Computational study of infrared spectra of silica polymorphs via classical mechanics
Abstract
A potential energy model that correctly reflects zeolite framework interactions is the premise for computational studies of the physical and chemical processes occurring inside zeolites, such as catalytic chemical reactions and adsorption. Infrared spectroscopy is a widely-used technique that is sensitive to the accuracy of the potential energy model. This work aims to develop such a potential that reproduces the infrared spectra of zeolites. In the first part of this thesis, the performance of two published potentials is tested in terms of predicting structural and dynamical properties for five silica polymorphs (three siliceous zeolites: siliceous faujasite, sodalite and silicalite; quartz; and cristobalite). Comparison between the silica polymorphs' model-predicted equilibrium angle distributions and infrared spectra shows that the core-shell model [Schroeder and Sauer, J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 11043] predicts a broader Si-O-Si angle distribution and shifts angle-bending infrared modes to lower wavenumbers. The MZHB potential [Sahoo and Nair, J. Comput. Chem. 2015, 36, 1562], on the other hand, predicts angle-bending infrared modes that are consistently shifted to higher wavenumbers. The second part of this thesis presents a new potential via reparameterizing and extending the MZHB potential based on a sensitivity analysis, which investigates the relationships between model parameters and the structural properties of silica polymorphs. Better infrared predictions are achieved by the new potential. The results of the sensitivity analysis indicate that the lattice parameter might be a possible target for the parameterization of atomic partial charges for crystalline materials.
Degree
M.S.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
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