is the number of Pd layers (n = 0- 4) deposited on m Ni layers (n + m = 4), were characterized by studying their structural, electronic and magnetic properties. From a correct description of these surfaces, two of them PdNi3(111) and Pd3Ni(111) were selected to adsorb 13BD, intermediaries and reaction products. Analyzing geometries, adsorption energies and densities of states the most stable geometries could be identified and later employed in the subsequent analysis of the reaction. Partial hydrogenation of 13BD was evaluated according to Horiuti-Polanyi mechanism. It was found that the process was exothermic on PdNi3(111) surface model with lower barriers and endothermic on Pd3Ni(111). On PdNi3(111) surface, butenes are the exclusive reaction products, with some selectivity to 2-butene isomer. The trans-2- butene is the most expected geometric isomer of 2-butene, due to the geometry of the most stable adsorption mode of 13BD. Evaluating the isomerization reaction from trans to cis-2-butene and the cis-2-butene formation, from diene hydrogenation adsorbed in the appropriate mode for this geometry, it was found that the cis-2-butene is formed only from the 13BD hydrogenation adsorbed on the mode with the same geometry. By extrapolation of the results obtained in this thesis would be expected that a catalyst with the characteristics of the PdNi3(111) model enhance the activity and increase the selectivity of the products to the cis isomers by hydrogenating edible oils.

Los nanoclústeres (NCs) exhiben propiedades físicas y químicas muy novedosas sensibles a su tamaño y geometría. Además, resultan muy interesantes pues tienden un puente entre el comportamiento de los átomos y el del sólido. Por otro lado, reciben gran atención por sus aplicaciones tecnológicas, como por ejemplo, los NCs de metales de transición en el campo de la catálisis heterogénea. En particular, los clústeres de Pt depositados sobre óxidos tales como rutilo TiO2, han mostrado ser eficientes como catalizadores en reacciones tales como la oxidación de CO a CO2, paso intermedio importante de la reacción de WGS (water gas shift). Es por ello que en esta tesis se realizó una caracterización exhaustiva de clústeres de Pt aislados (Ptn) y clústeres de Pt soportados (Ptn/TiO2(110)), evaluando sus propiedades estructurales, cohesivas y electrónicas a través de un estudio teórico utilizando métodos de modelado ab initio basados en la Teoría de la Funcional Densidad (DFT). Primeramente, se consideraron los clústeres de Ptn (n = 2, 4, 13, 19, 55, 79, 85 y 147) aislados. Para cada clúster se optimizó su estructura, y a partir de ella se determinaron las demás propiedades. Las densidades de estados vibracionales obtenidas en el marco de la aproximación armónica muestran un comportamiento muy diferente al del sólido, con presencia de estados discretos, que dan lugar a desviaciones del modelo de Debye para el calor específico a volumen constante a bajas temperaturas. Entre los clústeres estudiados, el Pt13 fue abordado en detalle, en particular porque las típicas configuraciones de capa cerrada resultaron inestables. Este es un resultado inesperado, puesto que muchos trabajos proponen a las estructuras (Oh) e (Ih) como las más plausibles para este tamaño de clúster. Ante este resultado, se utilizó la técnica de dinámica molecular ab initio, que incorpora efectos térmicos, con el fin de analizar la evolución de los clústeres en el tiempo y en búsqueda de nuevas configuraciones estables de menor energía. Como resultado, un nuevo isómero de baja simetría con estructura de capas apiladas es predicho para el clúster Pt13. Otro tamaño de clúster estudiado en distintas configuraciones fue el Pt4. Se consideraron las geometrías bidimensionales planar (P), romboédrica (R) y la tridimensional tetraédrica (T). De manera aislada, el clúster (T) resultó más estable, aunque esta misma tendencia no se mantuvo al momento de depositar los NCs en el sustrato de rutilo estequiométrico (TiO2). Para analizar la potencialidad del sistema Ptn/TiO2 como catalizador, fueron depositados NCs de Pt4 (P y T) y Pt13(Oh) sobre la superficie TiO2(110) tanto estequiométrica como reducida (TiO2(110)+Vo). Para ambos sustratos se estudió la estabilidad relativa de las estructuras de los clústeres, determinando las geometrías de equilibrio, las energías de adsorción, los efectos de transferencia de carga y la densidad electrónica de estados para caracterizar los diferentes aspectos de la interacción metal-óxido. En particular se evaluó la factibilidad del uso de estos sistemas en las reacciones de oxidación de CO por un átomo de oxígeno de la superficie, como paso intermedio en la reacción de WGS. / Nanoclusters exhibit novel physcial and chemical properties sensitive to their size and geometry. Besides, they are of interest since they tend to stablish a bridge between the behaviour of the atoms and the solid. On the other side, they are receiving great attention due to their technological applications, such as for example, the transition metal nanoclusters in the field of heterogeneous catalyst. In particular, Pt clusters deposited on oxides such as rutile TiO2, have shown to be efficient as catalysts in reactions such as the oxidation of CO to CO2, an important intermediate step in the WGS (water gas shift) reaction. Due to this fact in this thesis an exhaustive characterization of isolated Pt clusters (Ptn) and suppported Pt clusters is performed, evaluating their structural, cohesive and electronic properties through a theoretical study using ab initio modelling methods based on Density Functional Theory,. Firstly, the isolated Ptn (n = 2, 4, 13, 19, 55, 79, 85 y 147) clusters were considered. For each cluster its structure was optimized, and with it the other properties were determined. The vibrational densities of states, calculated in the harmonic approximation, show a behaviour very different from the bulk one, with the presence of discrete states that give rise to deviations from the Debye model for the specific heat at constant volumen and low temperatures. Among the clusters studied, the Pt13 was treated in detail, in particular because the typical close shell configurations happen to be unstable. This is an unexpected result, since various works report (Oh) e (Ih) structures as the most plausible ones for this cluster size. Considering this, we applied the ab initio molecular dynamic technique, that incorporates explicitly thermal effects, with the aim to analyse the time evolution of the cluster, and to search new stable configurations of lower energy. As a result, a new layered low symmetry stable isomer of lower energy is predicted for the Pt13 cluster. Another cluster size studied in different configurations was Pt4. The two-dimensional planar geometry (P), rombohedrical (R) and the tridimensional tetrahedrical (T) one, were considered. For the isolated clusters, the (T) one was more stable, although this trend is changed for the supported NCs on stequiometric rutile (TiO2). To analyze the potential activity of the Ptn/TiO2 as a catalyst, NCs of Pt4 (P y T) and Pt13(Oh) were deposited on the TiO2(110) stoiquiometric and reduced (TiO2(110)+Vo) surfaces. For both substrates the relative stability of the structures was studied, determining the equilibrium geometries, the adsorption energies, the effects of charge transfer and the electronic density of states to characterize different aspects of the metal-oxide interaction. In particular the feasibility of the use of these systems for the oxidation of CO by one oxygen atom of the surface, as intermediate step in the WGS reaction, was evaluated.

La aparición de la computación desde hace cuatro décadas, y su incesante desarrollo, ha brindado el instrumento que permite la realización práctica de los cálculos de mecánica cuántica descriptos en esta tesis. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido realizar un estudio teórico sistemático para evaluar la reactividad de nanopartículas de diferentes metales, formas y dimensiones frente a reacciones de interés catalítico, más específicamente para la eliminación de poluentes gaseosos. En particular, se estudiaron diferentes superficies y nanopartículas de Au, Ag, Cu y Fe, se analizaron características generales y su comportamiento frente a la adsorción de especies tales como CO, CO2, O2 y NH3 y a reacciones de deshidrogenación y oxidación. Los cálculos realizados en este trabajo fueron llevados a cabo con el programa comercial VASP, que es un paquete para el desarrollo de simulaciones ab initio de mecánica cuántica y dinámica molecular. La presente tesis cuenta con 8 capítulos; en primer lugar, una Introducción General donde se realiza un detallado reporte de todos los trabajos publicados relacionados con las reacciones aquí estudiadas, así también como el comportamiento de las nanopartículas metálicas como sustratos para otras reacciones. El Capítulo 2 consiste en una breve descripción de los métodos teóricos en los que se basan los cálculos desarrollados en este trabajo. El Capítulo 3 incursiona en los modelos estructurales que se utilizaron para simular las superficies y las nanopartículas así también como los detalles computacionales seleccionados para cada cálculo. Luego en los Capítulos 4 y 5 se exponen los resultados, en primer término, se describe la oxidación de monóxido de carbono sobre Au Ag y Cu y luego la reacción de des-hidrogenación de amoníaco sobre Fe. Luego el Capítulo 6 en el que se presentan las Conclusiones Generales y un Capítulo 7 con información extra. Un capitulo 8 detallando las publicaciones que se realizaron a partir de los resultados obtenidos y por último el Capítulo 9 con las referencias bibliográficas. / The emergence of computation four decades ago, and its development, has provided the instrument that allows the practical realization of the calculations of quantum theory described and used in this thesis. The main goal of this work has been to perform a systematic theoretical study to evaluate the reactivity of nanoparticles of different metals, forms and dimensions against reactions of catalytic interest, more specifically for the elimination of gaseous pollutants. In particular, different surfaces and nanoparticles of Au, Ag, Cu and Fe were studied, general characteristics and their behaviour against the adsorption of species such as CO, C02, 02 and NH3 and to dehydrogenation and oxidation reactions were analyzed.The calculations performed in this work were carried out with the VASP commercial program, which is a package for the development of ab initio simulations of quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics.This thesis has 8 chapters; In the first place a General Introduction where a detailed report of all the published works related to the reactions studied here, as well as the behaviour of the metallic nanoparticles as substrates for other reactions is realized. Chapter 2 consists of a brief description of the theoretical methods on which the calculations developed in this work are based. Chapter 3 explores the structural models that were used to simulate surfaces and nanoparticles as well as the computational details selected for each calculation. Then in Chapters 4 and 5 the results are presented, first, the oxidation of carbon monoxide over Au Ag and Cu and then the reaction of dehydrogenation of ammonia over Fe is described. Then the Chapter 6 in which they are presented The General Conclusions and Chapter 7 is an annex with extra information. Chapter 8 detailing the publications that were made from the results obtained, and lastly the Chapter 9 with references.

Los materiales nanoestructurados y, entre ellos, las nanopartículas de plata (AgNPs), han despertado gran interés en el ámbito científico/tecnológico, debido a sus importantes propiedades ópticas y electrónicas, haciéndolas atractivas en diversas áreas del conocimiento como física, química, biotecnología e ingeniería, entre otras. Sus aplicaciones pueden ir desde el almacenamiento de energía o el tratamiento de aguas hasta el desarrollo de catalizadores y sensores químicos de distintos tipos. El objetivo general de la presente Tesis es el desarrollo de nuevas metodologías de síntesis de AgNPs que resulten económicas, sencillas, rápidas y amigables con el medio ambiente. Por otro lado, se plantea la posibilidad de implementar nuevos métodos de caracterización de estas partículas empleando técnicas como Electroforesis Capilar (EC) y Espectroscopía Raman. En algunos casos se emplean modelos teóricos computacionales basados en la Teoría del Funcional de la Densidad (DFT). Por último, se buscan posibles aplicaciones de las AgNPs, como su empleo en el fenómeno de espectroscopía Raman amplificada por superficie (SERS) para la detección de antibióticos en miel y el uso de otro tipo de nanosistemas, como nanotubos de carbono decorados con metales de transición, para el futuro desarrollo de sensores de glucosa en miel. / The nanostructured materials, among them silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), have awaken great interest in scientific/technological fields, due to their significant optical and electronic properties, making them attractive in several areas of knowledge such as physics, chemistry, biotechnology and engineering. Its Applications can start from energy storage or water treatment to the development of catalysts and chemical sensors of various types. The general objective of this Thesis is the development of economical, simple, fast and friendly with the environment, new AgNPs synthesis methodologies. Therefore, we study the possibility of implementing new methods of characterization of these particles using techniques such as Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) or Raman Spectroscopy, the latter accompanied by theoretical computational models based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT). Finally, possible applications of the AgNPs are investigated, like its use in Surface Enhancement Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for the detection of antibiotics in honey or the use of different types of nanosystems, such as carbon nanotubes decorated with transition metals for a future development of glucose sensors.

Thermoelectric semiconductors can convert temperature differences into electricity or electricity into temperature differences. This offers great potential for the use of wasted heat or cooling. These materials can be used in a variety of fields, from healthcare to space exploration. The effectiveness of the materials is evaluated by their thermoelectric properties such as the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity. The aim of this PhD thesis is to investigate the electronic structure using first-principle methods for potential thermoelectric applications. Materials of interest include Copper and Tin based ternary /quaternary compounds, and monolayers of SnS2, SnSe2 and Janus SnSSe. Density functional theory, ab initio molecular dynamics and Boltzmann transport theory are used to study the electronic and phonon transport properties. In the first part of the thesis, electronic structure calculations were performed on both monoclinic and disordered cubic forms of Cu2SnS3(CTS). The impact of structural disorder on thermoelectric properties was examined through these simulations. The results, obtained through first-principle calculations, revealed the existence of band tails in the electronic density of states for the disordered structure, and low-lying optical modes in the disordered cubic structure. This was found to be caused by a significant variation in Sn bonding, leading to strong anharmonicity as measured by the Grüneisen parameter. The findings from the first principle calculations were supported by Nuclear inelastic scattering experiments. Furthermore, the effect of grain size on Cu2SnS3 was studied using first-principles calculations on various ordered and disordered surfaces. The density of states (DOS) revealed that the surface of CTS is conductive due to the presence of dangling bonds. Furthermore, calculations of the formation energy showed that the stoichiometric CTS, Cu-vacant and Cu-rich systems are energetically more favourable, while the formation of Sn-vacant and Sn-rich systems is less likely. In the subsequent study, the impact of Ag substitution at the Sn site at various concentrations was investigated. The Fermi level for Ag-substituted systems was found to lie deep within the valence band, with the shift of the Fermi level inside the valence band increasing with substitution increasing the carrier concentration. The incorporation of Ag into the system decreases the root mean squared displacement of the other cations and anions, which reduces the scattering of phonons and thereby increases the lattice thermal conductivity. A comparative study of various polymorphs of CTS, Cu2ZnSnS4 and Cu2ZnSnSe4 was done. Ab-initio molecular dynamics was performed on CTS, CZTS and CZTSe. The root mean squared displacement value for the disordered polymorph was higher than for the ordered phase, indicating increased static disorder. This corresponds to the static (temperature-independent) distortion of the crystalline lattice due to the disorder of the cations and is associated with higher anharmonicity and bond inhomogeneity in the disordered phase, which is then directly responsible for the ultra-low thermal conductivity. In the final part of the thesis, thermoelectric properties of dichalcogenide monolayer of SnS2, SnSe2 and Janus SnSSe was performed. Density functional theoretical calculations points out the hexagonal Janus SnSSe monolayer as a potential high-performing thermoelectric material. Results for the Janus SnSSe monolayer show an ultra-low thermal conductivity originating from the low group velocity of the low-lying optical modes, leading to superior zT values of 0.5 and 3 at 300 K and 700 K for the p-type doping, respectively. The successful calculation of properties for materials shows that the computational work done in this thesis can be used for further research into thermoelectricity.

This dissertation will have three chapters. In chapter one, a comprehensive review on defects in two dimensional materials will be presented. The aim of this review is to elaborate on different types of defects in two dimensional (2D) materials like graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs). First, different types of point and line defects, e.g. vacancies, anti-sites, guest elements, adatoms, vacancy clusters, grain boundaries, and edges, in these materials are categorized in terms of structure. Second, interactions among defects are discussed in terms of their rearrangement for low-energy configurations. Before studying the electronic and magnetic properties of defective 2D materials, some of the structures are considered in order to see how defect structure evolves to a stable defect configuration. Next, the influence of defects on electronic and magnetic properties of 2D materials is discussed. Finally, the dynamic behavior of defects and 2D structures under conditions such as electron beam irradiation, heat treatment, and ambient conditions, is discussed. Later as a case study, defects in a two dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide will be presented. Among two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), platinum diselenide (PtSe2) stands at a unique place in the sense that it undergoes a phase transition from type-II Dirac semimetal to indirect-gap semiconductor as thickness decreases. Defects in 2D TMDs are ubiquitous and play crucial roles in understanding and tuning electronic, optical, and magnetic properties. Here intrinsic point defects in ultrathin 1T-PtSe2 layers grown on mica were investigated through the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method, using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) and first-principles calculations. Five types of distinct defects were observed from STM topography images and the local density of states of the defects were obtained. By combining the STM results with first-principles calculations, the types and characteristics of these defects were identified, which are Pt vacancies at the topmost and next monolayers, Se vacancies in the topmost monolayer, and Se antisites at Pt sites within the topmost monolayer. Our study shows that the Se antisite defects are the most abundant with the lowest formation energy in a Se-rich growth condition, in contrast to cases of 2D molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) family. Our findings would provide critical insight into tuning of carrier mobility, charge carrier relaxation, and electron-hole recombination rates by defect engineering or varying growth condition in few-layer 1T-PtSe2 and other related 2D materials. Also, in order to investigate the layer dependency of vibrational and electronic properties of two dimensional materials, 2M-WS2 material was selected. Raman spectroscopy and DFT calculation proved that all Raman active modes have a downshift when material is thinned to few layers (less than 5 layers). It was proven that there is a strong interaction between layers such that by decreasing the number of layers, the downshift in Raman active modes is mostly for the ones which belong to out-of-plane atomic movements and the most downshift is for the Ag2 Raman active mode. Also, I investigated the effect of number of layers on the band structure and electronic properties of this material. As the number of layers decreases, band gap does not change until the materials is thinned down to only a single monolayer. For a single monolayer of 2M-WS2, there is an indirect band gap of 0.05eV; however, with applying in-plane strain to this monolayer, the material takes a metallic behavior as the strain goes beyond ±1%. / Doctor of Philosophy / Graphite (consisting of graphene as building blocks) and TMDS in bulk form are layered and with exfoliation one can reach to few layers which is called two-dimension. Two dimensional materials like graphene have been used in researches vastly due to their unique properties, e.g. high carrier mobility, and tunable electronic properties. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with a general formula of MX2, where M represents transition metal elements (groups 4-10) and X represents chalcogen elements (S, Se or Te), are another family of two-dimensional materials which have been extensively studied in the past few years. Besides exfoliation, there are also synthesis methods to produce two dimensional materials, e.g. chemical vapor deposition and chemical vapor transport. Normally, after synthesizing these materials, researchers investigate structure and electronic properties of these materials. There might be some atoms which no longer exist in the structure; hence, those are replaced by either vacancies or other elements which all of them are called defects. In chapter 1, defects in graphene and transition metal dichacolgenides were investigated, carefully. Later, dynamic behavior of defects in these materials were investigated and finally, the effect of defects on the electronic properties of the two dimensional materials were investigated. Chapter two talks about a case study which is two dimensional 1T-PtSe2. In this chapter, 5 different kinds of defects were studied using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy investigations and density functional theory was used to prove our assumptions of the origin of defects. Also, another thing which is investigated by researcher is that how atoms in two dimensional materials vibrate and how the number of layers in the two dimensional material influences vibrations of atoms. Other than this, electronic properties of these materials is dependent upon the number of layers. When these materials are synthesized, there is a stress applied to the material due the mismatch between the material and its substrate, so it is worth investigating the effect of stress (strain) on the structure, and electronic properties of the material of interest. For this purpose, 2M-WS2 was exfoliated on Si/SiO2 substrate and the layer dependency of its vibrational modes was investigated using Raman spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation. Also, in order to investigate the influence of stress (strain) on the electronic properties of two dimensional 2M-WS2, a single monolayer of this materials underwent a series of strains in density functional theory calculations and the effect of strain on the electronic properties of this material was investigated.

[ES] En esta tesis se realiza un estudio de acidez de zeolita LTA con la relación Si/Al 5 y 40 utilizando la técnica de dispersión inelástica de neutrones (INS) en combinación con otras tecnicas como la modelización computacional y la espectroscopía de resonancia magnética nuclear (RMN). Las zeolitas son aluminosilicatos altamente cristalinos que forman parte de un grupo importante de los materiales funcionales. Las zeolitas son extremadamente útiles como catalizadores para muchas reacciones importantes con moléculas orgánicas. Las más importantes son craqueo, isomerización y síntesis de hidrocarburos. Las propiedades catalíticas de una zeolita dependen principalmente de su acidez y ésta depende de tres factores: el número totál de los sitios ácidos, sus fuerzas individuales y su localización individual, estando estos tres factores relacionados. Los parámetros geométricos definidos por localización de los sitios ácidos (es decir, la longitud y los ángulos de enlaces entre los átomos alrededor del sitio ácido) contribuyen de una manera importante a la fuerza ácida. En la literatura hay muchos trabajos de estudios de acidez en zeolita utilizando la espectrometría infrarroja (IR), sin embargo, con esta técnica es imposible medir las vibraciones de flexión (bending modes, 200-1200 cm-1), las bandas más sensibles al entorno local de los centros ácidos, ya que estas bandas se superponen con las bandas de vibración de la red de zeolite (300-1800 cm-1). En esta tesis se realiza un estudio de acidez utilizando la tecnica de INS, que nos permite medir principalmente los modos de vibración de los átomos de H y también nos permite medir todas las bandas de vibración (incluido el bending). Este estudio muestra que la combinación de la alta calidad de las muestras y la sensibilidad del instrumento utilizado permite detectar con alta precisión los sitios ácidos y obtener la información sobre su posición que a su vez nos perimte obtener la posición de los átomos de Al. Con el fin de interpretar los espectros INS se ha realizado un estudio computacional (cálculos ab-initio) con el objetivo de comparar los espectros cálculados con los resultados experimentales y definir el modelo que reproduce la posición mas probable de los centros ácidos en la muestra. / [CA] En aquesta tesi es realitza un estudi d'acidesa de zeolita LTA amb la relació Si / Al 5 i 40 utilitzant la tècnica de dispersió inelastica de neutrons (INS) en combinació d'altres tècniques com la modelització computacional i la espectroscòpia de ressonància magnètica nuclear (RMN ). Les zeolites són aluminosilicats altament cristal·lins que formen part d'un grup important dels materials funcionals. Les zeolites són extremadament útils com a catalitzadors per a moltes reaccions importants amb molècules orgàniques. Les més importants són craqueig, isomerització i síntesi d'hidrocarburs. Les propietats catalítiques d'una zeolita depenen principalment de la seva acidesa i aquesta depèn de tres factors: el nombre total dels llocs àcids, les seves forces individuals i la seva localització individual, estant aquests tres factors relacionats. Els paràmetres geomètrics definits per localització dels llocs àcids (és a dir, la longitud i els angles d'enllaços entre els àtoms al voltant del lloc àcid) contribueixen d'una manera important a la força àcida. En literatura hi ha molts treballs d'estudis d'acidesa en zeolita utilitzant l'espectrometria infraroja (IR), però és impossible mesurar les vibracions de flexió (bending modes, 200-1200 cm-1) amb aquesta tècnica ja que aquestes bandes es superposen amb les bandes de vibració de la xarxa de zeolita (300-1800 cm-1). La tècnica de dispersió inelastica de neutrons (Inelastic neutron scattering) ha estat utilitzada per estudiar l'acidesa de la zeolita LTA amb diferents relacions Si / Al (per tant diferents c.ontinguts de H en la zeolita). En aquesta tesi es realitza un estudi d'acidesa utilitzant la tècnica de INS, que ens permet mesurar principalment els modes de vibració dels àtoms d'H i també ens permet mesurar totes les bandes de vibració (inclòs el bending). Aquest estudi mostra que la combinació de l'alta qualitat de les mostres i la sensibilitat del instrument utilitzat permet detectar amb alta precisió els llocs àcids i obtenir la informació sobre la seva posició que en el seu lloc ens perimte obtenir la posició d'Al. Per tal de interpretar els espectres INS s'ha realitzat un estudi computacional (càlculs ab-initio) amb la comparació dels espectres calculats amb els resultats experimentals. / [EN] This thesis is dedicated to the study of acidity of LTA zeolites with Si/Al ratios 5 and 40 by using the technique of inelastic neutron scattering (INS) in combination with other techniques such as computational modeling and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Zeolites are crystalline and microporous aluminosilicates which form one of the most important groups of functional materials. Zeolites are widely used as solid acid catalysts for the wide range of important processes regarding organic molecules. The most important are cracking, isomerization reaction and synthesis of hydrocarbons. The catalytic properties of a zeolite depend strongly on its acidity, and this in turns depends on: the total number of acid sites, their individual strength, and their individual location. These three factors are strongly correlated. Geometric parameters that are defined by the location of the acid site (i.e., bond angles and lengths around the acid site) make a remarkable contribution to the acid strength. There are several studies, found in literatures, typically done by Infrared (IR) or Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique and dedicated to acidity of zeolites. However, the hydrogen bending modes (200-1200 cm-1), which are found to be more sensitive to local environment, cannot be observed by this technique, since these bands overlap with strong bands of the vibrations of zeolitic framework (300-1800 cm-1). INS technique used in this study allows to detect the bands of vibrations of hydrogen atoms in zeolites (including bending modes). Moreover, this study shows that the combination of an extremely high quality of the samples and the sensitivity of the instrument allows to detect with high precision the acid sites of both high-silica and low-silica zeolites and obtain information about their position. This in its turn gives us the possibility to obtain the aluminium location in zeolites. In order to fully understand the INS spectra we performed ab-initio calculations that allow to interpret the experimental bands and choose a structural model that reproduces the probable location of acid sites in the sample. / Lemishko, T. (2019). Inelastic neutron scattering study of Brønsted acidity in LTA zeolite [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/119966

No / In the 2007 blind test of crystal structure prediction hosted by the Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC), a hybrid DFT/MM method correctly ranked each of the four experimental structures as having the lowest lattice energy of all the crystal structures predicted for each molecule. The work presented here further validates this hybrid method by optimizing the crystal structures (experimental and submitted) of the first three CCDC blind tests held in 1999, 2001, and 2004. Except for the crystal structures of compound IX, all structures were reminimized and ranked according to their lattice energies. The hybrid method computes the lattice energy of a crystal structure as the sum of the DFT total energy and a van der Waals (dispersion) energy correction. Considering all four blind tests, the crystal structure with the lowest lattice energy corresponds to the experimentally observed structure for 12 out of 14 molecules. Moreover, good geometrical agreement is observed between the structures determined by the hybrid method and those measured experimentally. In comparison with the correct submissions made by the blind test participants, all hybrid optimized crystal structures (apart from compound II) have the smallest calculated root mean squared deviations from the experimentally observed structures. It is predicted that a new polymorph of compound V exists under pressure.

No / Violacein is a bisindole pigment occurring as a biosynthetic product of Chromobacterium violaceum and Janthinobacterium lividum. It has some structural similarities to the cyanobacterial UV-protective pigment scytonemin, which has been the subject of comprehensive spectroscopic and structural studies. A detailed experimental Raman spectroscopic study with visible and near-infrared excitation of violacein produced by C. violaceum has been undertaken and supported using theoretical DFT calculations. Raman spectra with 514 and 785 nm excitation of cultivated cells as well as extracts and Gaussian (B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)) calculations with proposed molecular vibrational assignments are reported here.

Computational chemistry examination of the bond dissociation enthalpies of tungsten and main group elements. Includes quantification and calibration of theoretical methods to address the question of bond strengths including component σ and π molecular bonds.