Comparison of computational chemistry methods for the discovery of quinone-based electroactive compounds for energy storage

Abstract High-throughput computational screening (HTCS) is a powerful approach for the rational and time-efficient design of electroactive compounds. The effectiveness of HTCS is dependent on accuracy and speed at which the performance descriptors can be estimated for possibly millions of candidate...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Qi Zhang, Abhishek Khetan, Süleyman Er
Format: article
Language:EN
Published: Nature Portfolio 2020
Subjects:
R
Q
Online Access:https://doaj.org/article/e6495e5138c94c3f9d3f6985a59aa787
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract High-throughput computational screening (HTCS) is a powerful approach for the rational and time-efficient design of electroactive compounds. The effectiveness of HTCS is dependent on accuracy and speed at which the performance descriptors can be estimated for possibly millions of candidate compounds. Here, a systematic evaluation of computational methods, including force field (FF), semi-empirical quantum mechanics (SEQM), density functional based tight binding (DFTB), and density functional theory (DFT), is performed on the basis of their accuracy in predicting the redox potentials of redox-active organic compounds. Geometry optimizations at low-level theories followed by single point energy (SPE) DFT calculations that include an implicit solvation model are found to offer equipollent accuracy as the high-level DFT methods, albeit at significantly lower computational costs. Effects of implicit solvation on molecular geometries and SPEs, and their overall effects on the prediction accuracy of redox potentials are analyzed in view of computational cost versus prediction accuracy, which outlines the best choice of methods corresponding to a desired level of accuracy. The modular computational approach is applicable for accelerating the virtual studies on functional quinones and the respective discovery of candidate compounds for energy storage.