title: Icosahedral to double-icosahedral shape transition of copper clusters.
abstract: The lowest-energy isomers of Cu(N) clusters for N = 20-30 are identified using an unbiased search algorithm and density functional theory calculations. The low-energy structures over this size range are dominated by those based on a 13-atom icosahedral (I(h)) core and a 19-atom double icosahedron (DI(h)) core. A transition in the ground-state isomers from I(h)-based to DI(h)-based structures is predicted overt N = 21-23. We discuss this transition in the broader context of the growth pattern for Cu(N) over N = 2-30 that features regions of gradual evolution in which atoms successively add to the cluster surface, separated by sudden changes to a different structural organization and more compact shape. These transitions result from a competition between interatomic bonding energy and surface energy. The implications of this growth pattern for the further evolution of copper from microstructure to bulk are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Minglong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mingli
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Koblar Alan
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Jackson