Preface
Clusters are found almost everywhere, known as a very tiny collection of atoms
or molecules which form relatively stable microscopic and sub-microscopic aggregates through chemical bonding or physical force. Bridging the gap between atoms
and macroscopic matter, clusters have become a scientific topic bearing increased
great research interest in view of the development of precise chemistry. Clusters
are ideal systems for observing the quantum effect and studying the initial state in
forming macroscopic matter. Cluster researches are associated with many chemical
reactions and material-changing processes, not only catalysis, but also combustion,
crystal nucleation and growth, solidification and phase transformation, sol-gel, sputtering film formation, etc. The unique symmetry, stability, magic number of electrons/atoms, and high catalytic performance of clusters enable the exploration of
stable and unstable species to give rise to consistent discovery of new materials. It
has been recognized that one of the greatest triumphs of the last century is the development of cluster science, just as R. Feynman predicted. The blooming publications
in the last decade concur with this prediction.
What would the properties of materials be if we could really arrange the atoms the way we
want them...I can’t see exactly what would happen, but I can hardly doubt that when we
have some control of the arrangement of things on a small scale we will get an enormously
greater range of possible properties that substances can have, and of different things that we
can do.—Richard P. Feynman (Presented at American Physical Society Meeting, 1959)
With the technical development of cluster experiments, nowadays researchers
have been able to devise methods to fabricate structures which are so small that
the energy levels of these systems present a discrete spectrum where the stability
and reactivity are determined by the nature of electronic levels and the degree to
which they are filled. Uprising research interest has been stimulated in recent years
to generate free, supported, and embedded clusters (known as ligand-stabilized
nanoclusters, i.e., NCs, or monolayer-protected metal clusters, i.e., MPCs) with
controlled size and composition, nanoscale particles containing up to several million
atoms, nano-composites, and nano-crystalline materials. Note that, the metal-metal
bonds are generally weaker than ionic bonds and covalent bonds, and the valence
electrons of metal often occupy the higher energy levels of the MPCs, showing a
vii
Clusters are found almost everywhere, known as a very tiny collection of atoms
or molecules which form relatively stable microscopic and sub-microscopic aggregates through chemical bonding or physical force. Bridging the gap between atoms
and macroscopic matter, clusters have become a scientific topic bearing increased
great research interest in view of the development of precise chemistry. Clusters
are ideal systems for observing the quantum effect and studying the initial state in
forming macroscopic matter. Cluster researches are associated with many chemical
reactions and material-changing processes, not only catalysis, but also combustion,
crystal nucleation and growth, solidification and phase transformation, sol-gel, sputtering film formation, etc. The unique symmetry, stability, magic number of electrons/atoms, and high catalytic performance of clusters enable the exploration of
stable and unstable species to give rise to consistent discovery of new materials. It
has been recognized that one of the greatest triumphs of the last century is the development of cluster science, just as R. Feynman predicted. The blooming publications
in the last decade concur with this prediction.
What would the properties of materials be if we could really arrange the atoms the way we
want them...I can’t see exactly what would happen, but I can hardly doubt that when we
have some control of the arrangement of things on a small scale we will get an enormously
greater range of possible properties that substances can have, and of different things that we
can do.—Richard P. Feynman (Presented at American Physical Society Meeting, 1959)
With the technical development of cluster experiments, nowadays researchers
have been able to devise methods to fabricate structures which are so small that
the energy levels of these systems present a discrete spectrum where the stability
and reactivity are determined by the nature of electronic levels and the degree to
which they are filled. Uprising research interest has been stimulated in recent years
to generate free, supported, and embedded clusters (known as ligand-stabilized
nanoclusters, i.e., NCs, or monolayer-protected metal clusters, i.e., MPCs) with
controlled size and composition, nanoscale particles containing up to several million
atoms, nano-composites, and nano-crystalline materials. Note that, the metal-metal
bonds are generally weaker than ionic bonds and covalent bonds, and the valence
electrons of metal often occupy the higher energy levels of the MPCs, showing a
vii