Charge-transfer plasmons of complex nanoparticle arrays connected by conductive molecular bridges.

Charge-transfer plasmons (CTP) in complexes of metal nanoparticles bridged by conductive molecular linkers are theoretically analysed using a statistic approach. The applied model takes into account the kinetic energy of carriers inside the linkers including its dissipation and the Coulomb energy of the charged nanoparticles. The plasmons are statistically investigated for systems containing a large number of complexes of bridged nanoparticles of realistic sizes generated using a simplified molecular dynamics algorithm, where the geometries of the complexes are dependent on the rate of connection of the linkers with the nanoparticles. As illustrated, the distribution of CTP frequencies in the generated nanoparticle complexes is very inhomogeneous. It has a narrow peak, corresponding to CTP plasmons in dimers, and two broad peaks, corresponding mainly to low and high-frequency oscillations in chains of connected nanoparticles. It is found that in general the plasmon frequencies depend inversely on the value of the complex dipole moment of the plasmon oscillation, where the assumption follows that low-frequency plasmons will be more efficiently excited in an external electromagnetic field. To calculate the CTP energy absorption in this field two model modifications are proposed: a system-external electromagnetic field interaction model and a simplified broadening plasmon peak model where the plasmons are calculated at first without damping and where the delta-shaped oscillation peaks are broadened then due to the damping. It is demonstrated that both modifications lead to a wide and almost monotonic absorption in the IR region for all generated systems containing a large number of bridged nanoparticles due to the presence of a large number of CTPs in this region.

Stability and gas sensing properties of Ta2X3M8 (X = Pd, Pt; M = S, Se) nanoribbons: a first-principles investigation.

One dimensional Ta2(Pd/Pt)3(S/Se)8 nanoribbons (TPS-NR) are considered as a promising material in nanoelectronics due to their intrinsic semiconducting electronic properties. In this article, we study the stability of TPS-NR by considering their oxidation process. Our calculations showed that the Ta2(Pd/Pt)3Se8 nanoribbons are more environmentally stable than Ta2(Pd/Pt)3S8-NR. We studied the thermodynamics of the formation of monovacancies and their impact on the electronic properties of TPS-NR. Additionally, the sensing properties of environmentally stable Ta2Pd3Se8 nanoribbons were investigated. The observed changes of the electronic structure and transport properties after the adsorption of CO, NH3 and NO2 molecules reveal the mechanisms of possible application of Ta2Pd3Se8 nanoribbons as a gas sensor. The electronic transport properties of the nanoribbons exhibit a notable response to the presence of gas molecules.

Prediction of orientation relationships and interface structures between α-, ß-, γ-FeSi2 and Si phases.

A pure crystallogeometrical approach is proposed for predicting orientation relationships, habit planes and atomic structures of the interfaces between phases, which is applicable to systems of low-symmetry phases and epitaxial thin film growth. The suggested models are verified with the example of epitaxial growth of α-, γ- and ß-FeSi2 silicide thin films on silicon substrates. The density of near-coincidence sites is shown to have a decisive role in the determination of epitaxial thin film orientation and explains the superior quality of ß-FeSi2 thin grown on Si(111) over Si(001) substrates despite larger lattice misfits. Ideal conjunctions for interfaces between the silicide phases are predicted and this allows for utilization of a thin buffer α-FeSi2 layer for oriented growth of ß-FeSi2 nanostructures on Si(001). The thermal expansion coefficients are obtained within quasi-harmonic approximation from the DFT calculations to study the influence of temperature on the lattice strains in the derived interfaces. Faster decrease of misfits at the α-FeSi2(001)||Si(001) interface compared to γ-FeSi2(001)||Si(001) elucidates the origins of temperature-driven change of the phase growing on silicon substrates. The proposed approach guides from bulk phase unit cells to the construction of the interface atomic structures and appears to be a powerful tool for the prediction of interfaces between arbitrary phases for subsequent theoretical investigation and epitaxial film synthesis.