Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title
Nature Communications
Publication Date
10-12-2015
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Volume
6
Abstract
The electron deficiency and strong bonding capacity of boron have led to a vast variety of molecular structures in chemistry and materials science. Here we report the observation of highly symmetric cobalt-centered boron drum-like structures of CoB16−, characterized by photoelectron spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. The photoelectron spectra display a relatively simple spectral pattern, suggesting a high symmetry structure. Two nearly degenerate isomers with D8d(I) and C4v (II) symmetries are found computationally to compete for the global minimum. These drum-like structures consist of two B8 rings sandwiching a cobalt atom, which has the highest coordination number known heretofore in chemistry. We show that doping of boron clusters with a transition metal atom induces an earlier two-dimensional to three-dimensional structural transition. The CoB16− cluster is tested as a building block in a triple-decker sandwich, suggesting a promising route for its realization in the solid state.
Recommended Citation
Popov, Ivan A.; Jian, Tian; Lopez, Gary V.; Boldyrev, Alexander I.; and Wang, Lai-Sheng, "Cobalt-centred boron molecular drums with the highest coordination number in the CoB16− cluster" (2015). Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Publications. Paper 633.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/chem_facpub/633
