Related papers: Surface structure and solidification morphology of…
We studied the structural and the electronic properties of ionized and neutral small Au clusters via plane wave pseudopotential calculations. All except the anionic heptamer favor one-dimensional zigzag structures or two-dimensional…
We present an extensive but concise review of our present understanding, largely based on theory and simulation work from our group, on the equilibrium behavior of solid surfaces and nanosystems close to the bulk melting point. In the first…
The adsorption of Ag$_3$ and Ag$_4$ clusters on the $\alpha$-Al$_2$O$_3$(0001) surface is explored with density functional theory. Within each adsorbed cluster, two different cluster-surface interactions are present. We find that silver…
Aluminum oxide nanoparticles are increasingly sought in numerous technological applications. However, as the nanoparticles grow during the synthesis, two phase transitions occur. At the nanoscale, numerical simulation of the stability of…
The interest to foster plasmonic applications at energies in the ultra-violet, has escalated research initiatives in clusters of unconventional plasmonic materials like aluminum and indium,for which the surface-plasmon resonance appears…
We have investigated the lowest-energy structures and electronic properties of the Au$_n$(n=2-20) clusters based on density functional theory (DFT) with local density approximation. The small Au$_n$ clusters adopt planar structures up to…
We have systematically studied the surface properties, such as symmetric energy, neutron pressure, and symmetry energy curvature coefficient for Ne, Na, Mg, Al, and Si nuclei from the proton to neutron drip-lines. The Coherent Density…
The structure of the Al_{70}Pd_{21}Mn_{9} surface has been investigated using high resolution scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). From two large five-fold terraces on the surface in a short decorated Fibonacci sequence, atomically…
We review recent studies of the cluster structure of light nuclei within the framework of the algebraic cluster model (ACM) for nuclei composed of k alpha-particles and within the framework of the cluster shell model (CSM) for nuclei…
The physical and chemical properties of metal nanoparticles differ significantly from those of free metal atoms as well as from the properties of bulk metals, and therefore, they may be viewed as a transition regime between the two physical…
We study the structure and energetics of Au$_N$ clusters by means of parameter-free density-functional calculations ($N\le 8$), jellium calculations ($N\le 60$), embedded-atom calculations ($N\le 150$), and parameterized density-functional…
Surface phenomena are increasingly becoming important in exploring nanoscale materials growth and characterization. Consequently, the need for atomistic based simulations is increasing. Nevertheless, relying entirely on quantum mechanical…
The lowest energy configurations of close-packed clusters up to N=110 atoms with stacking faults are studied using the Monte Carlo method with Metropolis algorithm. Two types of contact interactions, a pair-potential and a many-atom…
NPs are ultrafine-grain crystal or amorphous substances which are as small as 100nm. They have unique physical, chemical and mechanical properties, which are very different from those of large scale materials. This uniqueness is attributed…
The structure of nanoclusters is complex to describe due to their noncrystallinity, even though bonding and packing constraints limit the local atomic arrangements to only a few types. A computational scheme is presented to extract…
We report experiments on aluminum nanowires in ultra-high vacuum at room temperature that reveal a periodic spectrum of exceptionally stable structures. Two "magic" series of stable structures are observed: At low conductance, the formation…
Cluster structure of 16O,18O and 20O is investigated by the antisymmettrized molecular dynamics (AMD) plus generator coordinate method (GCM). We have found the K^{\pi}=0$_2^+$ and 0$_1^-$ rotational bands of 18O that have the prominent…
Molecular dynamics simulations show that gold clusters with about 600--3000 atoms crystallize into a Mackay icosahedron upon cooling from the liquid. A detailed surface analysis shows that the facets on the surface of the Mackay icosahedral…
Atomically precise metal nanoclusters bridge the molecular and bulk regimes, but designing bimetallic motifs with targeted stability and reactivity remains challenging. Here we combine density functional theory (DFT) and physics-grounded…
Surfaces in i-Al68Pd23Mn9 as observed with STM and LEED experiments show atomic terraces in a Fibonacci spacing. We analyze them in a bulk tiling model due to Elser which incorporates many experimental data. The model has dodecahedral…