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We report a new high vacuum instrument which is dedicated to the preparation of well-defined clusters supported on model and technologically relevant supports for catalytic and materials investigations. The instrument is based on deposition of size selected metallic cluster ions that are produced by a high flux magnetron cluster source. The throughput of the apparatus is maximized by collecting and focusing ions utilizing a conical octupole ion guide and a linear ion guide. The size selection is achieved by a quadrupole mass filter. The new design of the sample holder provides for the preparation of multiple samples on supports of various sizes and shapes in one session. After cluster deposition onto the support of interest, samples will be taken out of the chamber for a variety of testing and characterization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article suggests using superelastic active elements of titanium nickelid to move teeth in patients with secondary dental displacements due to periodontitis. It is emphasized that such superelastic instrument only has a sparing effect on periodontium and makes this procedure altogether nontraumatic. Devices featuring such active elements are considered indispensable for treatment of morbid thin-biotype periodontium. Presented is the original clinical case of chronical generalized periodontitis of medium severity, secondary vestibular displacement of upper front teeth, absence of upper masticatory teeth. The photographs show the patient's condition before and after the complex treatment of the patient, thin periodontal biotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of CO2 and its hydrogenation to methanol are of much interest as a way to utilize captured CO2. Here, we investigate the use of size-selected Cu4 clusters supported on Al2O3 thin films for CO2 reduction in the presence of hydrogen. The catalytic activity was measured under near-atmospheric reaction conditions with a low CO2 partial pressure, and the oxidation state of the clusters was investigated by in situ grazing incidence X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The results indicate that size-selected Cu4 clusters are the most active low-pressure catalyst for catalytic CO2 conversion to CH3OH. Density functional theory calculations reveal that Cu4 clusters have a low activation barrier for conversion of CO2 to CH3OH. This study suggests that small Cu clusters may be excellent and efficient catalysts for the recycling of released CO2.

Lithium-oxygen batteries have the potential needed for long-range electric vehicles, but the charge and discharge chemistries are complex and not well understood. The active sites on cathode surfaces and their role in electrochemical reactions in aprotic lithium-oxygen cells are difficult to ascertain because the exact nature of the sites is unknown. Here we report the deposition of subnanometre silver clusters of exact size and number of atoms on passivated carbon to study the discharge process in lithium-oxygen cells. The results reveal dramatically different morphologies of the electrochemically grown lithium peroxide dependent on the size of the clusters. This dependence is found to be due to the influence of the cluster size on the formation mechanism, which also affects the charge process. The results of this study suggest that precise control of subnanometre surface structure on cathodes can be used as a means to improve the performance of lithium-oxygen cells.