Metallic Single Crystals

Several of the early studies aimed at finding the governing mechanisms of sintering were done with metal powders. A famous study was by Kuczynski (1949) who also examined the sintering of copper or silver to single-crystal metal plates but... 

Underportential Deposition on Single-Crystal Metals Aramata, A 31... 

The effect of the presence of alkali promoters on ethylene adsorption on single crystal metal surfaces has been studied in the case ofPt (111).74 77 The same effect has been also studied for C6H6 and C4H8 on K-covered Pt(l 11).78,79 As ethylene and other unsaturated hydrocarbon molecules show net n- or o-donor behavior it is expected that alkalis will inhibit their adsorption on metal surfaces. The requirement of two free neighboring Pt atoms for adsorption of ethylene in the di-o state is also expected to allow for geometric (steric) hindrance of ethylene adsorption at high alkali coverages. 

Electrochemical nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a relatively new technique that has recently been reviewed (Babu et al., 2003). NMR has low sensitivity, and a typical high-held NMR instrument needs 10 to 10 NMR active atoms (e.g., spins), to collect good data in a reasonable time period. Since 1 cm of a single-crystal metal contains about 10 atoms, at least 1 m of surface area is needed to meet the NMR sensitivity requirement. This can be met by working with carbon-supported platinum... 

LEED has also been used to study the adsorption of halide ions, cyanide and thiocyanate ions, and organic molecules on single-crystal metal surfaces. 

One other caveat concerning the approach used here must be made. This discussion, and the studies to which it relates, are based on some version of the Stern model for the oxide-electrolyte interface. Oxide surfaces are rough and heterogeneous. Even for the mercury-electrolyte interface, or single crystal metal-electrolyte interfaces, the success of some form of the Stern model has been less than satisfactory. It is important to bear in mind the operational nature of these models and not to attach too much significance to the physical picture of the planar interface. 

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