First-principles study of vibrational properties of TiSiO4 clusters

First-principles calculations were performed to investigate the vibrational properties of monomers and dimers of titania, silica, and titania-silica hybrid clusters. Density functional theory-based formulism was employed to optimize the geometry at the B3LYP level and calculate the infrared and Raman spectra of the clusters by using the GGA-PBE exchange-correlation functional. It was found that the vibrational spectra of Ti₂O₄, Si₂O₄, and TiSiO₄ hybrid clusters provide fingerprint information about structures and structural transitions during the formation of cluster structures. In the case of Si₂O₄ the mode at 410 cm⁻¹ exhibited the largest vibration of Si atoms, whereas in the case of Ti₂O₄ the mode at 442 cm⁻¹ exhibited the largest vibration of Ti atoms. The hybrid cluster TiSiO₄ was structured using two different methods to explore the effects of starting geometry on the structures and vibrational modes of the clusters. The structural properties of the clusters remained unchanged but vibrational modes were found to be different. It is found that Si shows notable vibrations, but the metal atom Ti merely shows any vibration in the case of TiSiO₄ hybrid clusters. The low and intermediate frequency modes were stiffened, whereas the three highest frequency modes were softened when the starting geometry of the hybrid clusters was changed from Si₂O₄ to Ti₂O₄.     

How to find an optimum cluster size through topological site properties: MoSxmodel clusters

Computational investigations in catalysis frequently use model clusters to represent realistically the catalyst and its reaction sites. Detailed knowledge of the molecular charge, thus electronic density, of a cluster would then allow physical and chemical insights of properties and can provide a procedure to establish their optimum size for catalyst studies. For this purpose, an approach is suggested to study model clusters based on the distributed multipole analysis (DMA) of molecular charge properties. After full density functional theory (DFT) geometry optimization of each cluster, DMA computed from the converged DFT one‐electron density matrix allowed the partition of the corresponding cluster charge distribution into monopole, dipole, and quadrupole moments on the atomic sites. The procedure was applied to MoS₂ model clusters Mo₁₀S₁₈, Mo₁₂S₂₆, Mo₁₆S₃₂, Mo₂₃S₄₈, and Mo₂₇S₅₄. This analysis provided detailed features of the charge distribution of each cluster, focused on the 101 0 (Mo or metallic edge) and 1 010 (sulfur edge) active planes. Properties of the Mo₂₇S₅₄ cluster, including the formation of HDS active surfaces, were extensively discussed. The effect of cluster size on the site charge distribution properties of both planes was evaluated. The results showed that the Mo₁₆S₃₂ cluster can adequately model both active planes of real size Mo₂₇S₅₄. These results can guide future computational studies of MoS₂ catalytic processes. Furthermore, this approach is of general applicability. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

First-principles study of structural and vibrational properties of crystalline silver azide under high pressure

A detailed first-principles study of the structural and vibrational properties of crystalline silver azide under hydrostatic pressure of 0–500 GPa has been performed with density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation. The crystal structure is relaxed to allow ionic configurations, cell shape, and volume to change without any symmetry constraints. It is found that the silver azide crystal remains orthorhombic structure with Ibam space group for pressures up to 7 GPa, where there is a transition to an I4/mcm tetragonal symmetry. The lattice parameter and electronic structure are investigated as functions of pressure. The calculated vibrational frequencies at ambient pressure are in agreement with available experimental data. We also discuss the pressure-induced frequency shifts for the internal and lattice modes of silver azide crystal upon compression.     

Electron impact ionization of small silver and copper clusters

Using a quadrupole mass spectrometer, relative cross sections for electron impact ionization of neutral Ag _n and Cu _n clusters withn=1 ... 4 have been measured for electron energies between threshold and 125 eV. From the results, the following ionization energies were obtained: Ag₂: 7.26±0.1 eV, Ag₃: 6.19±0.2 eV, Ag₄: 6.33±0.3 eV, Cu₂: 7.46±0.15 eV, Cu₃: 6.14±1.0 eV, Cu₄: 7.00±0.6 eV. With only two exceptions, these values agree with other data published for Ag₂, Cu₂, Cu₃ and Cu₄.     

Photoelectron spectroscopy as a structural probe of intermediate size clusters

We examine the utility of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) as a structural probe of Si(n) (-) in the n=20-26 size range by determining isomers and associated photoelectron spectra from first principles calculations. Across the entire size range, we consistently obtain a good agreement between the theory and experiment [Hoffmann et al., Eur. Phys. J. D 16, 9 (2001)]. We find that PES can almost invariably distinguish between structurally distinct isomers at a given cluster size, but that structurally similar isomers usually cannot be reliably distinguished by PES. For many, but not all, sizes the isomer giving the best match to experiment is the lowest-energy one found theoretically. Thus, combining theory with PES experiments emerges as a useful source of structural information even for intermediate size clusters.     

Argon solvent effects on optical properties of silver metal clusters

Argon gas at a high pressure (～80 bar) has been expanded using a miniaturized pulsed valve at room temperature, producing a supersonic beam of cold, large argon droplets. Atoms of silver are subsequently embedded into the droplet using the pick-up technique. The resulting Ag(n)Ar(droplet) distribution was analyzed using multiphoton laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Besides bare metal clusters, snowballs of silver monomers and dimers encapsulated in up to 50 argon atoms have been observed. The influence of the solvent on the optical absorption of the solute was studied for embedded Ag(8) using resonant two-photon ionization in the ultraviolet. A redshift and broadening of the Ag(8)Ar(droplet) optical spectrum compared to that measured in pure [Federmann et al., Eur. Phys. J. D 1999, 9, 11] and Ar-doped helium droplets [Diederich et al., J. Chem. Phys.2002, 116, 3263] was observed, which is attributed to the interaction with the larger Ar matrix environment.     

Strongly cluster size dependent reaction behavior of CO with O2 on free silver cluster anions

Reactions of free silver anions Agn- (n = 1 - 13) with O2, CO, and their mixtures are investigated in a temperature controlled radio frequency ion trap setup. Cluster anions Agn- (n = 1 - 11) readily react with molecular oxygen to yield AgnOm- (m = 2, 4, or 6) oxide products. In contrast, no reaction of the silver cluster anions with carbon monoxide is detected. However, if silver cluster anions are exposed to the mixture of O2 and CO, new reaction products and a pronounced, discontinuous size dependence in the reaction behavior is observed. In particular, coadsorption complexes Agn(CO)O2- are detected for cluster sizes with n = 4 and 6 and, the most striking observation, in the case of the larger odd atom number clusters Ag7-, Ag9-, and Ag11-, the oxide product concentration decreases while a reappearance of the bare metal cluster signal is observed. This leads to the conclusion that carbon monoxide reacts with the activated oxygen on these silver clusters and indicates the prevalence of a catalytic reaction cycle.     

Influence of adsorbing species on properties of equilibrium silver iodide clusters

Thermodynamically stable AgI clusters were studied in the presence of high- and low-molecular-weight additives: polyethyleneimine (PEI) and dimethylformamide (DMF), respectively. Clusters containing up to 20 silver iodide pairs, roughly twice as many as in the system without PEI or DMF, have been observed. We show that the mechanism stabilizing these clusters is mixed adsorption with iodide ions at the AgI-electrolyte interface. We make it plausible that more strongly adsorbing additives give rise to ultralow interfacial tensions of the AgI-electrolyte interface, with perspectives for "reversible colloids."     

Geometries, stabilities, and electronic properties of Pt-group-doped gold clusters, their relationship to cluster size, and comparison with pure gold clusters

A systematic study of bimetallic Au(n)M(2) (n = 1-6, M = Ni, Pd, and Pt) clusters is performed by using density functional theory at the B3LYP level. The geometric structures, relative stabilities, HOMO-LUMO gaps, natural charges and electronic magnetic moments of these clusters are investigated, and compared with pure gold clusters. The results indicate that the properties of Au(n)M(2) clusters for n = 1-3 diverge more from pure gold clusters, while those for n = 4-6 show good agreement with Au(n) clusters. The dissociation energies, the second-order difference of energies, and HOMO-LUMO energy gaps, exhibiting an odd-even alternation, indicate that the Au(4)M(2) clusters are the most stable structures for Au(n)M(2) (n = 1-6, M = Ni, Pd, and Pt) clusters. Moreover, we predict that the average atomic binding energies of these clusters should tend to a limit in the range 1.56-2.00 eV.     

Development kinetics of silver clusters on silver halides

Silver nuclei are produced by pulse radiolysis at the surface of AgCl nanocrystallites in the presence of an electron donor, the methyl viologen, which induces the growth of silver nuclei. The experimental results observed on the increase of the silver atom concentration and on the decay of the donor concentration during this process, which is similar to the photographic development by an electron donor, are compared with the kinetics obtained from numerical simulation. The model assumes that the formation of silver clusters with a supercritical nuclearity is required before the start of an electron transfer reaction from the two reduced forms of the donor methyl viologen to the silver clusters. The reaction is controlled by the access of the donor to the surface sites of the AgCl crystallite. The rate constant values of the successive steps of the mechanism are derived from the adjustment of calculated kinetics to experimental signals under various conditions, using a single set of parameters which are fairly suitable under all conditions studied.     

Electron impact and single photon ionization cross sections of neutral silver clusters

Neutral silver atoms and small clusters Ag _n (n=1...4) were generated by sputtering, i.e. by bombarding a polycrystalline silver surface with Ar⁺ ions of 5 keV. The sputtered particles were ionized by a crossed electron beam and subsequently detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. In alternative to the electron impact ionization, the same neutral species were also ionized by single photon absorption from a pulsed VUV laser (photon energy 7.9 eV), and the photoionization cross sections were evaluated from the laser intensity dependence of the measured signals. By in situ combining both ionization mechanisms, absolute values of the ratio σ _e (Ag _n )/σ _e (Ag) between the electron impact ionization cross sections of silver clusters and atoms could be determined for a fixed electron energy of 46 eV. These values can then be used to calibrate previously measured relative ionization functions. By calibrating the results using literature data measured for silver atoms, we present absolute cross sections for electron impact ionization of neutral Ag₂, Ag₃ and Ag₄ as a function of the electron energy between threshold and 125 eV.     

A theoretical study on small iridium clusters: structural evolution, electronic and magnetic properties, and reactivity predictors

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of iridium clusters with sizes of n = 2-15 are investigated by employing the generalized gradient approximation of density functional theory. Simple cube evolution pattern is revealed for Ir(2-15) clusters, as predicted by previous reports. It is remarkable that for Ir(10), Ir(11) clusters, new generated isomers with higher stabilities relative to those reported in previous studies are obtained. The even-sized clusters are more stable than the odd-sized species. The Ir-Ir bonds in the cubic Ir(8) and Ir(12) clusters, which are considered as the basic units in the structural evolution present covalent character. Starting from n = 8, the magnetic moments of Ir(n) clusters decrease sharply. The moments of magnetic clusters show 5d characters. The reactive site selectivity of studied clusters with n = 5-15 is analyzed with condensed Fukui function. The capped atoms in certain clusters (Ir(9), Ir(10), Ir(11), and Ir(13)) generally show extraordinary activity for both nucleophilic and electrophilic attack.     

Vibrational predissociation spectroscopy of the (H2O)(6-21)- clusters in the OH stretching region: evolution of the excess electron-binding signature into the intermediate cluster size regime

We report vibrational predissociation spectra of the (H2O)n- cluster ions in the OH stretching region to determine whether the spectral signature of the electron-binding motif identified in the smaller clusters [Hammer et al. Science 306, 675 (2004)] continues to be important in the intermediate size regime (n = 7-21). This signature consists of a redshifted doublet that dominates the OH stretching region, and has been traced primarily to the excitation of a single water molecule residing in a double H-bond acceptor (AA) binding site, oriented with both of its H atoms pointing toward the excess electron cloud. Strong absorption near the characteristic AA doublet is found to persist in the spectra of the larger clusters, but the pattern evolves into a broadened triplet around n = 11. A single free OH feature associated with dangling hydrogen atoms on the cluster surface is observed to emerge for n > or = 15, in sharp contrast to the multiplet pattern of unbonded OH stretches displayed by the H+(H2O)n clusters throughout the n = 2-29 range. We also explore the vibration-electronic coupling associated with normal-mode displacements of the AA molecule that most strongly interact with the excess electron. Specifically, electronic structure calculations on the hexamer anion indicate that displacement along the -OH2 symmetric stretching mode dramatically distorts the excess electron cloud, thus accounting for the anomalously large oscillator strength of the AA water stretching vibrations. We also discuss these vibronic interactions in the context of a possible relaxation mechanism for the excited electronic states involving the excess electron.     

Structure,stability, and vibrational properties of small silver cluster

The ground state geometries and binding energies of small silver clusters were found using Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods. We have compared various non local corrections for exchange and correlation energies, with or without treating explicitely all the electrons. The transferability of standard effective core potentials (ECP) is good, as far as their core size is small enough. From these results, and after comparison with ab initio CI one electron- ECP calculations, we have concluded to the ability of describing small silver clusters as one-electron systems. Thus, we have parametrized our distance-dependent tight- binding hamiltonian (DDTB), previously applied to alkali clusters. The geometries and energies provided by the model are very close to those found in ab initio calculations when available, that is, up to Ag₉. We have also computed the harmonic frequencies of small silver clusters.     

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.     

The influence of metal cluster size on adsorption energies: CO adsorbed on Au clusters supported on TiO2

Infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS) has been used to study CO adsorption on Au clusters ranging in size from 1.8 to 3.1 nm, supported on TiO(2). The adsorbed CO vibrational frequency blue-shifts slightly (approximately 4 cm(-)(1)) compared to that adsorbed on bulk Au, whereas the heats of adsorption (-DeltaH(ads)) increase sharply with decreasing cluster size, from 12.5 to 18.3 kcal/mol.     

Lu掺杂AlN的电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

为了探索AlN在光电器件中的潜在应用,采用第一性原理计算了不同Lu掺杂浓度(以原子分数x表示)的AlN(Al_1-xLu_xN)的电子结构和光学性质。研究结果表明,Al_1-xLu_xN的超胞体积随着Lu掺杂浓度的增加而增加,而带隙则相反。Al_1-xLu_xN的静态介电常数在低能区随掺杂浓度的提高而提高,随后逐渐趋向一致。随着Lu掺杂浓度的增加,反射率和吸收系数的峰值强度降低,峰值向较低能量方向移动。Al_1-xLu_xN的能量损失光谱表现出明显的等离子体振荡特性,且峰值低于本征AlN。Al_1-xLu_xN的光电导率在低能区随能量的增加而急剧增加。     

Lu掺杂AlN的电子结构和光学性质的第一性原理研究

为了探索 AlN在光电器件中的潜在应用,采用第一性原理计算了不同 Lu掺杂浓度(以原子分数 x表示)的 AlN(Al_1-xLu_xN)的电子结构和光学性质。研究结果表明,Al_1-xLu_xN的超胞体积随着Lu掺杂浓度的增加而增加,而带隙则相反。Al_1-xLu_xN的静态介电常数在低能区随掺杂浓度的提高而提高,随后逐渐趋向一致。随着Lu掺杂浓度的增加,反射率和吸收系数的峰值强度降低,峰值向较低能量方向移动。Al_1-xLu_xN的能量损失光谱表现出明显的等离子体振荡特性,且峰值低于本征AlN。Al_1-xLu_xN的光电导率在低能区随能量的增加而急剧增加。     

Electron impact ionization of silver clusters Ag n,n≦36

Electron impact ionization of gas phase silver clusters Ag _n ,n≦36 has been achieved in the threshold region. The vertical ionization potentials in this region clearly demonstrate the evidence of shell effects as well as a distinct even-odd oscillation up ton?20. Their general size dependence is somewhat different from that of the alkali metal clusters due to the presence of thed-electrons.