Ionization Potentials and Electron Affinities of Cu_n Atomic Clusters

Ionization potentials and electron affinities of Cux (n = 2-7) atomic clusters with the optimal geom etries have been calculated by use of SC F-Xa-SW method and Slater's transition state theory. Theo retical calcuIations show that the ionization potentiaIs and electron affinities of Cu. (n = 2-7) atom ic clusters have a sharp even / odd alternation with increasing their sizes, which are related to the electronic structure of Cun atomic clusters. The theoretical results are consistent with the related ex perimental ones.

Interaction of intense laser pulses with hydrogen atomic clusters

The interaction between intense femtosecond laser pulses and hydrogen atomic clusters is studied by a simplified Coulomb explosion model. The dependences of average proton kinetic energy on cluster size, pulse duration, laser intensity and wavelength are studied respectively. The calculated results indicate that the irradiation of a femtosecond laser of longer wavelength on hydrogen atomic clusters may be a simple, economical way to produce highly kinetic hydrogen ions. The phenomenon suggests that the irradiation of femtosecond laser of longer wavelength on deuterium atomic clusters may be easier than that of shorter wavelength to drive nuclear fusion reactions. The product of the laser intensity and the squared laser wavelength needed to make proton energy saturated as a function of the squared cluster radius is also investigated. The proton energy distribution calculated is also shown and compared with the experimental data. Our results are in agreement with the experimental results fairly well.

Nurturing the marriages of single atoms with atomic clusters and nanoparticles for better heterogeneous electrocatalysis

Single-atom catalysts,featuring some of the most unique activities,selectivity,and high metal utilization,have been extensively studied over the past decade.Given their high activity,selectivity,especially towards small molecules or key intermediate conversions,they can be synergized together with other active species(typically other single atoms,atomic clusters,or nanoparticles)in either tandem or parallel or both,leading to much better performance in complex catalytic processes.Although there have been reports on effectively combining the multiple components into one single catalytic entity,the combination and synergy between single atoms and other active species have not been reviewed and examined in a systematic manner.Herein,in this overview,the key synergistic interactions,binary complementary effects,and the bifunctional functions of single atoms with other active species are defined and discussed in detail.The integration functions of their marriages are in-vestigated with particular emphasis on the homogeneous and heterogeneous combinations,spatial distribution,synthetic strategies,and the thus-derived outstanding catalytic performance,together with new light shined on the catalytic mechanisms by zooming in several case studies.The dynamic nature of each of the active species and in particular their interactions in such new catalytic entities in the heterogeneous electrocatalytic processes are visited,on the basis of the in situ/operando evidence.Last,we feature the current chal-lenges and future perspectives of these integrated catalytic entities that can offer guidance for advanced catalyst design by the rational combination and synergy of binary or multiple active species.

Recent research progress in the study of catalytic CO oxidation by gas phase atomic clusters

Oxidation of CO into CO2 is a major solution to reduce CO emission into the atmosphere and to remove CO in fuel gas cleanup.Furthermore,CO oxidation serves as a prototypical reaction for heterogeneous catalysis.This review provides an overview and an update on how to study catalytic CO oxidation at a strictly molecular level by performing wellcontrolled gas-phase experiments in combination with quantum chemistry calculations.The advances in the unique catalytic reactivity of single-atom cluster catalysts are emphasized.The catalytically active sites and various mechanistic aspects in the redox couples N2O/CO and O2/CO for the seemingly simple oxidation reaction are described.

Unveiling the early stage evolution of local atomic structures in the crystallization process of a metallic glass

The early stage evolution of local atomic structures in a multicomponent metallic glass during its crystallization process has been investigated via molecular dynamics simulation.It is found that the initial thermal stability and earliest stage evolution of the local atomic clusters show no strong correlation with their initial short-range orders,and this leads to an observation of a novel symmetry convergence phenomenon,which can be understood as an atomic structure manifestation of the ergodicity.Furthermore,in our system we have quantitatively proved that the crucial factor for the thermal stability against crystallization exhibited by the metallic glass is not the total amount of icosahedral clusters,but the degree of global connectivity among them.

Structure and property of metal melt Ⅱ—Evolution of atomic clusters in the not high temperature range above liquidus

Based on the theory of micro-inhomogeneity of liquid metal,a calculation model is established for the quantitative description of the structural information of metal melts.Only by thermophysical property parameters and basic structural parameters of solid metal,can this model produce the main information of melt structure,including the relative concentration of active atoms,size of atomic clusters and number of short-range order atoms.Based on this model,the main structural information of Al and Ni melts in the not high range above the liquidus is calculated,with results in good agreement with experimental values.Besides,analyzed is the influence of superheating temperature and atomic number on the melt structural information of the first (IA) and second main group (IIA) elements.With temperature increasing,melt structural information regularly changes for both IA and IIA elements.With the atomic number increasing,melt structural information of IA elements changes regularly,for the crystal structures of the IA elements are all of bcc lattice type.However,no notable regular change of melt structural information for IIA elements has been found,mainly because the lattice type of IIA elements is of hcp-fcc-bcc transition.The present work presents an effective way for better understanding metal melt structure and for forecasting the change of the physical property of metal melts.

Uniformly dispersed FeOx atomic clusters by pulsed arc plasma deposition： An efficient electrocatalyst for improving the performance of Li-O2 battery

The present study explored a new method to improve the catalytic activity of non-precious metals, especially in electrochemical reactions. Highly ionized Fe plasma produced by arc discharge was uniformly deposited on a porous carbon substrate and formed atomic clusters on the carbon surface. The as-prepared FeO~/C material was tested as a cathode material in a rechargeable Li-02 battery under different current rates. The results showed significant improvement in battery performance in terms of both cycle life and reaction rate. Furthermore, X-ray diffraction （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） results showed that the as-prepared cathode material stabilized the cathode and reduced side reactions and that the current rate was a critical factor in the nucleation of the discharge products.

Studies of Atomic Structure and Physical Properties of Metal Clusters in MgO by HREM and Nano-probe Methods

Nanometer-sized metal clusters were prepared inside single crystalline MgO films by vacuum co-deposition of metals and MgO. The atomic structure was studied by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and nm-area electron diffraction. The size of the clusters is ranging from 1 nm to 3 nm without those larger than 5 nm, and most of them have definite epitaxial orientations with the MgO matrix films. The character of the composite films is very much useful for the studies of various kinds of physical properties with anisotroPy. The physical properties such as electric transport, magnetic, optical absorption, sintering and catalytic ones were thus measured on the same samples analyzed by HREM by using high sensitivity apparatus with interest of clarifying the retationship between the atomic structure and physical properties

Energetic Protons Emitted from Coulomb Explosion Dynamics of Large-Sized Hydrogen Clusters Driven by an Ultrashort Intense Laser Pulse

Protons with very high kinetic energy of about lOkeV and the saturation effect of proton energy for laser intensity have been observed in the interaction of an ultrashort intense laser pulse with large-sized hydrogen dusters. Including the cluster-size distribution as well as the laser-intensity distribution on the focus spot, the theoretical calculations based on a simplified Coulomb explosion model have been compared with our experimental measurements, which are in good agreement with each other.

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Hydrogen Atom Abstraction from C2H6 and C4H10 by Zirconium Oxide Clusters Anions

The reactions of anionic zirconium oxide clusters ZrxOy- with C2H6 and C4H10 are investi-gated by a time of flight mass spectrometer coupled with a laser vaporization cluster source.Hydrogen containing products Zr2O5H- and Zr3O7H- are observed after the reaction. Den-sity functional theory calculations indicate that the hydrogen abstraction is favorable in the reaction of Zr2O5- with C2H6, which supports that the observed Zr2O5H- and Zr3O7H- are due to hydrogen atom abstraction from the alkane molecules. This work shows a newpossible pathway in the reaction of zirconium oxide cluster anions with alkane molecules.

Deuterium Clusters Fusion Induced by the Intense Femtosecond Laser Pulse

Neutrons （2.45MeV） from deuterium cluster fusion induced by the intense femtosecond （3Ors） laser pulse are experimentally demonstrated. The average neutron yield 103 per shot is obtained. It is found that the yield slightly increases with the increasing laser spot size. No neutron can be observed when the laser intensity I 〈 4.3 × 10^15 W/cm^2.

Interactions of a Femtosecond Intense Laser with Rare Gas Clusters in a Dense Jet

A study on the interactions of high intensity (- 1016 W/cm2) femtosecond laser pulses with rare gas clusters in a dense jet is performed. Energy absorption by Ar and Xe clusters is measured and it can be as high as 90%. Very energetic ions produced in the laser interaction with a dense cluster jet are detected by time-of-flight spectrometry and the maximum ion energy of Xe is up to 1.3 MeV. The average ion energies are found to increase with increasing cluster size and get saturated gradually. The average ion energies also show a strong directionality and the average ion energy in the direction parallel to the laser polarization vector is 40% higher than that perpendicular to it. The findings are discussed in terms of a model of charge-dependent ion acceleration.

A facile sulfur-assisted method to synthesize porous alveolate Fe/g-C3N4 catalysts with ultra-small cluster and atomically dispersed Fe sites

Heterogeneous catalysts with ultra-small clusters and atomically dispersed(USCAD)active sites have gained increasing attention in recent years.However,developing USCAD catalysts with high-density metal sites anchored in porous nanomaterials is still challenging.Here,through the template-free S-assisted pyrolysis of low-cost Fe-salts with melamine(MA),porous alveolate Fe/g-C3N4 catalysts with high-density(Fe loading up to 17.7 wt%)and increased USCAD Fe sites were synthesized.The presence of a certain amount of S species in the Fe-salts/MA system plays an important role in the formation of USCAD S-Fe-salt/CN catalysts;the S species act as a"sacrificial carrier"to increase the dispersion of Fe species through Fe-S coordination and generate porous alveolate structure by escaping in the form of SO2 during pyrolysis.The S-Fe-salt/CN catalysts exhibit greatly promoted activity and reusability for degrading various organic pollutants in advanced oxidation processes compared to the corresponding Fe-salt/CN catalysts,due to the promoted accessibility of USCAD Fe sites by the porous alveolate structure.This S-assisted method exhibits good feasibility in a large variety of S species(thiourea,S powder,and NH4SCN)and Fe salts,providing a new avenue for the low-cost and large-scale synthesis of high-density USCAD metal/g-C3N4 catalysts.

Magnetism of Metals, Alloys and of Clusters of Transition Metal Atoms

A condition for local moment formation in metals derived by Stoddart and March (Ann. Phys. NY 1972 64, 174) is first used to discuss the ferromagnetism of body-centred-cubic Fe. A less detailed discussion is also added on Ni and Co. This leads into a treatment of the non- linear response of such 3d ferromagnets to dilute substitutional impurities. Antiferromagnets responding to local changes in the exchange field caused by such impurities are also studied, Mn in Cr being one such system discussed. The paper concludes with a brief summary of clusters of transition metal atoms, with most attention devoted to Cr and to Mn.

Density functional investigations for geometric and electronic properties of In_4M and In_(12)M (M=C,Si,In) clusters

First-principle calculations are performed to study geometric and electronic properties of both neutral and anionic In4M and In12M （M = C, Si, In） clusters. In4C and In4Si are found to be tetrahedral molecules. The icosahedral structure is found to be unfavourable for In12M. The most stable structure for In12C is a distorted buckled biplanar structure while for In12Si it is of an In-cage with the Si located in the centre. Charge effect on the structure of In12M is discussed. In4C has a significantly large binding energy and an energy gap between the highest-occupied molecularorbital level and the lowest unoccupied molecular-orbital level, a low electron affinity, and a high ionization potential, which are the characters of a magic cluster, enriching the family of doped-group-IIIA metal clusters for cluster-assembled materials.

Study of Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Nickel Clusters and Semiconductor Structures

The possibility of building of clusters of impurity atoms of Ni in silicon and controlling their parameters is currently investigated in the present research article. Our group develops a special technique for doping, the so-called “low-temperature doping” of semiconductors. This method of doping is based upon the diffusion process which is carried out in stages by gradually increasing temperature ranging from room temperature to the diffusion temperature.

Atomically precise Ru-O-Ru clusters for enhanced water dissociation in alkaline hydrogen evolution

Atomic clusters typically exhibit distinctive electronic structures and physicochemical properties.However,as the size decreases,their ability to adsorb and dissociate water also diminishes,thereby affecting chemical reactions involving water molecules.Enhancing the adsorption and dissociation capabilities of atomic clusters towards water molecules and elucidating the mechanisms underlying their performance enhancement have become important research directions.Herein,employing the carrier-anchored strategy,Ru-O-Ru atomic clusters were prepared and displayed excellent activity and durability in the hydrogen evolution reaction.Specifically,the Ru-O-Ru atomic clusters exhibited only 86 mV overpotential at 100 mA·cm−^(2) and superior membrane-electrode-assembly activity than commercial Ru/C catalyst.Synchrotron radiation-based Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic measurements revealed that the modification of oxygen in Ru-O-Ru units promoted the reorientation of water molecules from a H-up orientation to H-down,therefore,enhanced the formation of strong hydrogen-bond network of interfacial water on the surface of Ru-O-Ru clusters,leading to enhanced adsorption and dissociation of water and accelerated Volmer step.Those findings provide a potential strategy and deep insights for the development of atomic clusters in electrocatalysts.

Effects of electric pulse modification on liquid structure of Al-5%Cu alloy

The electric pulse modification （EP, EPM） of liquid metal is a novel method for grain refinement. The structure of EP-modified Al-5%Cu melt was characterized by high-temperature X-ray diffractometry. The results show that the Cu-containing Al clusters remarkably increase in the EP-modified melt, furthermore, these clusters in that case tend to contract due to the decrease of relevant atomic radius and the co-ordination number. This kind of liquid-phase structure leads to a more homogeneous Cu-rich phase distribution in the final solidification structure. Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） tests indicate that the solidification super-cooling degree of the EP-modified liquid phase is 2.36 times that of the unmodified. These facts suggest that the atom cluster changes in EP-modified Al-5%Cu melt would disagree with that by EPM model previously proposed in liquid pure metal.

The Nanoscale Density Gradient as a Structural Stabilizer for Glass Formation

The rapid cooling of a metallic liquid(ML)results in short-range order(SRO)among the atomic arrangements and a disordered structure in the resulting metallic glass(MG).These phenomena cause various possible features in the microscopic structure of the MG,presenting a puzzle about the nature of the MGs’microscopic structure beyond SRO.In this study,the nanoscale density gradient(NDG)originating from a sequential arrangement of clusters with different atomic packing densities(APDs),representing the medium-range structural heterogeneity in Zr_(60)Cu_(30)Al_(10)MG,was characterized using electron tomography(ET)combined with image simulations based on structure modeling.The coarse polyhedrons with distinct facets identified in the three-dimensional images coincide with icosahedron-like clusters and represent the spatial positions of clusters with high APDs.Rearrangements of the different clusters according to descending APD order in the glass-forming process are responsible for the NDG that stabilizes both the supercooled ML and the amorphous states and acts as a hidden rule in the transition from ML to MG.

Teleportation of arbitrary unknown two-atom state with cluster state via thermal cavity

This paper proposes a scheme for implementing the teleportation of an arbitrary unknown two-atom state by using a cluster state of four identical 2-level atoms as quantum channel in a thermal cavity. The two distinct advantages of the present scheme are： （i） The discrimination of 16 orthonormal cluster states in the standard teleportation protocol is transformed into the discrimination of single-atom states. Consequently, the discrimination difficulty of states is degraded. （ii） The scheme is insensitive to the cavity field state and the cavity decay for the thermal cavity is only virtually excited when atoms interact with it. Thus, the scheme is more feasible.