Small Al and Ga clusters trapped inside the Bucky-ball (C60) — A DFT study

In the present paper, we have done a systematic study of structural and electronic properties of endohedrally doped C[Formula: see text] with Al and Ga atoms using density functional theory (DFT) with the help of Spanish initiative for electronic simulation with thousands of atoms (SIESTA) package in the generalized gradient approximation (GGA). The parameters calculated are binding energy/dopant atom, vertical ionization potential (VIP), vertical electron affinity (VEA), HOMO–LUMO gap and charge transfer. The stabilized ground state structures of Al[Formula: see text]@C[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]–10) and Ga[Formula: see text]@C[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]–10) show that a maximum of nine Al or Ga atoms can be encapsulated in C[Formula: see text] without distorting the cage significantly. Mulliken charge analysis shows an electron transfer from the metal dopant to the cage surface, except for Al[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]–10). The endohedral metal clusters adopt a more compact shape when inside C[Formula: see text], compared to its free-state configuration and its symmetry. The study of HOMO–LUMO gap reveals that the gap decreases with the increase in number of dopant atoms inside C[Formula: see text].