Superatomic Gallium Clusters in Dendrimers: Unique Rigidity and Reactivity Depending on their Atomicity

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 32; no. 14; pp. e1907167 - n/a
• Main Authors: Kambe, Tetsuya, Watanabe, Aiko, Li, Meijia, Tsukamoto, Takamasa, Imaoka, Takane, Yamamoto, Kimihisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.04.2020
• Subjects: Atomic properties; Clusters; Dendrimers; Energy levels; Gallium; Orbitals; superatoms; gallium; dendrimers; superatoms; clusters
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201907167

Superatoms have been investigated due to their possible substitution for other elements. The solution‐phase synthesis of superatoms has attracted attention to realize the availability of superatoms. However, the previous approach is basically limited to the formation of a single cluster. Here, superatoms are investigated and the number of valence electrons in these superatoms is changed by designing the number of gallium atoms present. Based on the dendrimer template method, clusters consisting of 3, 12, 13, and other numbers of atoms have been synthesized. The halogen‐like superatomic nature of Ga13 is structurally and electrochemically observed as completely different to the other clusters. The gallium clusters of 13 and 3 atoms, which can fill the 2P and 1P superatomic orbitals, respectively, exhibit different reactivities. The 3‐atom gallium cluster is suggested as being reduced to Ga3H2− due to the lower shift of energy levels in the unoccupied orbitals. The results for these gallium clusters provide candidates for superatoms. Superatoms have been investigated due to their possible substitution for other elements. In this study, superatomic gallium clusters are achieved in solution phase by using a dendrimer template method. This synthesis enabled to change the number of valence electrons in these superatoms by designing the gallium clusters, resulting in unique rigidity and reactivity depending on the atomicity.