Search for structures, potential energy surfaces, and stabilities of planar BnP(n = 1 ∼ 7)

Structural transformations in boron clusters induced by metal doping

In the last decades, experimental techniques in conjunction with theoretical analyses have revealed the surprising structural diversity of boron clusters. Although the 2D to 3D transition thresholds are well-established, there is no certainty about the factors that determine the geometry adopted by these systems. The structural transformation induced by doping usually yields a minimum energy structure with a boron skeleton entirely different from that of the bare cluster. This review summarizes those clusters no larger than 40 boron atoms where one or two dopants show a radical transformation of the structure. Although the structures of these systems are not easy to predict, they often adopt familiar shapes such as umbrella-like, wheel, tubular, and cages in various cases.

Exploring the structure and electronic properties of germanium doped boron clusters using density functional theory based global optimization method

Density functional theory calculations to investigate the effect of single and double germanium atom doping on the geometric structure and electronic properties of boron clusters with 10 to 20 atoms.

Novel Bonding Mode in Phosphine Haloboranes

We have predicted, using a wide range of theoretical models, the potential energy surfaces of dative bond stretching in some phosphine haloboranes and closely associated analogues. It is shown that these dative complexes demonstrate unusual bond stretching potentials that are characterized by having multiple inflection points and are not able to be fit to any traditional Morse or Lennard-Jones-type curve. Specifically, in the case of Cl₃B-PH₃, this effect is so pronounced that the surface actually exhibits two distinct minima. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of such a unique bonding phenomenon reported for these species and is explained by the competition between the energetic cost of the required pyramidalization of the Lewis acid to form a dative bond and the stabilization from the favorable attraction between the Lewis acid and base. When the cost of pyramidalization of the Lewis acid is high relative to the strength of the interaction between the acid and base, the potential well associated with dative bonding is significantly weakened and the result is a relatively flat potential energy surface that is susceptible to the unusual characteristics described herein.