Comparative study of Ti and Ni clusters from first principles

Icosahedral clusters in Ti and Ni are studied with first-principles density functional calculations. We find significant distortion on the Ti icosahedron caused by the strong interaction between surface atoms on the icosahedron but not between the center atom and surface atoms, whereas no such distortion is observed on Ni clusters. In addition, distortion becomes more severe when atoms are added to the Ti(13) cluster resulting in short bonds. Such distorted icosahedra having short bonds are essential in explaining the structure factor of Ti liquid obtained in experiment.