Al–X and Cu–X [X = Li, Na] nano-alloys: a low cost alternative to silver and gold nanoparticles for plasmonic applications

Autor: Mohammad Mamunur Rashid, Franck Rabilloud, Azizah Mainal, Shaikat Debnath, Abhijit Chatterjee, Suhana Mohd Said
Přispěvatelé: University of Malaya [Kuala Lumpur, Malaisie], Institut Lumière Matière [Villeurbanne] (ILM), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Accelrys, Chemistry Department, University of Malaya
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: RSC Advances
RSC Advances, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2015, 5 (72), pp.58128-58135. ⟨10.1039/c5ra10135b⟩
ISSN: 2046-2069
DOI: 10.1039/c5ra10135b
Popis: International audience; We present a systematic study of the electronic and optical properties of the Li and Na doped Al–X and Cu–X (X = Li, Na) nanoalloys in the framework of density functional theory in order to evaluate their potential as low cost plasmonic materials as alternatives to silver and gold. A single atom in the 13 atoms Al and Cu clusters is replaced by the Li and Na atoms in the core and surface positions to form core-doped and surface-doped Al12X and Cu12X bimetallic clusters respectively. Vibrational analysis has ensured the structural stability of the doped clusters. Binding energies and HOMO–LUMO gaps are calculated to predict the electronic stability, as well as the ionization potential and electron affinity of the clusters. Large HOMO–LUMO gaps with small electron affinity of the doped clusters ensured that anions of the Cu12X and Al12X clusters will be very reactive. The optical absorption properties of the undoped and doped clusters are calculated in the framework of TDDFT. It is observed that the Li and Na doping into the Al and Cu clusters yield significant increase in the absorption band-gap in both of the Cu and Al clusters. In particular, the surface doped Al12X clusters exhibit remarkable large bandgap which comprises from 3 eV to 11 eV. Due to their electronic and optical properties, the Al–X and Cu–X doped clusters may be considered as an excellent low cost alternative to silver and gold, which can find its worth in catalytic, opto-electronic and UV-absorption applications.
Databáze: OpenAIRE