Helium clusters at finite temperature

An analysis of helium cluster properties at finite temperature using a phenomenological free energy density has been carried out. We have studied in detail the energetics and the density profile characteristics of hot drops of both helium isotopes containing 70, 112, 168, 240 and 330 atoms. A finite temperature mass formula including volume, surface and curvature terms has been derived.     

Sodium clusters in zeolites

The method of loading sodium clusters in zeolites, consisting of the controlled thermal decomposition of physisorbed sodium azide, is discussed. The influence of the azide loading, the azide decomposition rate and the sintering process on the amount of ionic and metallic sodium clusters in zeolite Y was followed by ESR. The method is compared to other metal deposition techniques.     

Flame temperatures from Raman scattering

Pure rotational, as well as vibrational Raman scattering has been observed from stable diatomic molecules in high-temperature flames. Accurate (rotational) flame temperatures may be determined from the rotational line intensities. For a hydrogen diffusion flame in air T_rot(N₂) = 1880 ± 21K, T_rot(H₂) = 1890 ± 80 K, T_vib(N₂) = 1995 ± 130 K, and T_vib(H₂) =1900 ± 150 K.     

Catalytic oxidation of methanol on Pd metal and oxide clusters at near-ambient temperatures

Supported Pd clusters catalyze methanol oxidation to methyl formate with high turnover rates and >90% selectivity at near ambient temperatures (313 K). Metal clusters are much more reactive than PdO clusters and rates are inhibited by the reactant O(2). These data suggest that ensembles of Pd metal atoms on surfaces nearly saturated with chemisorbed oxygen are required for kinetically-relevant C-H bond activation in chemisorbed methoxide intermediates. Pd metal surfaces become more reactive with increasing metal particle size. The higher coordination of surface atoms on larger clusters leads to more weakly-bound chemisorbed species and to a larger number of Pd metal ensembles available during steady-state catalysis. Chemisorbed oxygen removes H-atoms formed in C-H bond activation steps and inhibits methoxide decomposition and CO(2) formation, two functions essential for the high turnover rates and methyl formate selectivities reported here.     

Neon L-shell photoabsorption cross sections from moment theory and finite basis pseudospectra

Pseudospectra from Gaussian basis set calculations within a frozen-core approximation have been used in a moment analysis to obtain Tchebychev profiles for the photoabsorption process in the valence shell of Ne. The profiles show good agreement with cross sections obtained in equivalent calculations using numerical atomic wave functions and continuum orbitals, particularly when the dipole-velocity form is employed. Variation of the basis sets shows that it is possible to obtain meaningful photoabsorption profiles using 13–15 virtual orbitals to describe the outgoing electron.     

The elastic scattering on jellium clusters

The following calculations are based on the local density approximation potential (LDA) of W. Ekardt for the spherical jellium-background model (SJBM). Taking into account the smooth shape of the potential, the WKB approximation was used to calculate the energy and angular dependence of the electron scattering cross-sections fo rsmall Na clusters. The number of phase shifts needed to describe the scattering in the range of energies <4.5 eV increases with the size of cluster. The calculated elastic electron scattering cross-sections for the Na clusters, corresponding to the shell closings (8, 20, 40), are exhibiting a pronounced peak structure, correlated with resonance states. The computed peaks of the angular dependences of the cross-sections on energy are shifted to small angles with increasing the cluster size. The absence of fragmentation at these small electron energies presents a challenge for the experimentalists.     

Selective oxidation of methanol and ethanol on supported ruthenium oxide clusters at low temperatures

RuO2 domains supported on SnO2, ZrO2, TiO2, Al2O3, and SiO2 catalyze the oxidative conversion of methanol to formaldehyde, methylformate, and dimethoxymethane with unprecedented rates and high combined selectivity (>99%) and yield at low temperatures (300-400 K). Supports influence turnover rates and the ability of RuO2 domains to undergo redox cycles required for oxidation turnovers. Oxidative dehydrogenation turnover rates and rates of stoichiometric reduction of RuO2 in H2 increased in parallel when RuO2 domains were dispersed on more reducible supports. These support effects, the kinetic effects of CH3OH and O2 on reaction rates, and the observed kinetic isotope effects with CH3OD and CD3OD reactants are consistent with a sequence of elementary steps involving kinetically relevant H-abstraction from adsorbed methoxide species using lattice oxygen atoms and with methoxide formation in quasi-equilibrated CH3OH dissociation on nearly stoichiometric RuO2 surfaces. Anaerobic transient experiments confirmed that CH3OH oxidation to HCHO requires lattice oxygen atoms and that selectivities are not influenced by the presence of O2. Residence time effects on selectivity indicate that secondary HCHO-CH3OH acetalization reactions lead to hemiacetal or methoxymethanol intermediates that convert to dimethoxymethane in reactions with CH3OH on support acid sites or dehydrogenate to form methylformate on RuO2 and support redox sites. These conclusions are consistent with the tendency of Al2O3 and SiO2 supports to favor dimethoxymethane formation, while SnO2, ZrO2, and TiO2 preferentially form methylformate. These support effects on secondary reactions were confirmed by measured CH3OH oxidation rates and selectivities on physical mixtures of supported RuO2 catalysts and pure supports. Ethanol also reacts on supported RuO2 domains to form predominately acetaldehyde and diethoxyethane at 300-400 K. The bifunctional nature of these reaction pathways and the remarkable ability of RuO2-based catalysts to oxidize CH3OH to HCHO at unprecedented low temperatures introduce significant opportunities for new routes to complex oxygenates, including some containing C-C bonds, using methanol or ethanol as intermediates derived from natural gas or biomass.     

Unequal freezing and melting temperatures for clusters

Using a previously introduced quantum statistical model, analyze necessary and sufficient conditions on the density of states for coexistence of liquid and solid clusters. We conclude that clusters of N particles have sharp freezing and melting temperatures limiting the ranges of phase stability and that these temperatures are unequal.     

Viscosity measurements of water at high temperatures and pressures using dynamic light scattering

The application of dynamic light scattering to measure viscosity of water at high temperatures and pressures is demonstrated. Viscosity was obtained from the translational diffusion coefficient of probe particles dispersed in the medium by the Einstein-Stokes relationship. Measurements were carried out with polystyrene latex, colloidal silica, and colloidal gold. Under a constant pressure of 25 MPa, good agreement was found between the measured and calculated viscosities up to 275 degrees C with the polystyrene latex, 200 degrees C with the colloidal silica, and 297 degrees C with the colloidal gold. It was found that failure of the measurements at high temperatures is ascribed to change in either the dispersion stability or chemical stability of the probe particles. The present results indicate that the technique could also be used for other supercritical fluids having high critical temperature and pressure, such as methanol (T(c) = 239.4 degrees C, P(c) = 8.1 MPa) and ethanol (T(c) = 243.1 degrees C, P(c) = 6.4 MPa).     

Structure and dynamics of protonated methane: CH 5 + at finite temperatures

Ab initio molecular dynamics based on a gradient corrected density functional is used to study in detail the properties of isolated CH ₅ ⁺ as a function of the average kinetic energy or temperature of the classical nuclei. These data are compared to previously obtained results for CH ₅ ⁺ in its quantum mechanical ground state. This allows general guidelines for studying fluxional molecules or clusters to be extracted.     

Nonadiabatic scattering of NO off Au3 clusters: A simple and robust diabatic state manifold generation method for multiconfigurational wavefunctions

The presence of nonadiabatic effects during the interaction of small molecules with metals has been observed experimentally for the last decades. Specially remarkable are the effects found for NO/Au, where experiments have suggested the presence of very strong vibronic coupling during the molecular scattering. However, the accurate inclusion of the nonadiabatic effects in periodic boundary conditions (PBC) theoretical methods remain an unapproachable challenge. Here, aiming to give some theoretical insight to the strong vibronic coupling, we have adopted a pragmatic point of view, taking use of an auxiliary simplified system, NO/Au₃. We show the importance of nonadiabatic coupling, during the scattering of NO from a Au₃ cluster, using a diabatic representation of 12 electronic states of the system, including a few charge-transfer states. Our diabatic representation is obtained by rotating the orbital and configuration interaction (CI) vectors of a restricted active space (RAS) wavefunction. We present a strategy for extracting the best effective manifold of states relevant to the system, below some prescribed energy, directly from the RAS CI vectors. This scheme is able to disentangle a large dense manifold of adiabatic states with strong coupling and crossings. This approach is also shown to work for multireference configuration interaction (MRCI). By performing quantum propagations, we observed an increase in vibrational redistribution with increasing initial vibrational or translational energies. We suggest that these nonadiabatic effects should also be present at smaller energies in larger clusters. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Structure and properties of nonclassical polymers. III. Magnetic characteristics at finite temperatures

Within the Ising model, the two-dimensional alternant nonclassical polymers display magnetic order at finite temperatures and are characterized by a nonzero critical point T_c. It is shown that magnetic ordering at finite temperatures occurs when interchain interactions in a quasi- dimensional nonclassical altemant polymer are taken into account.     

Inelastic scattering of unpolarized neutrons on dimer clusters

On the basis of a microscopic calculation of the inelastic neutron scattering spectra for scattering by exchange dimer clusters, we have determined the conditions for applicability of the semiphenomenological approach to determination of the scattering cross sections based on the spin model. The scattering cross sections obtained in the spin model are distinguished from the exact values by the fact that modified form factors of the SS transitions are used in the exact calculation instead of the magnetic form factors of the individual atoms. In the case of weak overlap of the one-electron wave functions for different centers, the exact scattering cross sections coincide with the cross sections calculated on the basis of the spin model.We have investigated the inelastic neutron spectrum for scattering by a dimer d²–d¹ of mixed valency. Tunneling transfer of the extra electron leads to splitting of the exchange line corresponding to the transition with S=1 in the system with localized electrons and the appearance of new lines. The spectrum consists of a series of forbidden transitions (with conservation of parity and S=1) and allowed transitions (with a change in parity and S=0, 1). The results obtained allow us to determine the parameters of Heisenberg and double exchange in mixed-valency dimers using the inelastic neutron scattering spectra.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 392–398, July–August, 1988.     

Reactive scattering of sodium clusters with molecular oxygen

The first reactive differential scattering study for atomic clusters is reported. Oxidation of Na _x (x8) with O₂ is investigated in a crossed beam apparatus. Sodium oxide (Na _n O,n4) and sodium dioxide (Na _n O₂,n6) are produced with a total reactive cross section from 50 to 80 Ų, depending on the cluster size. The excess energies for these reactions are estimated by an SCF type ab initio calculation and range from 0.5 to 5 eV. The large cross section may then be understood quantitatively in terms of a harpooning mechanism as a first step in the reaction path. Angular distributions have been determined for the most abundant products, showing strong forward scattering. Two different schemes are discussed for the reaction: while the dioxides Na _n O₂ may be formed by an evaporative cooling process from a highly excited collision complex, formation of Na _n O appears to originate from a direct process. In both cases the experimental data suggest that most of the exothermicity remains in the reaction products.     

Hydrodynamic fractionation of finite size gold nanoparticle clusters

We demonstrate a high-resolution in situ experimental method for performing simultaneous size classification and characterization of functional gold nanoparticle clusters (GNCs) based on asymmetric-flow field flow fractionation (AFFF). Field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, multi-angle light scattering (MALS), and in situ ultraviolet-visible optical spectroscopy provide complementary data and imagery confirming the cluster state (e.g., dimer, trimer, tetramer), packing structure, and purity of fractionated populations. An orthogonal analysis of GNC size distributions is obtained using electrospray-differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA). We find a linear correlation between the normalized MALS intensity (measured during AFFF elution) and the corresponding number concentration (measured by ES-DMA), establishing the capacity for AFFF to quantify the absolute number concentration of GNCs. The results and corresponding methodology summarized here provide the proof of concept for general applications involving the formation, isolation, and in situ analysis of both functional and adventitious nanoparticle clusters of finite size.     

Theoretical study of several Fe(H2o)n2+ clusters at different temperatures

Several Fe(H₂O)_n²⁺ clusters, with n up to 20, have been studied, both by energy minimization in the pairwise approximation and by Monte Carlo simulation. In the last case the calculations have been carried out at three different temperatures in order to investigate the effect of thermal agitation. The most interesting result which can be deduced from this work is the existence of eight water molecules in the first hydration shell of the iron (II) ion. A microscopic analysis has shown that the minimum energy structure of the Fe(H₂O)₈²⁺ cluster presents a D_4d symmetry. This structure is slightly distorted as far as the temperature is increased. The validity of these theoretical predictions is discussed.     

Sodium halide clusters: evidence for direct electronic fragmentation

Sodium halide clusters are generated by inert gas condensation and probed by electron and photon induced dissociation. The dependence of fragmentation on electron energy and initial cluster temperature indicates a direct electronic fragmentation process without an intermediate state of vibrationally hot clusters.     

On the structure and stability of Ar n and Ar n + clusters at finite temperature

For Ar_2–29 and Ar _2–29 ⁺ clusters at 20 K in the polarization model presented here the electrodynamical dipole-dipole many-body problem is solved selfconsistently with the Monte-Carlo method (MC) at 20 K, i.e. the instantaneous dipole-dipole interaction is solved to infinite perturbation order and in cluster expansion to the order of the cluster size. The long range many-body dipole-dipole interaction is coupled to exchange interaction by a modified effective dipole polarizability. This model will be compared to the dimer model and classical MC simulation of Ar _n . The resulting different magic numbers in the binding energies are discussed in this connection with different experimental techniques of cluster ionization. By the mean square cluster diameter a shape parameter is introduced and it is found that with this parameter structural form transition in cluster growth can be resolved, and surprisingly do not correlate with the magic numbers.     

Fluorescence excitation spectroscopy of Xenon doped Neon clusters: size and site effects,and cluster melting

Electronic excitations of Xe atoms and Xe₂ molecules embedded in free Ne clusters are studied with time resolved fluorescence excitation spectroscopy. Several distinct absorption bands blueshifted relativ to the first atomic resonance line of Xe are observed and are attributed to Xe or Xe₂ located in different sites. For Ne clusters containing less than 300 atoms only interior sites are observed indicating that small Ne clusters are liquid-like.     

Sodium doped binary clusters I: Ionization potentials of SinNam clusters

Sodium doped silicon clusters (Si_nNa_m, 3n11, 1m4) were produced by two independent laser vaporization methods and their ionization potentials were measured by scanning the wavelength of the UV dye laser. The IPs of most Si_nNa_m clusters decrease monotonously with the number of Na atoms, but IPs of Si₇Na_m and Si₁₀Na_m clusters show an apparent even-odd alternation; odd numbers of Na atoms efficiently decrease the IP but even numbers of Na atoms never significantly decrease the IPs. In addition, the reactivity of Si_nNa_m clusters for NO molecules was investigated with a fast flow reactor, and an anti-correlation between IP and the reactivity was clearly observed; clusters having high IP show low reactivity andvice versa.