Chapter 11 Growth, structure and reactivity of ultrathin metal films on TiO2 surfaces

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses growth, structure, and reactivity of ultrathin metal films on TiO 2 surfaces. There are many applications where ultrathin layers of metals deposited onto oxide surfaces are of importance, including catalysis, chemical sensors, fiber optics, microelectronic devices, and metal-ceramic bonding. An important issue in studies and applications of metals-on-oxides is the relationship between the structure and reactivity of the metal oxide interface, and the growth modes of the ultrathin metal layers. Metals on TiO 2 have interesting properties as heterogenous catalysts in reducing atmospheres, largely because of the so-called Strong Metal-Support Interaction (SMSI) effect. Metals that are relatively unreactive to oxygen (Cu, Pd, Pt, Au) mainly form three-dimensional clusters and do not wet the substrate effectively. Mid-transition metal elements (Fe) also grow as clusters, with flattened islands. The various electron-, ion-, and optical- spectroscopic methods used for characterizing the metal-TiO 2 interactions are also discussed in the chapter.