Metal nanoparticles are used as catalysts in a variety of important chemical reactions, and can have a range of different shapes, with facets and sites that differ in catalytic reactivity. To develop better catalysts it is necessary to determine where catalysis occurs on such nanoparticles and what structures are more reactive. Surface science experiments or theory can be used to predict the re...

We present a study of the surface reactivity of a Pd/Bi2Te3 thin film heterostructure. The topological surface states from Bi2Te3, being delocalized and robust owing to their topological natures, were found to act as an effective electron bath that significantly enhances the surface reactivity of palladium in the presence of two oxidizing agents, oxygen and tellurium respectively, which is cons...

The influence of NaNO2, HNO3 and H2SO4 on the structure and morphology of gamma-alumina was investigated by XRD, BET, SEM and FT-IR spectroscopy. Selected amounts of NaNO2, HNO3 and H2SO4 were added to a solution of aluminum isopropoxide (as a precursor for the boehmite synthesis). The boehmite samples were calcined at 350 and 600 ℃ to form the semi-crystalline high surface area gamma-Al2O3. Th...

Rhodium metal catalysts are used in wide a range of applications, including automotive catalytic converters for NO reduction, N2O decomposition, and CO oxidation. 1 7 Theoretical and experimental studies have found that, under realistic environmental conditions, rhodium surfaces can oxidize, forming thin films or thicker bulk oxides. In the case of CO oxidation, it has been shown that the forma...

We present a tutorial review of our quantum state resolved experiments designed to study gas-surface reaction dynamics. The combination of a molecular beam, state specific reactant preparation by infrared laser pumping, and ultrahigh vacuum surface analysis techniques make it possible to study chemical reactivity at the gas-surface interface in unprecedented detail. We describe the experimental...

Gold, the archetypal noble metal, is usually associated with an inhibition of surface reactivity by site blocking. In this paper however, we show that on Cu(100) surfaces a gold adlayer can actually increase the extent of reaction with the substrate.

Lithium as a plasma-facing component has many attractive features in fusion devices. We investigated chemical properties of the lithiated graphite surfaces during deposition using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy. In this study we try to address some of the known issues during lithium deposition, viz., the chemical state of lithium on graphite substrat...