Stability effects of AunXm+ (X=Cu, Al, Y, In) clusters

Bimetallic AunXm clusters (X=Cu, Al, Y, In) have been produced by a dual-target dual-laser vaporization source. Following multiphoton absorption the stability patterns resulting from fragmentation are investigated by time-of-flight mass abundance spectrometry. AunCum+ clusters exhibit the same electronic shell effects as Aun+. Different abundance patterns are observed for AunAl1+ compared to AunY1+ or AunIn1+. The patterns are related to the magic numbers of the electronic shell model for clusters. The differences between the bimetallic clusters are interpreted in terms of different cluster geometries dependent on the nature of the dopant atoms.