Influence of water molecules arrangement on structure and stability of 512 and 51262 buckyball water clusters. A theoretical study

We have performed first-principles calculations on different <f>(H2O)n</f> dodecahedral (<f>n=20</f>) and tetrakaidecahedral (<f>n=24</f>) buckyball water clusters. A full geometrical optimization of representative isomers of these clusters is performed with and without the presence of Ar atoms inside the water cluster. In a number of cases a rearrangement of the H-bond network is observed. The cluster stability and the possible relation between their stability and the local water molecule arrangements are analyzed. A classification scheme based on dimer configurations is introduced to efficiently correlate configurational and geometric parameters of the H-bond network within the cluster. This classification is considered helpful in building energetically favorable 3-coordinated water clusters and for finding the most stable isomer configuration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]