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Chin. Phys. B, 2012, Vol. 21(4): 043601    DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/21/4/043601
ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS Prev   Next  

A comparative study on geometries, stabilities, and electronic properties between bimetallic AgnX (X=Au, Cu; n=1-8) and pure silver clusters

Ding Li-Ping(丁利苹), Kuang Xiao-Yu(邝小渝), Shao Peng(邵鹏), Zhao Ya-Ru(赵亚儒), and Li Yan-Fang(李艳芳)
Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Abstract  Using the meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) exchange correlation TPSS functional, the geometric structures, the relative stabilities, and the electronic properties of bimetallic AgnX (X=Au, Cu; n=1-8) clusters are systematically investigated and compared with those of pure silver clusters. The optimized structures show that the transition point from preferentially planar to three-dimensional structure occurs at n=6 for the AgnAu clusters, and at n=5 for AgnCu clusters. For different-sized AgnX clusters, one X (X=Au or Cu) atom substituted Agn + 1 structure is a dominant growth pattern. The calculated fragmentation energies, second-order differences in energies, and the highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) energy gaps show interesting odd-even oscillation behaviours, indicating that Ag2, 4, 6, 8 and Ag1, 3, 5, 7X (X=Au, Cu) clusters keep high stabilities in comparison with their neighbouring clusters. The natural population analysis reveals that the charges transfer from the Ag_n host to the impurity atom except for the Ag2Cu cluster. Moreover, vertical ionization potential (VIP), vertical electronic affinity (VEA), and chemical hardness (η) are discussed and compared in depth. The same odd-even oscillations are found for the VIP and η of the AgnX (X=Au, Cu; n=1-8) clusters.
Keywords:  AgnX (X=Au,Cu) clusters      geometric structure      meta-GGA exchange correlation functional  
Received:  12 September 2011      Revised:  14 October 2011      Accepted manuscript online: 
PACS:  36.20.Hb (Configuration (bonds, dimensions))  
  36.40.-c (Atomic and molecular clusters)  
  36.40.Qv (Stability and fragmentation of clusters)  
Fund: Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.10774103 and 10974138)
Corresponding Authors:  Kuang Xiao-Yu, E-mail:scu_kuang@163.com     E-mail:  scu_kuang@163.com

Cite this article: 

Ding Li-Ping(丁利苹), Kuang Xiao-Yu(邝小渝), Shao Peng(邵鹏), Zhao Ya-Ru(赵亚儒), and Li Yan-Fang(李艳芳) A comparative study on geometries, stabilities, and electronic properties between bimetallic AgnX (X=Au, Cu; n=1-8) and pure silver clusters 2012 Chin. Phys. B 21 043601

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