Date of Award:

5-2015

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Committee Chair(s)

Alexander I. Boldyrev

Committee

Alexander I. Boldyrev

Committee

Steve Scheiner

Committee

Stephen Bialkowski

Committee

David Farrelly

Committee

T. C. Shen

Abstract

The prediction of structure at the atomic level is one of the most fundamental challenges in materials science. Indeed, the structure is arguably the most important piece of information about a material, as it determines pretty much all properties of a material. Knowing the structure, one can analyze a large number of properties of a material, even before it is synthesized – the crucial importance of structure prediction for computational molecular design. This dissertation describes the technique of reliable theoretical predictions and presents the results on the successfully predicted unusual clusters, nanoparticles and solid state materials. The major part of this work also demonstrates how understanding of the electronic structure and chemical bonding in studied systems could aid in the rational design of novel materials with tailored properties.

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60ccbde08e9a4464f2618fc420682595

Included in

Chemistry Commons

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