A density functional study of Ce@C82: explanation of the Ce preferential bonding site

Ce has been found experimentally to be preferentially incorporated into the C82 isomer of C2v symmetry as have other lanthanoids in M@C82 (M = La, Pr, Nd, etc.). We have investigated the underlying reason for this preference by calculating structural and electronic properties of Ce@C82 using density functional theory. The ground-state structure of Ce@C82 is found to have the cerium atom attached to the six-membered ring on the C2 axis of the C82-C2v cage, and the encapsulated atom is found to perturb the carbon cage due to chemical bonding. We have found Ce to favor this C2v chemisorption site in C82 by 0.62 eV compared to other positions on the inside wall of the cage. The specific preference of the metal atom to this six-membered ring is explained through electronic structure analysis, which reveals strong hybridization between the d orbitals of cerium and the pi orbitals of the cage that is particularly favorable for this chemisorption site. We propose that this symmetry dictated interaction between the cage and the lanthanide d orbital plays a crucial role when C82 forms in the presence of Ce to produce Ce@C82 and is also more generally applicable for the formation of other lanthanoid M@C82 molecules. Our theoretical computations are the first to explain this well-established fact. Last, the vibrational spectrum of Ce@C82 has been simulated and analyzed to gain insight into the metal-cage vibrations.