DFT, TD-DFT, QTAIM and NBO investigations of the interaction between sulfur mustard and metal porphyrins induced in carbon nanocone (M-PCNC, M = Fe2+ and Mg2+)

In this study, the adsorption behavior of sulfur mustard on metal porphyrins replaced in carbon nanocone (M-PCNC, M = Fe²⁺ and Mg²⁺) is explored using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Energetics, physical parameters, and electronic properties are determined utilizing the M06-2X approach and the 6-31G(d) basis set. Based on the obtained results, the sulfur mustard exhibits strong adsorption onto the M-PCNCs, which denotes a chemisorption process between species. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the M-PCNCs are effective adsorbents in eliminating undesired sulfur mustard molecules from the surroundings. The data also show that the energy gap (or work function) of the M-PCNC structures is not affected by the adsorption of sulfur mustard, suggesting that they are unsuitable for use as sensors for the sulfur mustard in terms of electronic conductivity or work function. The UV-visible spectra of bare Fe-PCNC are also compared to its corresponding complexes, which reveals the adsorption of sulfur mustard does not alter the spectra of the Fe-PCNC and cannot act as a UV-based sensitive material for detecting sulfur mustard.