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Z. Naturforsch. 68a, 327 – 336
(2013)
doi:10.5560/ZNA.2012-0117
A Systematic Search for Structures, Stabilities, Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Silicon Doped Silver Clusters: Comparison with Pure Silver Clusters
1 Department of Physics and Information Technology, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721016, China
2 Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Baoji University of Arts and Sciences, Baoji 721016, China
3 Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Received September 10, 2012 / revised November 5, 2012 / published online January 23, 2013
Reprint requests to: Y.-R. Z.; E-mail:
scu_zyr@163.com
The geometric structures, stabilities, electronic and magnetic properties of silicon doped silver clusters AgnSi (n=1–9) have been systematically investigated by using meta-generalized gradient approximation (meta-GGA) exchange correlation Tao–Perdew–Staroverov–Scuseria (TPSS) functional. Due to the sp3 hybridization, the lowest energy structures of doped clusters favour the three-dimensional structure. The silicon atom prefers to be located at the surface of the host silver clusters. The isomers that correspond to high coordination numbers of the Si–Ag bonds are found to be more stable. By analyzing the relative stabilities, the results show that the quadrangular bipyramid Ag4Si structure is the most stable geometry for the AgnSi clusters. Meanwhile, the fragmentation energies, second-order difference
of energies, difference of highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO–LUMO gaps), and total magnetic moments exhibit pronounced even–odd alternations. The largest hardness difference (2.24 eV) exists between the clusters Ag4Si and Ag5, which illustrates that the corresponding Ag4Si cluster has dramatically enhanced chemical stability.
Key words: Ag–Si Cluster; Geometric Configuration; Density Functional Theory.