Structural Evolution of Small-Sized Phosphorus-Doped Boron Clusters: A Half-Sandwich-Structured PB<sub>15</sub> Cluster

oleh: Danyu Wang, Yueju Yang, Shixiong Li, Deliang Chen

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-07-01

Deskripsi

The present study is a theoretical investigation into the structural evolution, electronic properties, and photoelectron spectra of phosphorus-doped boron clusters PB<sub>n</sub><sup>0/−</sup> (n = 3–17). The results of this study revealed that the lowest energy structures of PB<sub>n</sub><sup>−</sup> (n = 3–17) clusters, except for PB<sub>17</sub><sup>−</sup>, exhibit planar or quasi-planar structures. The lowest energy structures of PB<sub>n</sub> (n = 3–17), with the exceptions of PB<sub>7</sub>, PB<sub>9</sub>, and PB<sub>15</sub>, are planar or quasi-planar. The ground state of PB<sub>7</sub> has an umbrella-shaped structure, with C<sub>6V</sub> symmetry. Interestingly, the neutral cluster PB<sub>15</sub> has a half-sandwich-like structure, in which the P atom is attached to three B atoms at one end of the sandwich, exhibiting excellent relative and chemical stability due to its higher second-order energy difference and larger HOMO–LUMO energy gap of 4.31 eV. Subsequently, adaptive natural density partitioning (AdNDP) and electron localization function (ELF) analyses demonstrate the bonding characteristics of PB<sub>7</sub> and PB<sub>15</sub>, providing support for the validity of their stability. The calculated photoelectron spectra show distinct characteristic peaks of PB<sub>n</sub><sup>−</sup> (n = 3–17) clusters, thus providing theoretical evidence for the future identification of doped boron clusters. In summary, our work has significant implications for understanding the structural evolution of doped boron clusters PB<sub>n</sub><sup>0/−</sup> (n = 3–17), motivating further experiments regarding doped boron clusters.