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![The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F54498.jpg&w=3840&q=50)
The Synthesis of [Sn10(Si(SiMe3)3)4]2- Using a Metastable Sn(I) Halide Solution Synthesized via a Co-condensation Technique
Published on: November 28, 2016
Amorphization mechanism of icosahedral metal nanoclusters
E Aprà1, F Baletto, R Ferrando
1William R Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, USA.
Abstract:
The amorphization mechanism of icosahedral Pt nanoclusters is investigated by a combination of molecular dynamics simulations and density functional calculations. A general mechanism for amorphization, involving rosettelike structural transformations at fivefold vertices, is proposed. In the rosette, a fivefold vertex is transformed into a hexagonal ring. We show that, for icosahedral Pt nanoclusters, this transformation is associated with an energy gain, so that their most favorable structures have a low symmetry even at icosahedral magic numbers, and that the same mechanism underlies the formation of amorphous structures in gold.
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