The basis for the formation of stable metal clusters on an electrode surface

M. G. DEL PÓPOLO; E. P. M. LEIVA; M. M. MARISCAL; W. SCHMICKLER

NANOTECHNOLOGY

IOP

Año: 2003 vol. 14 p. 1009 - 1009

0957-4484

etal nanoclusters can be produced cheaply and precisely in anelectrochemical environment. Experimentally this method works in somesystems, but not in others, and the unusual stability of the clusters hasremained a mystery. We have simulated the deposition of the clusters usingclassical molecular dynamics and studied their stability by grand-canonicalMonte Carlo simulations. We find that electrochemically stable clustersoccur only in those cases where the two metals involved form stable alloys.