Issue 26, 2012

Photoelectron spectroscopy of silicon doped gold and silver cluster anions

Abstract

Photoelectron spectra of low temperature silicon doped gold cluster anions AunSi with n = 2–56 and silver cluster anions AgnSi with n = 5–82 have been measured. Comparing the spectra as well as the general size dependence of the electron detachment energies to the results on undoped clusters shows that the silicon atom changes the apparent free electron count in the clusters. In the case of larger gold clusters (with more than about 30 gold atoms) the silicon atom seems to consistently delocalize all of its four valence electrons, while in the case of the silver clusters a less uniform behavior is observed. Here the silicon atoms act partly as electron donors, partly as electron acceptors, without following an obvious simple principle. Additionally some structural information can be obtained from the measured spectra: while Ag54Si seems to adopt an icosahedral structural motif, Au54Si seems to take on a low symmetry structure, much like the corresponding pure 55 atom clusters. This indicates that for such larger clusters the incorporation of a single silicon atom does not change the ground state geometry significantly.

Graphical abstract: Photoelectron spectroscopy of silicon doped gold and silver cluster anions

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Dec 2011
Accepted
25 Jan 2012
First published
01 Feb 2012

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012,14, 9371-9376

Photoelectron spectroscopy of silicon doped gold and silver cluster anions

K. Majer and B. v. Issendorff, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, 14, 9371 DOI: 10.1039/C2CP24095E

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