Nanosized Alkali-Metal-Doped Ethoxotitanate Clusters

The synthesis and crystallographic
characterization of alkali-metal-doped ethoxotitanate clusters with
28 and 29 Ti atoms as well as a new dopant-free Ti28 cluster
are presented. The light-metal-doped polyoxotitanate clusters in which
the alkali-metal atom is the critical structure-determining component
are the largest synthesized so far. Calculations show that doping
with light alkali atoms narrows the band gap compared with the nondoped
crystals but does not introduce additional energy levels within the
band gap.