Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Types of Semiconductors01:20

Types of Semiconductors

1.6K
Intrinsic semiconductors are highly pure materials with no impurities. At absolute zero, these semiconductors behave as perfect insulators because all the valence electrons are bound, and the conduction band is empty, disallowing electrical conduction. The Fermi level is a concept used to describe the probability of occupancy of energy levels by electrons at thermal equilibrium. In intrinsic semiconductors, the Fermi level is positioned at the midpoint of the energy gap at absolute zero. When...
1.6K
Semiconductors01:22

Semiconductors

1.7K
There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
1.7K
Metallic Solids02:37

Metallic Solids

21.2K
Metallic solids such as crystals of copper, aluminum, and iron are formed by metal atoms. The structure of metallic crystals is often described as a uniform distribution of atomic nuclei within a “sea” of delocalized electrons. The atoms within such a metallic solid are held together by a unique force known as metallic bonding that gives rise to many useful and varied bulk properties.
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....
21.2K
Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge02:54

Trends in Lattice Energy: Ion Size and Charge

26.9K
An ionic compound is stable because of the electrostatic attraction between its positive and negative ions. The lattice energy of a compound is a measure of the strength of this attraction. The lattice energy (ΔHlattice) of an ionic compound is defined as the energy required to separate one mole of the solid into its component gaseous ions. For the ionic solid sodium chloride, the lattice energy is the enthalpy change of the process:
26.9K
Band Theory02:35

Band Theory

17.5K
When two or more atoms come together to form a molecule, their atomic orbitals combine and molecular orbitals of distinct energies result. In a solid, there are a large number of atoms, and therefore a large number of atomic orbitals that may be combined into molecular orbitals. These groups of molecular orbitals are so closely placed together to form continuous regions of energies, known as the bands.
The energy difference between these bands is known as the band gap.
Conductor, Semiconductor,...
17.5K
Ionic Crystal Structures02:42

Ionic Crystal Structures

19.5K
Ionic crystals consist of two or more different kinds of ions that usually have different sizes. The packing of these ions into a crystal structure is more complex than the packing of metal atoms that are the same size.
Most monatomic ions behave as charged spheres, and their attraction for ions of opposite charge is the same in every direction. Consequently, stable structures for ionic compounds result (1) when ions of one charge are surrounded by as many ions as possible of the opposite...
19.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Surface engineering of Pt nanocatalysts with transition metal oleates for selective catalysis: a case study on the hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes.

Nanoscale·2025
Same author

Analysis of Dynamical Peculiarities in Nanoalloys at Subsystems Level: Dynamical Degrees of Freedom, Temperature Differences, and the Chameleon Effect.

Chemphyschem : a European journal of chemical physics and physical chemistry·2023
Same author

Computational studies of structural, energetic, and electronic properties of pure Pt and Mo and mixed Pt/Mo clusters: Comparative analysis of characteristics and trends.

The Journal of chemical physics·2022
Same author

Electron Binding Energy Spectra of Al<sub></sub>Pt<sup>-</sup> Clusters─A Combined Experimental and Computational Study.

The journal of physical chemistry. A·2022
Same author

Universality in size-driven evolution towards bulk polarizability of metals.

Nanoscale·2018
Same author

Self-consistent self-interaction corrected density functional theory calculations for atoms using Fermi-Löwdin orbitals: Optimized Fermi-orbital descriptors for Li-Kr.

The Journal of chemical physics·2017

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films
06:53

Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films

Published on: October 14, 2025

1.3K

Si clusters are more metallic than bulk Si.

Koblar Jackson1, Julius Jellinek2

  • 1Physics Department and Science of Advanced Materials Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859, USA.

The Journal of Chemical Physics
|December 25, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Density functional theory calculations reveal that silicon clusters exhibit enhanced metallicity compared to bulk silicon. Their dipole polarizabilities can distinguish between different cluster structures, aiding in material characterization.

More Related Videos

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics
13:58

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

12.3K
Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
11:14

Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope

Published on: May 28, 2016

14.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films
06:53

Fabrication and Optimization of Type II Silicon Clathrate Films

Published on: October 14, 2025

1.3K
Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics
13:58

Probing C84-embedded Si Substrate Using Scanning Probe Microscopy and Molecular Dynamics

Published on: September 28, 2016

12.3K
Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope
11:14

Comprehensive Characterization of Extended Defects in Semiconductor Materials by a Scanning Electron Microscope

Published on: May 28, 2016

14.5K

Area of Science:

  • Computational materials science
  • Quantum chemistry
  • Solid-state physics

Background:

  • Silicon clusters are fundamental building blocks with unique electronic properties.
  • Understanding their behavior is crucial for developing novel silicon-based nanomaterials.
  • Dipole polarizability is a key property that reflects electronic response and metallic character.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compute dipole polarizabilities for silicon clusters of varying sizes.
  • To investigate the contributions of permanent dipole moments and charge transfer to polarizability.
  • To compare the metallic character of silicon clusters with bulk silicon.

Main Methods:

  • Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed.
  • Dipole polarizabilities were computed for silicon clusters up to 147 atoms.
  • A site-specific analysis decomposed polarizability into dipole and charge transfer components.

Main Results:

  • Calculated polarizabilities closely match experimental data.
  • Permanent dipole moments are significant for intermediate-sized clusters, aiding isomer identification.
  • Extrapolation to the bulk limit reveals a higher per-atom polarizability in clusters (30.5 bohr³/atom) than in bulk Si (25.04 bohr³/atom).

Conclusions:

  • Silicon clusters display a higher degree of metallicity than bulk silicon.
  • The enhanced metallicity is attributed to strong electrostatic screening within the clusters.
  • Polarizability measurements offer a method to differentiate between silicon cluster isomers.