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We present a study based on first-principles calculations of the adsorption of CO on selected equilibrium configurations of MAunO2 + (M = Ti, Fe; n = 1, 6, 7) complexes resulting from the adsorption of O2 on doped cationic gold clusters MAun +. Empirical rules for the formation of CO2-MAunO+ complexes are outlined. The desorption energy of CO2 is calculated. The adsorption of a second CO molecule on the residual MAunO+ complex leads in some cases to the formation of CO2-MAun +. The desorption of a second CO2 molecule brings back to the initial doped gold cluster MAun +. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a first-principles pseudopotential optimization of the lower energy equilibrium structure of SinSc- anions for n=14-18. We find that Si16Sc- is more stable than its neighbors clusters, in agreement with recent experimental mass spectra. We also optimize the geometry of pure Sin neutral clusters in the range n=14-18, and compare our results with those from previous first-principles calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ionic and electronic structure of (Al2O3)n(Ox) clusters with n ≤ 16 and x = 0, 1, 2 is studied by means of first principles density functional calculations, norm-conserving pseudopotentials and a numerical atomic basis set. The equilibrium geometries have been determined by total energy minimization, starting with several initial geometries for each cluster size. The trends obtained for the atomic arrangements (structural isomers, coordination numbers, “disordered” versus ”ordered” structures, etc.) and the electronic properties (binding energies, Homo-Lumo gap and dipole moments) are discussed. For most of the oxidized clusters studied here we find that the Homo-Lumo gap and the magnitude of dipole moment of isomeric species can vary drastically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical study of nanoparticles of indium oxide, one of the most relevant transparent conducting materials, is reported. By means of Density Functional Theory in the generalized gradient approximation, we investigated the atomic and electronic structures of the neutral and charged indium oxide clusters InnOm0/± with n = 1-6 and m = 1-8, as well as related properties like adiabatic ionization potentials and electron affinities. Based on total energy differences between the obtained global minimum configurations of parent clusters and possible fragments, we explored the respective fragmentation channels for cationic clusters and compared our results with those recently observed in Photodissociation measurements (Knight et al. in IJMS 304:29, 2011). The overall good agreement between theory and experiment provides compelling evidence of the calculated properties of these systems, whose knowledge is essential to take advantage of the nanoscale in future technological applications of these materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A preface to the periodical "European Physical Journal D--Atoms, Molecules, Clusters & Optical Physics," is presented.