First the nucleus,then the shell: Researchers from Marburg and Karlsruhe occupy studied stepwise formation of metal clusters, smallest fractions of metals in molecular form. The shell gradually forms around the inner atom rather than by later inclusion of the central atom. Knowledge of all development steps may allow for customized optoelectronic and magnetic properties, or as is reported by the researchers in the science journal Nature Communications. (DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS10480)
Source: phys.org