Aguilera-Del-Toro RH, Aguilera-Granja F, Vega A. Structural and electronic changes in the Ni
13@Ag
42 nanoparticle under surface oxidation: the role of silver coating.
Phys Chem Chem Phys 2024;
26:3117-3125. [PMID:
38189473 DOI:
10.1039/d3cp05043b]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Icosahedral Ni13@Ag42 is a stable nanoparticle formed by a magnetic nickel core surrounded by a silver coating that provides physical protection to the 3d metal cluster as well as antibacterial properties. In this work, we report density functional theoretical calculations to delve into a comprehensive analysis of how surface oxidation impacts the structural, electronic, magnetic, and reactivity properties of this interesting nanoparticle. To elucidate the role played by the silver coating, we compare the results with those found for the bare Ni13 cluster also subjected to surface oxidation. When Ni13 is covered by silver, we find a markedly robust behavior of the magnetic moment of the resulting nanoparticle, which remains nearly constant upon oxidation up to the rates explored, and the same holds for its overall reactivity. The obtained trends are rationalized in terms of the complex interplay between Ni-Ag and Ag-O interactions which impact the relative inter-atomic distances, charge transfer effects, spin polarization and magnetic couplings.
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