Surface science at realistic conditions

IEC 96

D. Wayne Goodman, Department of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, P.O. Box 30012, College Station, TX 77842
Polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) have been used to study catalytic surfaces under realistic conditions. For STM an experimental approach has been developed that allows a pre-selected area of the surface to be targeted and individual supported nanoparticles imaged over a reactive pressure range spanning twelve orders of magnitude. With PM-IRRAS, the CO + NO reaction over a Pd (111) single crystal surface as well as Pd clusters supported on a planar SiO2 surface has been investigated within the pressure range 10-6 - 240 mbar and in between 300 and 625K. The surface species under reaction conditions and the kinetics of the formation of the reaction products have been addressed.