DFT study of structural, electronic and vibrational properties of pure (Al 2 O 3 ) n (n = 9, 10, 12, 15) and Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) n (n = 9, 10) clusters

Xiaozhen Zheng, Yonghong Zhang, Shiping Huang, Hui Liu, Peng Wang, Huiping Tian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

The geometrical, electronic and vibrational properties of pure (Al 2 O 3 ) n (n = 9, 10, 12, 15) clusters and Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) 9-10 clusters are investigated by density functional theory. There are four different Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) 9 clusters and one Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) 10 cluster taken into account. Compared with the pure clusters, the Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) 9-10 clusters have narrower HOMO-LUMO energy gaps. The results indicate that the impurity of Ni atom is mainly responsible for the reduction of the HOMO-LUMO energy gap. One characteristic vibration band at about 1030 cm -1 is found in the vibrational frequencies of the Ni-doped (Al 2 O 3 ) 9-10 clusters, which is caused by the asymmetric Al-O-Al stretching vibration. Another band at around 826 cm -1 involving the characteristic vibration of Ni-O bond is in good agreement with experimental results.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6410-6417
Number of pages8
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume257
Issue number15
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 May 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Alumina clusters
  • Density functional theory
  • Electronic properties
  • Ni-doped alumina clusters
  • Vibrational frequencies

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