Insights into surface reactivity: formic acid oxidation on Cu(110) studied using STM and a molecular beam reactor

摘要: Using a combination of STM and molecular beam reactor data we summarise some important features model reaction (formic acid oxidation on Cu(110)) which is general significance to surface reactivity catalysis. Three such are highlighted here. The first concerns the role weakly held species (possibly physisorbed) in reactions. These species, although very short lifetime surface, can, nevertheless, diffuse over long distances “find” sparse distribution active sites. Thus low coverage oxygen Cu(110) increases sticking probability all formic molecules strike high value (0.82), even though clean relatively unreactive. concept here “diffusion circle” or “collection zone” represents area visited by molecule its sojourn state. second theme “flexible surface”. We show that involvement atoms reactions directs structure for particular reaction. For liberation Cu during removal as water leads gross restructuring can lead “compression” one reactant (the this case) into lower area, higher local coverage, unreactive state c(6×2) structure). Thirdly, finally, it proposed that, many reactions, acts an analogous way solvent, supporting “dissolved” (highly mobile fluxional) phase intermediates at crystallise out above critical 2D “solubility limit”).