Abstract
The catalytic activity of metal surfaces can be strongly modified, either detrimentally or beneficially, by the presence of preadsorbed material. In understanding these changes in activity it is important to elucidate the structure of the adsorbed layer and its relation to the metal surface. Traditionally this has been achieved by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), but this requires large single-crystal specimens, which bear no resemblance to real catalysts, and the results are often difficult to interpret. We show here that high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) can be used to obtain direct images of ordered layers of adsorbed sulphur on the surfaces of very small platinum particles in specimens that closely resemble commercial catalysts. Images of this kind could lead to a more detailed understanding of the interaction of adsorbates with real metal catalysts than has hitherto been possible.
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Jefferson, D., Harris, P. Direct imaging of an adsorbed layer by high-resolution electron microscopy. Nature 332, 617–620 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/332617a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/332617a0
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