DFT investigation on the application of pure and doped X₁₂N₁₂ (X = B and Al) fullerene-like nano-cages toward the adsorption of temozolomide

The sensitivity of pure and doped X₁₂N₁₂ (X = B and Al) fullerene-like nano-cages (FLNs) toward the anti-cancer drug temozolomide (TMZ) is probed herein at DFT/M06-2X-D3/6-311G(d,p) theoretical level in both gas phase and water. A noticeable affinity of the FLNs toward TMZ was observed along with the negative gas-phase adsorption energies -1.37 and -2.09 eV for the most stable configurations of pure B₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂N₁₂ pristines, respectively. Considerable charge transfer from TMZ to the FLNs was also revealed via NBO analysis and the Hirshfeld atomic charges, making the dipole moment vector of the molecular complexes to be oriented from the nano-cages to the TMZ moiety. Furthermore, a percentage decrease in the HOMO-LUMO energy gap (ΔE _g) of 38.09 and 17.72% was obtained for the B₁₂N₁₂ and Al₁₂N₁₂ nano-cages, respectively. The percentage change in ΔE _g was found to be reduced upon doping and solvation of the FLNs. Finally, a recovery time in vacuum ultraviolet light of 1.06 s is found for the complex with pure B₁₂N₁₂, which in addition to the above-mentioned parameters make this boron nitride cage the best sensor for TMZ, among the FLNs considered in the present work.