Impact of opal nanoconfinement on electronic properties of sodium particles: NMR studies

The 23Na Knight shift of NMR line which is highly correlated with the electron spin susceptibility and density of states at the Fermi level was studied for the sodium loaded opal. The measurements were carried out within a temperature range from 100 to 400 K for solid and melted confined sodium nanoparticles. The NMR line below 305 K was a singlet with the Knight shift reduced compared to that in bulk. Above this temperature the NMR line split reproducibly into two components with opposite trends in the Knight shift temperature dependences which evidenced a nanoconfinement-induced transformation and heterogeneity in the electron system. The findings were suggested to be related to changes in the topology of the Fermi surface.