Cluster Dynamics: Foundations for Developing Nanoscale Materials
Abstract
Attaining the ability to produce materials through cluster assembly offers great potential advantages, namely the prospect of forming nanoscale materials having selected optical, electronic, or structural properties on the one hand, or useful catalytic, reactive or energy storage characteristics on the other. The work conducted as part of this program involved investigations of the properties of transition metal compounds comprised of nitride, carbides and oxides, with attention to their varying electronic nature with cluster size, and composition. Findings are reported from three interrelated phases of work: (1) forming and studying cluster building blocks, elucidating their properties, investigating methods to accomplish their production in the bulk, and assessing their potential for use as cluster assembled materials; (2) studying the excitation and relaxation dynamics of the clusters following photoexcitation, with attention to providing an understanding of their behavior in terms of observed delayed electron and atomic ion emission; and providing baseline data for assessing theoretical approaches for handling the dynamics of systems having a large number of free electrons; and (3) undertaking studies which provide insight into the potential catalytic behavior of selected clusters, Met-Cars and CAMs, including investigations that serve to identify the fundamentals of catalysis of selected reactions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA423029
Entities
People
- A. W. Castleman Jr.
Organizations
- Pennsylvania State University