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10:37
Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Structures of small mixed krypton-xenon clusters.
Masanari Nagasaka1, Nobuhiro Kosugi, Eckart Rühl
1Institute for Molecular Science, Myodaiji, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.
The Journal of Chemical Physics
|July 12, 2012
Summary
Small mixed krypton-xenon clusters reveal embedded xenon cores within krypton surfaces. Increasing xenon content may lead to phase separation in these rare gas clusters.
Area of Science:
- Physical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Surface Science
Background:
- Understanding the structure and behavior of mixed rare gas clusters is crucial for fundamental physics and chemistry.
- Small clusters provide a unique environment to study phase transitions and surface phenomena at the nanoscale.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the structural properties of small mixed krypton-xenon clusters.
- To analyze the distribution of krypton and xenon atoms within these clusters.
- To understand the influence of composition on cluster structure and potential phase separation.
Main Methods:
- Soft X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to analyze surface core level shifts.
- Photoelectron intensities from different atomic sites (corner, edge, face/bulk) were measured.
- Experimental data was corroborated with theoretical simulations including induced dipole interactions.
Main Results:
- Analysis of Kr 3d(5/2) and Xe 4d(5/2) core level shifts provided insights into atomic positions.
- Structural models indicated the presence of one or two small xenon cores embedded within the krypton cluster surface.
- Theoretical simulations confirmed the experimental findings regarding cluster structure.
Conclusions:
- Mixed krypton-xenon clusters exhibit distinct structural arrangements with embedded xenon.
- The observed embedding suggests a tendency towards phase separation as xenon content increases.
- These findings contribute to the understanding of nanoscale phase behavior in mixed systems.
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