The structural properties of free nanoclusters are reviewed. Special attention is paid to the interplay of energetic, thermodynamic, and kinetic factors in the explanation of cluster structures that are actually observed in experiments. The review starts with a brief summary of the experimental methods for the production of free nanoclusters and then considers theoretical and simulation issues, always discussed in close connection with the experimental results. The energetic properties are treated first, along with methods for modeling elementary constituent interactions and for global optimization on the cluster potential-energy surface. After that, a section on cluster thermodynamics follows. The discussion includes the analysis of solid-solid structural transitions and of melting, with its size dependence. The last section is devoted to the growth kinetics of free nanoclusters and treats the growth of isolated clusters and their coalescence. Several specific systems are analyzed.

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Structural properties of nanoclusters: Energetic, thermodynamic, and kinetic effects

and Applications of Fullerenes, Carbon Dots, Nanotubes, Graphene, Nanodiamonds, and Combined Superstructures Vasilios Georgakilas,† Jason A. Perman,‡ Jiri Tucek,‡ and Radek Zboril*,‡ †Material Science Department, University of Patras, 26504 Rio Patras, Greece ‡Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Palacky University in Olomouc, 17 listopadu 1192/12, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic

Broad family of carbon nanoallotropes: classification, chemistry, and applications of fullerenes, carbon dots, nanotubes, graphene, nanodiamonds, and combined superstructures.

This review article compares and contrasts various types of ion mobility-mass spectrometers available today and describes their advantages for application to a wide range of analytes. Ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), when coupled with mass spectrometry, offers value-added data not possible from mass spectra alone. Separation of isomers, isobars, and conformers; reduction of chemical noise; and measurement of ion size are possible with the addition of ion mobility cells to mass spectrometers. In addition, structurally similar ions and ions of the same charge state can be separated into families of ions which appear along a unique mass-mobility correlation line. This review describes the four methods of ion mobility separation currently used with mass spectrometry. They are (1) drift-time ion mobility spectrometry (DTIMS), (2) aspiration ion mobility spectrometry (AIMS), (3) differential-mobility spectrometry (DMS) which is also called field-asymmetric waveform ion mobility spectrometry (FAIMS) and (4) traveling-wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS). DTIMS provides the highest IMS resolving power and is the only IMS method which can directly measure collision cross-sections. AIMS is a low resolution mobility separation method but can monitor ions in a continuous manner. DMS and FAIMS offer continuous-ion monitoring capability as well as orthogonal ion mobility separation in which high-separation selectivity can be achieved. TWIMS is a novel method of IMS with a low resolving power but has good sensitivity and is well intergrated into a commercial mass spectrometer. One hundred and sixty references on ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IMMS) are provided.

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry.

Here we describe a detailed protocol for both data collection and interpretation with respect to ion mobility-mass spectrometry analysis of large protein assemblies. Ion mobility is a technique that can separate gaseous ions based on their size and shape. Specifically, within this protocol, we cover general approaches to data interpretation, methods of predicting whether specific model structures for a given protein assembly can be separated by ion mobility, and generalized strategies for data normalization and modeling. The protocol also covers basic instrument settings and best practices for both observation and detection of large noncovalent protein complexes by ion mobility-mass spectrometry.

/pdf/ion-mobility-mass-spectrometry-analysis-of-large-protein-4r8ftpqc1m.pdf

Ion mobility-mass spectrometry analysis of large protein complexes.

An exact hard-spheres scattering model for the mobilities of polyatomic ions

In a number of recent studies, information about the structure of large polyatomic ions has been deduced from gas phase ion mobility measurements by comparing mobilities measured in helium to those estimated for assumed geometries using a hard sphere projection approximation. To examine the validity of this approach, we have compared mobilities calculated using the hard sphere projection approximation for a range of fullerenes (C20−C240) to those determined from trajectory calculations with a more realistic He−fullerene potential. The He−fullerene potential we have employed, a sum of two-body 6-12 interactions plus a sum of ion-induced dipole interactions, was calibrated using the measured mobility of C60+ in helium over an 80−380 K temperature range. For the systems studied, the long-range interactions between the ion and buffer gas have a small, less than 10%, effect on the calculated mobility at room temperature. However, the effects are not insignificant, and in many cases it will be necessary to cons...

Structural Information from Ion Mobility Measurements: Effects of the Long-Range Potential

Laser vaporization of graphite generates C60+ cluster ions that are fullerenes and a mixture of roughly planar polycyclic polyyne ring isomers. Experimental studies of the annealing of the non-fullerene C60+ ions indicate that they can be converted (in the gas phase) into the fullerene and an isomer that appears to be a large monocyclic ring. Some fragmentation is associated with conversion to the fullerene geometry, but the majority of the non-fullerene C60+ isomers are cleanly converted into an intact fullerene. The emergence of the monocyclic ring (as the clusters are annealed) suggests that this is a relatively stable non-spheroidal form of these all carbon molecules. The estimated activation energies for the observed structural interconversions are relatively low, suggesting that these processes may play an important role in the synthesis of spheroidal fullerenes.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/260/5109/784.full.pdf

Annealing C60+: Synthesis of Fullerenes and Large Carbon Rings

We describe studies of the annealing and dissociation of even-numbered carbon cluster ions containing 50-70 atoms. The polycyclic polyyne ring isomers for cluster ions in this size regime can be annealed almost entirely into the fullerene geometry, with a small fraction being converted into an isomer which appears to be a large monocyclic ring. Surprisingly, we find that C[sub 60][sup +] behaves essentially the same as other similarly-sized clusters (such as C[sub 58][sup +]). This has important implications for understanding the mechanism of these structural transformations, as well as the overall scheme for fullerene synthesis. The activation energies for conversion of the polycyclic rings to fullerenes are low and relatively independent of cluster size, though the efficiency of forming a fullerene (rather than a large monocyclic ring) increases with cluster size. Based on our experimental results, a detailed mechanism is proposed to account for conversion of the polycyclic polyyne rings into fullerenes. According to this mechanism, a fullerene fragment is prepared by a Bergman enediyne cyclization followed by a radical-induced ring closure and a retro [2 + 2] process. The polyyne chains are then configured to spiral around the fullerene fragment and zip up to form a spheroidal fullerene. Wemore » also consider how these processes fit into an overall scheme for fullerene synthesis from small carbon fragments and describe a scheme that is consistent with the experimental results presented here. 36 refs., 14 figs., 1 tab.« less

Annealing Carbon Cluster Ions: A Mechanism for Fullerene Synthesis

Electronic and geometric structure in silver clusters

Injected ion drift tube techniques have been used to probe the geometries of germanium cluster ions. Clusters with \ensuremath{\sim}(10-40) atoms appear to follow a one-dimensional growth sequence to give prolate geometries. At \ensuremath{\sim}40 atoms the clusters stop following this growth sequence, and clusters with \ensuremath{\sim}(40-70) atoms appear to retain roughly the same aspect ratio. At \ensuremath{\sim}70 atoms the clusters abruptly reconstruct to a more spherical geometry. Dissociation energies, measured for the germanium clusters, suggest that clusters with $nl70$ can be thought of as loosely bound assemblies of small strongly bound fragments (such as ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{7}$ and ${\mathrm{Ge}}_{10}$). It appears that the structural transition at \ensuremath{\sim}70 atoms may reflect a change to a more bulklike bonding arrangement.

Joanna M. Hunter

Papers

Structural Information from Ion Mobility Measurements: Effects of the Long-Range Potential

Annealing C60+: Synthesis of Fullerenes and Large Carbon Rings

Annealing Carbon Cluster Ions: A Mechanism for Fullerene Synthesis

Electronic and geometric structure in silver clusters

Structural transitions in size-selected germanium cluster ions.