Abstract
Nanocluster catalysis is an area where greater fundamental knowledge is needed to understand the behavior of aggregates of metal atoms in determining product selectivity of chemical reactions. While catalysis is practiced industrially with economic success there is still a great need to eliminate wasteful side‐reactions which hurt overall yields. Here we report on fabrication of a Ag‐based high‐technology model nanocluster catalyst by using electron beam lithography (EBL) designed for systematic studies of the ethylene epoxidation reaction. The catalyst is made of a square array of cylinder‐shaped Ag nanoclusters that are 200 A in diameter, deposited on a four inch silicon wafer, precovered with a 100 A thick film of α‐alumina. The height of the particles and interparticle distance can vary, and were chosen to be 150–300 and 1000 A, respectively. The high technology catalyst was characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thermal stability of Ag nanoclusters in vacuo was investigated.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
