D. Chattaraj

Atomic, electronic, and magnetic properties of bimetallic ZrCo clusters: A first-principles study

Here, we report the atomic, electronic, and magnetic structures of small ZrmCon (m + n = 2, 4, 6, and 8) alloy clusters based on spin-polarized density functional theory under the plane wave based pseudo-potential approach. The ground state geometry and other low-lying stable isomers of each cluster have been identified using the cascade genetic algorithm scheme. On the basis of the relative energy, it is found that Zr2Co2 (for tetramer), Zr3Co3 (for hexamer), and Zr4Co4 (for octamer) are the most stable isomers than others. In order to underscore the hydrogen storage capacity of these small clusters, the hydrogen adsorption on the stable ZrmCon (m + n = 2, 4, 6, and 8) clusters has also been studied. The electronic structures of ZrmCon clusters with and without adsorbed hydrogen are described in terms of density of states spectra and charge density contours.