Sami Malola

Self-passivating edge reconstructions of graphene.

Planar reconstruction patterns at the zigzag and armchair edges of graphene were investigated with density-functional theory. It was unexpectedly found that the zigzag edge is metastable and a planar reconstruction spontaneously takes place at room temperature. The reconstruction changes electronic structure and self-passivates the edge with respect to adsorption of atomic hydrogen from a molecular atmosphere.

All-thiol-stabilized Ag44 and Au12Ag32 nanoparticles with single-crystal structures

Noble metal nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands are important for applications in assembly, site-specific bioconjugate labelling and sensing, drug delivery and medical therapy, molecular recognition and molecular electronics, and catalysis. Here we report crystal structures and theoretical analysis of three Ag44(SR)30 and three Au12Ag32(SR)30 intermetallic nanoclusters stabilized with fluorinated arylthiols (SR=SPhF, SPhF2 or SPhCF3). The nanocluster forms a Keplerate solid of concentric icosahedral and dodecahedral atom shells, protected by six Ag2(SR)5 units. Positive counterions in the crystal indicate a high negative charge of 4(-) per nanoparticle, and density functional theory calculations explain the stability as an 18-electron superatom shell closure in the metal core. Highly featured optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region are analysed using time-dependent density functional perturbation theory. This work forms a basis for further understanding, engineering and controlling of stability as well as electronic and optical properties of these novel nanomaterials.

Evidence for graphene edges beyond zigzag and armchair

The edges of nanoscopic objects determine most of their properties. For this reason the edges of honeycomb carbon--always considered either zigzag- or armchair-like--need special attention. In this report we provide experimental evidence confirming a previous unexpected prediction: zigzag is a metastable edge, as its planar reconstruction lowers energy and forms the most stable graphene edge. Our evidence is based on re-analyzing a recent experiment. Since the reconstructed edge, along with other unconventional edges we discuss, has distinct chemical properties, this discovery urges for care in experiments and theory--we must enter the realm beyond zigzag and armchair.

Electron microscopy of gold nanoparticles at atomic resolution

Detailed structure of a gold nanoparticle Adding only a few atoms or changing the capping ligand can dramatically change the structure of individual metal nanoparticles. Azubel et al. used aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy to derive a three-dimensional reconstruction of water-soluble gold nanoparticles. Small-angle x-ray scattering and other techniques have also corroborated this model. They used this to determine the atomic structure, which compared favorably with density functional theory calculations, without assuming any a priori structural knowledge or the use of model fitting. Science, this issue p. 909 The atomic structure of a 68–gold atom nanoparticle is determined without prior structural knowledge or model fitting. Structure determination of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) is necessary for understanding their physical and chemical properties, but only one AuNP larger than 1 nanometer in diameter [a 102–gold atom NP (Au102NP)] has been solved to atomic resolution. Whereas the Au102NP structure was determined by x-ray crystallography, other large AuNPs have proved refractory to this approach. Here, we report the structure determination of a Au68NP at atomic resolution by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, performed with the use of a minimal electron dose, an approach that should prove applicable to metal NPs in general. The structure of the Au68NP was supported by small-angle x-ray scattering and by comparison of observed infrared absorption spectra with calculations by density functional theory.

A Critical Size for Emergence of Nonbulk Electronic and Geometric Structures in Dodecanethiolate-Protected Au Clusters

We report on how the transition from the bulk structure to the cluster-specific structure occurs in n-dodecanethiolate-protected gold clusters, Au(n)(SC12)m. To elucidate this transition, we isolated a series of Au(n)(SC12)m in the n range from 38 to ∼520, containing five newly identified or newly isolated clusters, Au104(SC12)45, Au(∼226)(SC12)(∼76), Au(∼253)(SC12)(∼90), Au(∼356)(SC12)(∼112), and Au(∼520)(SC12)(∼130), using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Low-temperature optical absorption spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffractometry, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the Au cores of Au144(SC12)60 and smaller clusters have molecular-like electronic structures and non-fcc geometric structures, whereas the structures of the Au cores of larger clusters resemble those of the bulk gold. A new structure model is proposed for Au104(SC12)45 based on combined approach between experiments and DFT calculations.

Birth of the localized surface plasmon resonance in monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters.

Gold nanoclusters protected by a thiolate monolayer (MPC) are widely studied for their potential applications in site-specific bioconjugate labeling, sensing, drug delivery, and molecular electronics. Several MPCs with 1-2 nm metal cores are currently known to have a well-defined molecular structure, and they serve as an important link between molecularly dispersed gold and colloidal gold to understand the size-dependent electronic and optical properties. Here, we show by using an ab initio method together with atomistic models for experimentally observed thiolate-stabilized gold clusters how collective electronic excitations change when the gold core of the MPC grows from 1.5 to 2.0 nm. A strong localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) develops at 540 nm (2.3 eV) in a cluster with a 2.0 nm metal core. The protecting molecular layer enhances the LSPR, while in a smaller cluster with 1.5 nm gold core, the plasmon-like resonance at 540 nm is confined in the metal core by the molecular layer. Our results demonstrate a threshold size for the emergence of LSPR in these systems and help to develop understanding of the effect of the molecular overlayer on plasmonic properties of MPCs enabling engineering of their properties for plasmonic applications.

Structural, chemical, and dynamical trends in graphene grain boundaries

Grain boundaries are topological defects that often have a disordered character. Disorder implies that understanding general trends is more important than accurate investigations of individual grain boundaries. Here we present trends in the grain boundaries of graphene. We use density-functional tight-binding method to calculate trends in energy, atomic structure (polygon composition), chemical reactivity (dangling bond density), corrugation heights (inflection angles), and dynamical properties (vibrations), as a function of lattice orientation mismatch. The observed trends and their mutual interrelations are plausibly explained by structure, and supported by past experiments.

Structural and theoretical basis for ligand exchange on thiolate monolayer protected gold nanoclusters.

Ligand exchange reactions are widely used for imparting new functionality on or integrating nanoparticles into devices. Thiolate-for-thiolate ligand exchange in monolayer protected gold nanoclusters has been used for over a decade; however, a firm structural basis of this reaction has been lacking. Herein, we present the first single-crystal X-ray structure of a partially exchanged Au(102)(p-MBA)(40)(p-BBT)(4) (p-MBA = para-mercaptobenzoic acid, p-BBT = para-bromobenzene thiol) with p-BBT as the incoming ligand. The crystal structure shows that 2 of the 22 symmetry-unique p-MBA ligand sites are partially exchanged to p-BBT under the initial fast kinetics in a 5 min timescale exchange reaction. Each of these ligand-binding sites is bonded to a different solvent-exposed Au atom, suggesting an associative mechanism for the initial ligand exchange. Density functional theory calculations modeling both thiol and thiolate incoming ligands postulate a mechanistic pathway for thiol-based ligand exchange. The discrete modification of a small set of ligand binding sites suggests Au(102)(p-MBA)(44) as a powerful platform for surface chemical engineering.

Total Structure and Electronic Structure Analysis of Doped Thiolated Silver [MAg24(SR)18]2– (M = Pd, Pt) Clusters

With the incorporation of Pd or Pt atoms, thiolated Ag-rich 25-metal-atom nanoclusters were successfully prepared and structurally characterized for the first time. With a composition of [PdAg24(SR)18](2-) or [PtAg24(SR)18](2-), the obtained 25-metal-atom nanoclusters have a metal framework structure similar to that of widely investigated Au25(SR)18. In both clusters, a M@Ag12 (M = Pd, Pt) core is capped by six distorted dimeric -RS-Ag-SR-Ag-SR- units. However, the silver-thiolate overlayer gives rise to a geometric chirality at variance to Au25(SR)18. The effect of doping on the electronic structure was studied through measured optical absorption spectra and ab initio analysis. This work demonstrates that modulating electronic structures by transition-metal doping is expected to provide effective means to manipulate electronic, optical, chemical, and catalytic properties of thiolated noble metal nanoclusters.

Gold in graphene: In-plane adsorption and diffusion

We study the bonding and diffusion of Au in graphene vacancies using density-functional theory. Energetics show that Au adsorbs preferably to double vacancies, steadily in-plane with graphene. All diffusion barriers for the complex of Au in double vacancy are above 4 eV, whereas the barriers for larger vacancies are below 2 eV. Our results support the main results of a recent experiment [Y. Gan et al., Small 4, 587 (2008)] but suggest that the observed diffusion mechanism is not thermally activated but radiation enhanced.