General trends in Horiuti-Polanyi mechanism vs non-Horiuti-Polanyi mechanism for water formation on transition metal surfaces

Michael Polanyi

RECENTLY there fell into my hands by the kindness of its author a book which has revealed to me a new, and I think much better, understanding of the situation we are facing today in consequence of the modern scientific revolution. The author’s name is Josef Pieper, professor of philosophical anthropology at the University of Münster, and his book which so impressed me is entitled Scizolastik. (...

Polanyi and Psychoanalysis

Since I first met Polanyi when I was in psychiatry residency at Duke University (1962-4), his work has exerted a continuing influence on my understanding of psychoanalysis, specifically the branch of psychoanalysis called analytical psychology, founded by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. In the present context, I wish to discuss briefly four areas in which Polanyi’s thought has influenced or d...

The Polanyi Society Periodical

Michael Polanyi and Human Identity

Reconstruction mechanism of fcc transition metal (001) surfaces.

The reconstruction mechanism of (001) fcc transition metal surfaces is investigated using a full-potential all-electron electronic structure method together with density-functional theory. Total-energy calculations confirm the experimental finding that a close-packed quasi-hexagonal overlayer reconstruction is possible for the late 5d-metals Ir, Pt, and Au, while it is disfavoured in the isoval...