Organic ligand mediated evolution from superalkalis to superatomic molecules and nanowires

Superatoms are considered as promising building blocks for customizing superatomic molecules and cluster-assembly nanomaterials due to their tunable electronic structures and functionalities.Electron counting rules,which mainly adjust the shell-filling of clusters,are classical strategies in designing superatoms.Here,by employing the density functional theory(DFT)calculations,we proved that the 1,4-phenylene diisocyanide(CNC_(6)H_(4)NC)ligand could dramatically reduce the adiabatic ionization potentials(AlPs)of the aluminum-based clusters,which have 39,40,and 41 valence electrons,respectively,to give rise to superalkali species without changing their shell-filling.Moreover,the rigid structure of the ligand can be used as a bridge firmly linking the same or different aluminum-based clusters to form superatomic molecules and nanowires.In particular,the bridging process was observed to enhance their nonlinear optical(NLO)responses,which can be further promoted by the oriented external electric field(OEEF).Also,the stable cluster-assembly XAl_(12)(CNC_(6)H_(4)NC)(X=Al,C,and P)nanowires were constructed,which exhibit strong absorption in the visible light region.These findings not only suggest an effective ligand-field strategy in superatom design but also unveil the geometrical and electronic evolution from the CNC_(6)H_(4)NC-based superatoms to superatomic molecules and nanomaterials.

Ligand-field regulated superalkali behavior of the aluminum-based clusters with distinct shell occupancy

Protecting clusters from coalescing by ligands has been universally adopted in the chemical synthesis of atomically precise clusters.Apart from the stabilization role,the effect of ligands on the electronic properties of cluster cores in constructing superatoms,however,has not been well understood.In this letter,a comprehensive theoretical study about the effect of an organic ligand,methylated N-heterocyclic carbene(C_(5)N_(2)H_(8)),on the geometrical and electronic properties of the aluminum-based clusters XAl_(12)(X=Al,C and P)featuring different valence electron shells was conducted by utilizing the density functional theory(DFT)calculations.It was observed that the ligand can dramatically alter the electronic properties of these aluminum-based clusters while maintaining their structural stability.More intriguingly,different from classical superatom design strategies,the proposed ligation strategy was evidenced to possess the capability of remarkably reducing the ionization potentials(IP)of these clusters forming the ligated superalkalis,which is regardless of their shell occupancy.The charge transfer complex formed during the ligation process,which regulates the electronic spectrum through the electrostatic Coulomb potential,was suggested to be responsible for such an IP drop.The ligation strategy highlighted here may provide promising opportunities in realizing the superatom synthesis in the liquid phase.