Probing the Electronic Structure and Chemical Bonding of Cryogenically-Cooled Boron and Metal-Boride Nanoclusters

探究低温冷却硼和金属硼化物纳米团簇的电子结构和化学键合

• 批准号: 2403841
• 负责人: Lai-Sheng Wang
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: Brown University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-03-01 至 2028-02-29
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2403841&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Probing; Electronic; Structure; Chemical; Bonding

With support from the Chemical Structure, Dynamics, and Mechanisms A (CSDM-A) program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Lai-Sheng Wang and his research group at Brown University will investigate size-selected boron and metal-boride nanoclusters using high-resolution photoelectron imaging and photoelectron spectroscopy. Boron has only three valence electrons compared to four in carbon and is thus considered to be electron deficient. The electron deficiency of boron results in complicated structures and unique chemical bonds in boron-containing molecules, which are challenging to investigate. Professor Wang and his students will generate boron and metal-boride nanoclusters using a home-built laser-vaporization cluster source and utilize photoelectron spectroscopy and imaging in conjunction with theoretical calculations to provide insights into their stabilities, structures, and chemical bonding. Their studies could lead to the discovery of novel boron- and boride-based nanostructures, as well as provide fundamental knowledge about boron chemistry and chemical bonding. The research in this project will be integrated into the teaching of physical chemistry, and will provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in the design and construction of advanced experimental instrumentation and computational chemistry. This project focuses on the structure and bonding of boron clusters to provide insight into the nature of the metal-boron bonds and structural evolution of large boron clusters to lay the foundation for new boron-based nanomaterials. To achieve these research goals, Professor Lai-Sheng Wang and his students have built two different types of apparatus for photoelectron spectroscopy. One apparatus involves a magnetic-bottle photoelectron analyzer and is aimed at providing photoelectron spectra with a wide range of photon energies. Well-resolved photoelectron spectra provide electronic fingerprints, which are crucial for comparison with theoretical calculations to elucidate the structures and bonding of size-selected boron nanoclusters. The second apparatus involves high-resolution photoelectron imaging, which is aimed at obtaining vibrational information. A cryogenically cooled ion trap is being developed to create cold boron clusters from the laser-vaporization source; this is needed to obtain vibrationally resolved photoelectron spectra for boron and metal-boride clusters. The broader impact of this project includes the discovery of novel boron-based nanomaterials with potential as new platforms for nanotechnology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

在化学结构，动力学和机制A（CSDM-A）计划的支持下，Lai-Sheng Wang教授及其布朗大学的研究小组将使用高分辨率光电子体成像和光电子光谱法调查尺寸选择的硼和金属 - 孔素纳米簇。硼只有三个价电子，而碳中的碳则只有四个，因此被认为是电子不足。硼的电子缺乏会导致含硼的分子中复杂的结构和独特的化学键，这些分子具有挑战性。 Wang教授和他的学生将使用自制的激光蒸发集群来源生成硼和金属骨群，并利用光电光谱和成像结合理论计算，以提供对其稳定性，结构和化学键合的见解。他们的研究可能导致发现新型硼和硼化物的纳米结构，并提供有关硼化学和化学键合的基本知识。该项目的研究将纳入物理化学的教学，并将为本科和研究生在高级实验仪器和计算化学的设计和建设方面提供培训机会。该项目着重于硼簇的结构和粘结，以洞悉金属硼键的性质以及大型硼簇的结构演变，以奠定基础，为新的基于硼的纳米材料奠定了基础。为了实现这些研究目标，赖杨教授和他的学生为光电学光谱制造了两种不同类型的设备。一种设备涉及磁性瓶光电子分析仪，旨在为光电子光谱提供广泛的光子能量。解决方案良好的光电子光谱提供了电子指纹，这对于与理论计算进行比较至关重要，以阐明尺寸选择的硼纳米簇的结构和键合。第二个设备涉及高分辨率光电成像，旨在获得振动信息。正在开发低温冷却的离子陷阱，以从激光蒸发来源产生冷硼簇。为了获得用于硼和金属孔簇的振动分辨的光电光谱所需的。该项目的更广泛影响包括发现具有潜力的纳米技术平台的新型纳米材料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是通过基金会的智力优点和更广泛影响的评估标准来通过评估来获得支持的。