The Decmon-type Decahedral Motif In Metallic Nanoparticles

TL;DR

This paper introduces the decmon decahedral motif in metallic nanoparticles, demonstrating its stability, structural transitions, and potential pathways from icosahedral to decahedral forms, supported by experimental evidence.

Contribution

It presents a new decahedral structural motif called decmon, analyzing its stability, surface features, and transformation pathways in metallic nanoparticles.

Findings

Decmon motifs are energetically stable with exposed <100> and <111> facets.

Structural transitions occur as a function of cluster size.

Experimental evidence supports the existence of decmon motifs in metallic nanoparticles.

Abstract

Structural and energy stability results for a new class of decahedral structural motif termed decmon (Montejano's decahedra) are presented. After making proper truncations to the regular icosahedron, this structural motif presents exposed <100> and <111> facets, whose energetic competition make the structures very stable. It is also identified structural transitions as a function of the cluster size, the appearing and competition of surface reconstruction, and an outline for a path transformation from the Mackay icosahedra (I_h) to the regular decahedra (D_h) symmetry structures, as well as experimental evidence of the decmon decahedral motif in metallic nanoparticles.