Supported metal nanoclusters structural characterization

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) has matured markedly in the preceding decade and has emerged as a powerful technique for investigation of nanostructured metal catalysts at the atomic level, even under working conditions. The ability to image the dynamic structure and morphology of supported metal nanocluster catalysts in such detail makes HRTEM an essential complement to the arsenal of spectroscopic techniques used for characterization of... 

This section of this chapter includes a brief review of methods of preparation and properties of supported metal nanoclusters only catalysts that have been relatively well characterized and found to be nearly uniform are considered. The nanoclusters described here lack the structural definition... 

There is good agreement between EXAFS data and theoretical results characterizing structure and bonding in supported metal nanoclusters and the metal-support interface. 

XAS can be used in several different ways to determine local structural information about catalysts in reactive atmospheres. This structural information may be static or dynamic it may be geometric or electronic. The depth of information that can be ascertained is often dependent upon the type of catalyst, for example, supported metal nanoclusters versus bulk or surface oxides. It may also be controlled by some property of the catalyst, for example, the concentration of the element in the catalyst that is being investigated. In this section a few examples are provided to highlight the importance and relevance of XAFS in catalyst characterization. The examples are focused on (1) structural information characterizing samples in reactive atmospheres, (2) transformation of one species to another, (3) oxidation state determination, (4) determination of supported metal cluster size and shape, and (5) electronic structure. These examples illustrate the type of information that can be learned about the catalyst from XAFS spectroscopy. 

The electronic structure, morphology, and chemical reactivity of metal nanoclusters have attracted considerable attention due to their extensive technological importance. Chemical reactions and their catalytic relevance have been investigated on a variety of well-characterized, supported model catalysts prepared by vapor deposition of catalytically relevant metals onto ultrathin oxide films in ultrahigh vacuum conditions. Such ultrathin film supports are usually prepared by vaporizing a parent metal onto a refractory metal substrate in an oxygen atmosphere at a high temperature. These unique model systems are particularly well suited for surface-... 

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