0000000000182291
AUTHOR
Henrik Grönbeck
Evidence of superatom electronic shells in ligand-stabilized aluminum clusters
Ligand-stabilized aluminum clusters are investigated by density functional theory calculations. Analysis of Kohn-Sham molecular orbitals and projected density of states uncovers an electronic shell structure that adheres to the superatom complex model for ligand-stabilized aluminum clusters. In this current study, we explain how the superatom complex electron-counting rule is influenced by the electron-withdrawing ligand and a dopant atom in the metallic core. The results may guide the prediction of new stable ligand-stabilized (superatom) complexes, regardless of core and electron-withdrawing ligand composition.
A unified view of ligand-protected gold clusters as superatom complexes
Synthesis, characterization, and functionalization of self-assembled, ligand-stabilized gold nanoparticles are long-standing issues in the chemistry of nanomaterials. Factors driving the thermodynamic stability of well documented discrete sizes are largely unknown. Herein, we provide a unified view of principles that underlie the stability of particles protected by thiolate (SR) or phosphine and halide (PR 3 , X) ligands. The picture has emerged from analysis of large-scale density functional theory calculations of structurally characterized compounds, namely Au 102 (SR) 44 , Au 39 (PR 3 ) 14 X 6 − , Au 11 (PR 3 ) 7 X 3 , and Au 13 (PR 3 ) 10 X 2 3+ , where X is either a halogen or a thiol…
Charging of atoms, clusters, and molecules on metal-supported oxides: A general and long-ranged phenomenon
The density-functional theory is used to investigate the adsorption of Au atoms, Au clusters, and NO2 molecules on transition-metal-supported oxides. As compared to unsupported oxides, the adsorbates on supported oxide films are charged and experience a higher adsorption energy. The origin of the effect is explored by considering two different oxides (MgO and Al2O3) and a range of supporting metals. Moreover, the limits of the enhancement are probed by explicit calculations for thick MgO films and low coverage. The long-range character of the phenomenon is attributed to electrostatic polarization. The absolute strength depends on several contributions and their relative importance changes w…
On the Structure of Thiolate-Protected Au25
Density functional theory is used to explore the structure of Au25(RS)18. The preferred structure consists of an icosahedral Au13 core protected by 6 RS-Au-RS-Au-RS units. The enhanced stability of the structure as an anion is found to originate from closure of an eight-electron shell for delocalized Au(6s) electrons. The evaluated XRD pattern and optical spectra are in good agreement with experimental data.
The Al 50 Cp* 12 Cluster – A 138‐Electron Closed Shell ( L = 6) Superatom
Metal clusters stabilized by a surface ligand shell represent an interesting intermediate state of matter between molecular metal-ligand complexes and bulk metal. Such "metalloid" clusters are characterized by the balance between metal-metal bonds in the core and metal-ligand bonds at the exterior of the cluster. In previous studies, the electronic stability for the Al50Cp*(12) cluster was not fully understood. We show here that the known cluster Al50Cp*(12) can be considered as an analogue to a giant atom ("superatom") with 138 sp electrons organized in concentric angular momentum shells up to L = 6 symmetry.
Characterization of Iron−Carbonyl-Protected Gold Clusters
Ligand-stabilized nanometer-sized gold particles are interesting building blocks for molecular electronics, precursors for catalysts, optical labels for biomolecules and diagnosis, and potential nontoxic carriers for therapeutics. In this work we characterize for the first time, by means of near-infrared and Raman spectroscopy and time-dependent density functional calculations, gold clusters protected with iron-carbonyl ligands, such as {Au(22)[Fe(CO)(4)](12)}(6-) shown in the figure. Surprisingly, our results show that these novel compounds bear many analogues to another, well-studied, class of gold clusters, namely those of thiolate-monolayer-protected gold clusters. Our work adds a new d…