Cluster Science and Spectroscopy: Structure, Bonding, and Size-Dependent Properties

Catalog description

Clusters consisting of a few to few hundred atoms exhibit remarkable size-dependent chemical and physical properties, which form the foundation of nanoscience. This course surveys clusters as finite systems that bridge atoms and molecules on one side and bulk matter on the other. Beginning with the origin of modern cluster science in the observation of “magic-numbers” and the development of the electron shell model, the course proceeds through the discovery of fullerenes in studies of carbon clusters, which in turn paved the way for the discovery of carbon nanotubes and graphene. The course then follows with current research themes, such as superatoms, boron clusters, atomically-precise nanoclusters, and cluster-based catalysis. The experimental core of the course is spectroscopy as a probe of structure and bonding, with particular emphasis on mass spectrometry, photoelectron spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, optical spectroscopy, and time-resolved spectroscopic methods.