Isomer-selected, pure and doped metal clusters: molecular beam deflection and spectroscopy

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Rolf Schäfer
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Molecules, Liquids and Interfaces, Biophysical Chemistry
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 541264382

The research project is about establishing a methodology to carry out experiments on isomer-selected metal clusters in molecular beams. To do this, the first step is to enrich a structural isomer and the second step is to examine the physico-chemical properties of enriched isomer. The enrichment takes advantage of the fact that the structural isomers have different electrical or magnetic susceptibilities, i.e. they differ in the Stark or Zeeman effect and therefore have different polarization or magnetization. With the help of an electrical or magnetic deflector, different structural isomers can be separated from one another, so that at least a spatial enrichment of a structural isomer is achieved. To determine the chemical composition of the molecular beam the Stark or Zeeman effect can be again used. In addition, spectroscopic investigations are intended, using photodissociation and photoionization spectroscopy to address the optoelectronic behavior and the redox properties of the enriched structural isomers. The establishment of such experiments for isomer-selected separation and investigation are groundbreaking for a deeper understanding of metal clusters and their future applications in catalysis and sensing.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants