Optical Properties of Metal Clusters deals with the electronic structure of metal clusters determined optically. Clusters - as state intermediate between molecules and the extended solid - are important in many areas, e.g. in air pollution, interstellar matter, clay minerals, photography, heterogeneous catalysis, quantum dots, and virus crystals. This book extends the approaches of optical molecular and solid-state methods to clusters, revealing how their optical properties evolve as a function of size. Cluster matter, i.e. extended systems of many clusters - the most frequently occuring form - is also treated. The combination of reviews of experimental techniques, lists of results and detailed descriptions of selected experiments will appeal to experts, newcomers and graduate students in this expanding field.

Atomic clusters are aggregates of atoms containing a few to several thousand atoms. Due to the small size of these pieces of matter, the properties of atomic clusters in general are different from those of the corresponding material in the macroscopic bulk phase. This monograph presents the main developments of atomic clusters and the current status of the field. The book treats different types of clusters with very different properties: clusters in which the atoms or molecules are tied by weak van der Waals interactions, metallic clusters, clusters of ionic materials, and network clusters made of typical covalent elements. It includes methods of experimental cluster synthesis as well as the structural, electronic, thermodynamic and magnetic properties of clusters, covering both experiments and the theoretical work that has led to our present understanding of the different properties of clusters. The question of assembling nanoclusters to form solids with new properties is also considered. Having an adequate knowledge of the properties of clusters can be of great help to any scientist working with objects of nanometric size. On the other hand, nanoclusters are themselves potentially important in fields like catalysis and nanomedicine.

The only reference book which discusses the usage of nanoprobes for structure determination, in an industry where miniaturisation is the main focus. Designed for newcomers as well as professionals already in the industry.

With the central importance of electric polarizability and hyperpolarizability for a wide spectrum of activities, this book charts the trends in the accurate theoretical determination of these properties in specialized fields. The contributions include reviews and original papers that extend from methodology to applications in specific areas of primary importance such as cluster science and organic synthesis of molecules with specific properties.

Protected Metal Clusters: From Fundamentals to Applications surveys the fundamental concepts and potential applications of atomically precise metal clusters protected by organic ligands. As this class of materials is now emerging as a result of breakthroughs in synthesis and characterization that have taken place over the last few years, the book provides the first reference with a focus on these exciting novel nanomaterials, explaining their formation, and how, and why, they play an important role in the future of molecular electronics, catalysis, sensing, biological imaging, and medical diagnosis and therapy. - Surveys the fundamental concepts and potential applications of atomically precise metal clusters protected by organic ligands. - Provides well-organized, tutorial style chapters that are ideal for teaching and self-study - In-depth descriptions by top scientists in the field - Presents the state-of-the art of protected metal clusters and their future prospects

Numerous experiments and calculations have shown that isolated metal clusters possess many interesting features, quite different from those known from surface and solid- state physics or from atomic and molecular physics. The technological exploitation of these new properties, e.g. in miniature electronic or mechanical components, requires the cluster to be brought into an environment such as an encapsulating matrix or a surface. Due to the interaction with the contact medium, the properties of the clusters may change or even disappear. Thus the physics of cluster-on-surface systems -- the main subject of this book -- is of fundamental importance. The book addresses a wide audience, from the newcomer to the expert. Starting from fundamental concepts of adsorbate-surface interactions, the modification of electronic properties through electron confinement, and concepts of cluster production, it elucidates the distinct properties of the new metallic nanostructures.

​This book covers the continually expanding field of metal nanoparticles and clusters, in particular their size-dependent properties and quantum phenomena. The approaches to the organization of atoms that form clusters and nanoparticles have been advancing rapidly in recent times. These advancements are described through a combination of experimental and computational approaches and are covered in detail by the authors. Recent highlights of the various emerging properties and applications ranging from plasmonics to catalysis are showcased.

Metallic nanoparticles display fascinating properties that are quite different from those of individual atoms, surfaces or bulk rmaterials. They are a focus of interest for fundamental science and, because of their huge potential in nanotechnology, they are the subject of intense research effort in a range of disciplines. Applications, or potential applications, are diverse and interdisciplinary. They include, for example, use in biochemistry, in catalysis and as chemical and biological sensors, as systems for nanoelectronics and nanostructured magnetism (e.g. data storage devices), where the drive for further miniaturization provides tremendous technological challenges and, in medicine, there is interest in their potential as agents for drug delivery.The book describes the structure of metallic nanoparticles, the experimental and theoretical techniques by which this is determined, and the models employed to facilitate understanding. The various methods for the production of nanoparticles are outlined. It surveys the properties of clusters and the methods of characterisation, such as photoionization, optical spectroscopy, chemical reactivity and magnetic behaviour, and discusses element-specific information that can be extracted by synchrotron-based techniques such as EXAFS, XMCD and XMLD. The properties of clusters can vary depending on whether they are free, deposited on a surface or embedded in a matrix of another material; these issues are explored. Clusters on a surface can be formed by the diffusion and aggregation of atoms; ways of modelling these processes are described. Finally we look at nanotechnology and examine the science behind the potential of metallic nanoparticles in chemical synthesis, catalysis, the magnetic separation of biomolecules, the detection of DNA, the controlled release of molecules and their relevance to data storage.The book addresses a wide audience. There was a huge development of the subject beginning in the mid-1980s where researchers began to study the properties of free nanoparticle and models were developed to describe the observations. The newcomer is introduced to the established models and techniques of the field without the need to refer to other sources to make the material accessible. It then takes the reader through to the latest research and provides a comprehensive list of references for those who wish to pursue particular aspects in more detail. It will also be an invaluable handbook for the expert in a particular aspect of nanoscale research who wishes to acquire knowledge of other areas.The authors are specialists in different aspects of the subject with expertise in physics and chemistry, experimental techniques and computational modelling, and in interdisciplinary research. They have collaborated in research. They have also collaborated in writing this book, with the aim from the outset of making it is a coherent whole rather than a series of independent loosely connected articles.* Appeals to a wide audience* Provides an introduction to established models and techniques in the field* Comprehensive list of references

This book presents an overview of nanostructure determination and ways to find relationships to the electronic and optical properties. The methods described can be applied to a large number of other granular metal-insulator systems and used as a guideline for characterisation and modelling. In addition, the book describes the manufacture of artificially structured nanomaterials using laser or electron-beam irradiation.