Electronic and magnetic properties of CrGen (15 ≤ n ≤ 29) clusters: A DFT study

We report ab initio calculations of electronic and magnetic properties of medium-sized CrGen (15 <= n <= 29) clusters using density functional theory. The encapsulation of Cr atoms within Ge-n clusters leads to stable Cr encapsulated Ge-n clusters. The binding energies generally increase while the differences between the highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO gaps) generally decrease with the increasing of cluster size. The clusters of CrGen at size 16, 17, 19, 22, 24 and 29 exhibit high stabilities when compared to their neighbors. This has been discussed in terms of their structures, energies and the effect of the position of doping atom. Doping of Ge-n clusters with one Cr atom leads to CrGen clusters with magnetic moment depending on the structure of the clusters and the position of Cr atom in the clusters. Moreover, vertical ionization potential, vertical electronic affinity, and chemical hardness are also analyzed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.