Related papers: Nitrogen clusters inside C60 cage and new nanoscal…
The C_{60} molecule exhibits a remarkable stability and inertness that leads to its survival in ancient carbonaceous rocks initially subject to the high temperatures requisite for its formation. Elementary particles having very high…
Nitrogen represents an archetypal example of material exhibiting a pressure driven transformation from molecular to polymeric state. Detailed investigations of such transformations are challenging because of a large kinetic barrier between…
The thermodynamic stability of structural isomers of $\mathrm{C}_{24}$, $\mathrm{C}_{26}$, $\mathrm{C}_{28}$ and $\mathrm{C}_{32}$, including fullerenes, is studied using density functional and quantum Monte Carlo methods. The energetic…
Nitrogen oxides are textbook class of molecular compounds, with extensive industrial applications. Nitrogen and oxygen are also among the most abundant elements in the universe. We explore the N-O system at 0 K and up to 500 GPa though ab…
We report the experimental and theoretical investigation of the growth and of the structure of large carbon clusters produced in a supersonic expansion by a pulsed microplasma source. The absence of a significant thermal annealing during…
A novel fulleride Sm6C60 has been synthesized using high temperature solid state reaction. The Rietveld refinement on high resolution synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data shows that Sm6C60 is isostructural with body-centered cubic…
We study polylithiated molecules as building blocks for hydrogen storage materials, using first-principles calculations. $\clifour$ and $\olitwo$ bind 12 and 10 hydrogen molecules, respectively, with an average binding energy of 0.10 and…
The structural properties of the uranium-encapsulated nano-cage U@Au14 are predicted using density functional theory. The presence of the uranium atom makes the Au14 structure more stable than the empty Au14-cage, with a triplet ground…
The recent progress in the field of hydrogen storage in carbon and boron nitride nanostructures has been summarized. Carbon and boron nitride nanostructures are considered advantageous in this prospect due to their lightweight and high…
We study the energetics of acetylene (${\rm C_2H_2}$) molecules inside a carbon nanotube (CNT) using the {\it ab initio} pseudopotential method. The encapsulation energy of a single ${\rm C_2H_2}$ molecule into the nanotube and the…
The addition of small impurities, such as a single proton charge carrier, in noble gas clusters has recently been shown to have considerable effects on their geometries and stabilities. Here we report on a mass spectrometric study of…
We report the synthesis of a novel isotope engineered $^{13}{\rm C}$--$^{12}{\rm C}$ heteronuclear nanostructure: single-wall carbon nanotubes made of $^{13}{\rm C}$ enriched clusters which are embedded in natural carbon regions. The…
Using first-principles density functional theory simulations, we have observed that the scandium decorated C$_{24}$ fullerene can adsorb up to six hydrogen molecules with an average adsorption energy of -0.35 eV per H$_2$ and average…
Molecular dynamics simulations and density functional theory calculations have been used to demonstrate the possibility of preserving high spin states of the magnetic cores within Ni-based core-shell bimetallic nanoalloys over a wide range…
The formation and evolution mechanism of fullerenes in the planetary nebula or in the interstellar medium are still not understood. Here we present the study on the cluster formation and the relative reactivity of fullerene cations (from…
We study a new hypothetical form of solid carbon \csc, with a unit cell which is composed of the \cs \ fullerene cluster and an additional single carbon atom arranged in the zincblende structure. Using {\it ab initio} calculations, we show…
Ab initio density-functional theory study suggests that pillared Li-dispersed boron carbide nanotubes is capable of storing hydrogen with a mass density higher than 6.0 weight% and a volumetric density higher than 45 g/L. The boron…
Monomers and small clusters of such molecules can reversibly trap conduction band electrons in dilute alkane solutions. The dynamics and energetics of this trapping have been studied using pulse radiolysis - transient absorption…
We present a method (the Aufbau/Abbau method) for optimizing the structure of a whole series of clusters without making any assumptions on the structure. Subsequently, the method is combined with the embedded-atom method in determining the…
Nitrogen-bearing molecules display variable isotopic fractionation levels in different astronomical environments such as in the interstellar medium or in the Solar System. Models of interstellar chemistry are unable to induce nitrogen…