Examinando por Autor "Ferraro, F."

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  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Exploring the potential energy surface of small lead clusters using the gradient embedded genetic algorithm and an adequate treatment of relativistic effects
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2018) Rabanal-León, W.A.; Tiznado, W.; Osorio, E.; Ferraro, F.
    It is a well-known fact that theoretical methodologies play a crucial role to assure an adequate structural assignment of gas-phase clusters. Particularly, in heavy-element containing clusters the inclusion of relativistic effects (scalar and spin-orbit coupling) can significantly affect their chemistry. Therefore, these effects become the keystone on their structural determination. In our work, the way in which relativistic effects were treated, as well as their influence in the process of an adequate identification of lowest-energy isomer (the global minima-"GM"-energy structure), were evaluated in small lead clusters. The potential energy surfaces of small Pbn (n = 3-10) clusters was explored by means of the gradient embedded genetic algorithm program (GEGA). Subsequently, the most stable isomers were re-optimized incorporating relativistic effects through two different approximations: (i) using relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs) or pseudopotentials, which mimics the scalar and spin-orbit coupling relativistic effects (SR and SO) of the core electrons; and (ii) using relativistic Hamiltonians (with proper all-electron basis sets), like, the zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) to the Dirac equation, in which the scalar (SR) and spin-orbit coupling (SOC) relativistic effects were also included. The results evidence that methodologies including SOC effect allow to identify the GM energy structure correctly in all the studied cases. Besides, the GEGA algorithm, using a modest RECP, provides good initial structures that become GM after re-optimization at the SOC level.
  • Miniatura
    Ítem
    Theoretical design of stable hydride clusters: isoelectronic transformation in the EnAl4−nH7+n − series
    (ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY, 2017) Giraldo, C.; Ferraro, F.; Hadad, C.Z.; Riuz, L.; Tiznado, W.; Osorio, E.
    New stable hydrogen-rich metallic hydrides are designed by systematic transformations of the stable known Al4H7 − species, carried out by successive isoelectronic substitutions of one aluminum atom by one E-H unit at a time (where E = Be, Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba atoms). Searches on the potential energy surfaces (PESs) of EAl3H8 −, E2Al2H9 −, E3AlH10 − and E4H11 − systems indicate that structural analogues of Al4H7 − become higher energy isomers as the number of E-H units increases. The electronic descriptors: Vertical Electron Affinity (VEA), Vertical Ionization Potential (VIP) and the HOMO-LUMO gap, suggest that the systems composed of EAl3H8 −, E2Al2H9 −, E3AlH10 −, with E = Be and Mg, would be the most stable clusters. Additionally, for a practical application, we found that the Be-H and Mg-H substitutions increase the hydrogen weight percentage (wt%) in the clusters, compared with the isoelectronic analogue Al4H7 −. The good capacity of beryllium and magnesium to stabilize the extra hydrogen atoms is supported by the increment of the bridge-like E-H-Al, 3center-2electron chemical bonds. Finally, explorations on the PESs of the neutral species (using Na+ as counterion) indicate that the NaBe2Al2H9, NaBe3AlH10 and NaMg3AlH10 minimum-energy structures retain the original geometric shapes of the anionic systems. This analysis supports the potential use of these species as building blocks for cluster-assembled hydrides in the gas phase.