Orientation dependence of the work function for metal nanocrystals

摘要

Work function values measured at different surfaces of a metal are usually different. This raises an interesting question: What is thework function of a nano-size crystal, where differently oriented facets can be adjacent? Work functions of metallic nanocrystals are also of significant practical interest, especially in catalytic applications. Using real space pseudopotentials constructed within density functional theory, we compute the local work function of large aluminum and gold nanocrystals. We investigate how the local work function follows the change of the surface plane orientation around multifaceted nanocrystals, and we establish the importance of the orbital character near the Fermi level in determining work function differences between facets. Published by AIP Publishing.