Atomic Clusters With Unusual Structure Bonding And Reactivity

Atomic Clusters with Unusual Structure, Bonding and Reactivity: Theoretical Approaches, Computational Assessment and Applications reviews the latest computational tools and approaches available for accurately assessing the properties of a cluster, while also highlighting how such clusters can be adapted and utilized for the development of novel materials and applications. Sections provide an introduction to the computational methods used to obtain global minima for clusters and effectively analyze bonds, outline experimental approaches to produce clusters, discuss specific applications, and explore cluster reactivity and usage across a number of fields.Drawing on the knowledge of its expert editors and contributors, this book provides a detailed guide to ascertaining the stability, bonding and properties of atomic clusters. Atomic clusters, which exhibit unusual properties, offer huge potential as building blocks for new materials and novel applications, but understanding their properties, stability and bonding is essential in order to accurately understand, characterize and manipulate them for further use. Searching for the most stable geometry of a given cluster is difficult and becomes even more so for clusters of medium and large sizes, where the number of possible isomers sharply increase, hence this book provides a unique and comprehensive approach to the topic and available techniques and applications. Introduces readers to the vast structural and bonding diversity that clusters show and reflects on their potential for novel application and material development Highlights the latest computational methods and theoretical tools available for identification of the most stable isomers and accurate analysis of bonding in the clusters Focuses on clusters which violate the rules established in traditional chemistry and exhibit unusual structure, bonding and reactivity

Superhalogens and Superalkalis is a comprehensive volume designed as the go-to resource on the exciting and evolving topics of these special classes of atomic clusters and the acid salt that results from their interactions. The book details how these substances possess not only unusual structures but also unique properties which can be exploited for various applications. Superhalogens’ strong oxidizing capacity, resulting from their high-electron affinity, leads to their applications in the design of superacids, organic superconductors, and ionic liquids. The low ionization energy of superalkalis enables them to act as strong reducing agents, making them useful in the design of superbases and alkalides. Illustrated throughout, this timely book provides an overview of the research and development on these and other aspects of superhalogen and superalkalis. Key features: Offers a basic introduction of superatoms that is accessible for readers to understand. Includes extensive study questions after each chapter. Provides a systematic presentation of the existing literature on this increasingly trending topic. Presents the latest developments in the field, offering readers state-of-art knowledge. This book is a key reference guide for graduate students, postdocs, upper-level undergraduate students, academic professionals, and researchers who are interested in this fascinating topic.

Semiconductors and Semimetals series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors. The existence of this book is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our esteemed authors and contributors from across the globe, all of whom are at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field Serves as your gateway to a comprehensive exploration of non-layered 2D materials Not only teaches you something new but also sparks your creativity and curiosity

Cluster physics is the foundation of the increasingly important field of nanotechnology. Clusters, ranging in size from a few to many millions of atoms, constitute a fascinating field of research in physics, chemistry and materials science. They are formed by most of the elements of the Periodic Table, and the types of bonding and the resultant clusters are equally as varied. This book introduces atomic clusters, ranging from weakly-bonded clusters of argon to strongly-bonded carbon clusters and metal nano-particles. It includes worked examples to enable lecturers and students to gauge their understanding and progress. Atomic and Molecular Clusters describes the experimental generation, detection and interrogation of clusters and theoretical approaches developed to aid understanding of their physical properties. It classifies clusters according to their bonding types and gives examples of present and possible future applications of clusters in electronic, optical and magnetic devices.

Recent advances in experimental techniques now enable researchers to produce in a laboratory clusters of atoms of desired composition from any of the elements of the periodic table. This has created a new area of research into novel materials since clusters cannot be regarded either as a "large" molecule or as a fragment of the bulk. Both experimental and theoretical studies are revealing unusual properties that are not ob served in solid state environments. The structures of micro-clusters are found to be significantly distorted from the most symmetric arrangement, some even exhibiting pentagonal symmetry commonly found in icosahedric structures. The unusual stability of certain clusters, now described as "magic number species", shows striking similarities with the nuclear shell structure. The relative stabilities of clusters depend not only on the composition of the clusters but also on their charged states. The studies on spontaneous fragmentation of mUltiply charged clusters, commonly referred to as Coulomb explosion, illustrate the role of electronic bonding mechanisms on stability of clusters. The effect of foreign atoms on geometry and stability of clusters and the interaction of gas atoms with clusters are showing promise for an indepth understanding of chemisorption and catalysis. The magnetic and optical properties are dependent not only on cluster size but also on its geometry. These findings have the potential for aiding industry in the area of micro-electronics and catalysis.

This volume on Clusters brings together contributions from a large number of specialists. A central element for all contributions is the use of advanced computational methodologies and their application to various aspects of structure, reactivity and properties of clusters. The size of clusters varies from a few atoms to nanoparticles. Special emphasis is given to bringing forth new insights on the structure and properties of these systems with an eye towards potential applications in Materials Science. Overal, the volume presents to the readers an amazing wealth of new results. Particular subjects include water clusters, Silicon, Iron, Nickel and Gold clusters, carbon-titanium microclusters and nanoparticles, fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, chiral carbon nanotubes, boron nanoclusters and more.

This book presents a ?snapshot? of the most recent and significant advances in the field of cluster physics. It is a comprehensive review based on contributions by the participants of the 2nd International Symposium on Atomic Cluster Collisions (ISACC 2007) held in July 19-23, 2007 at GSI, Darmstadt, Germany. The purpose of the Symposium is to promote the growth and exhange of scientific information on the structure and properties of nuclear, atomic, molecular, biological and complex cluster systems studied by means of photonic, electronic, heavy particle and atomic collisions. Particular attention is devoted to dynamic phenomena, many-body effects taking place in cluster systems of a different nature ? these include problems of fusion and fission, fragmentation, collective electron excitations, phase transitions, etc. Both the experimental and theoretical aspects of cluster physics, uniquely placed between nuclear physics on the one hand and atomic, molecular and solid state physics on the other, are discussed.

The last fifteen years have seen a veritable explosion of clusters research brought about by two relatively new experimental advances - supersonic jet expansions creating cold high density atomic and molecular beams, and laser (mass and optical) spectroscopy. The success and power of these two techniques, taken together and applied to the study of atomic and molecular clusters, are described in this volume. The field of cluster study is a very broad one, propelled by both the potential application of cluster results to many bulk systems and interest in clusters as systems in their own right. The eclectic nature of the collection of chapters in this book reflects well the diverse nature of this area of chemical physics. The book begins with one of the most suprising and controversial of recent cluster studies - those for the carbon system. As with bulk and molecular carbon chemistry, the chemistry of carbon clusters seems to be unique. Nonmetallic main group clusters also form a very interesting set of systems and their structure and chemistry are as fascinating as they are varied. Diatomic/atomic clusters and small polyatomic clusters demonstrate an incredible amount of spectroscopic detail and thus structure, dynamics and, in some instances, chemistry can be characterized for them. Clusters of larger molecules also yield information on structure, dynamics and chemistry but can in addition give information on changes in molecular structure with degree of solvation. As clusters become larger they begin to assume the properties of bulk systems. Finally, some chapters discuss the nucleation and growth of clusters, each from its own unique perspective and point of view. Current efforts involve following these processes from the formation of a two-molecule cluster to liquid drop. Atomic and Molecular Clusters provides the researcher with a survey of the current status of the field and will also be of interest to the student who may discover a new and exciting area of investigation.