Magic nuclearity nanocrystals

Nanocrystals with a specific number of atoms (nuclearity) are bequeathed special stability [7]. For nanocrystals of cubic close-packed metals, the numbers 13, 55,147, 309 and 561 stand for magic nuclearities corresponding to the closure of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shells respectively. A schematic illustration of magic nuclearity nanocrystals is shown in Fig. 8.1. In Fig. 8.2, we show scanning tunneling and transmission electron micrographs of polymer-protected Pd561 nanocrystals. 

An example from the literature relates obtaining the magic nuclearity nanocrystals of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) capped Pd nanoparticles including Pd 561. The magic nuclearity nanocrystals obtained in this manner are monodisperse (diameter distribution < 4%) (Thomas and Kulkami 2003). 

Magic Nuclearity Giant Clusters of Metal Nanocrystals Formed by Mesoscale Self-Assembly... 

Figure 5. Giant clusters of different magic nuclearities, (Pd the circles corresponding to the diameters of the clusters calculated on the basis of the effective volume of an individual nanocrystal.

Thomas P. John, and Kulkarni Giridhar U. From colloids to nanotechnology Investigations on magic nuclearity palladium nanocrystals. Curr. Sci. 85 no. 12 (2003) 1760-1766. 

Thomas PJ, Kulkami GU, Rao CNR (2001) Magic nuclearity giant clusters of metal nanocrystals formed by mesoscale self-assembly. J Phys Chem B 105 2515-2517... 

Fig. 1.6. Nanocrystals in closed-shell configurations with magic number of atoms. The numbers beside correspond to the nuclearity (N) and the number of shells (L). The figure on the left is a cross-sectional view showing five coordination shells in a...

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