Abstract
An important part of fundamental research in catalysis is based on theoretical and modeling foundations which are closely connected with studies of single-crystalline catalyst surfaces. These so-called model catalysts are often prepared in the form of epitaxial thin films, and characterized using advanced material characterization techniques. This concept provides the fundamental understanding and the knowledge base needed to tailor the design of new heterogeneous catalysts with improved catalytic properties. The present contribution is devoted to development of a model catalyst system of CeO2 (ceria) on the Cu(111) substrate. We propose ways to experimentally characterize and control important parameters of the model catalyst—the coverage of the ceria layer, the influence of the Cu substrate, and the density of surface defects on ceria, particularly the density of step edges and the density and the ordering of the oxygen vacancies. The large spectrum of controlled parameters makes ceria on Cu(111) an interesting alternative to a more common model system ceria on Ru(0001) that has served numerous catalysis studies, mainly as a support for metal clusters.
Highlights
An important part of fundamental research in catalysis is based on theoretical and modeling foundations which are closely connected with studies of single-crystalline catalyst surfaces
Due to its outstanding role in catalysis [1], a substantial amount of publications in the field have been devoted to cerium oxide (CeO2, ceria) and many fundamental questions related to ceria surfaces and near-surface processes have been addressed [2]
Considering that the morphology and the electronic structure of ceria strongly influence its chemical and catalytic activity, it is essential to understand in great detail the relations between structure and properties of ceria based systems in order to effectively improve their performance in applications
Summary
Despite their name rare earth elements are relatively abundant in Earth’s crust. elements such as La, Ce, Pr, Nd are as abundant as Cu, Zn, Co or Ni. The Pt-CeO2 film shows an exceptionally high activity in mediating formation of protonic hydrogen and it is stable at the anode side of the proton exchange membrane FC (PEMFC) [9,10] Spectroscopic characterization of this newly developed material of Pt-CeO2 revealed a large fraction of the Pt load in cationic Pt2+ (on/near the surface) or Pt4+ (deeper inside ceria nanostructures) forms [8,9]. For the effective investigation of the structure-property relationships in Pt-ceria and metal-ceria systems the large portfolio of physical methods for highly defined synthesis and atomic-level characterization of nanostructured model ceria, Pt-ceria and metal-ceria systems allows complex model studies of ceria based systems. In parallel it is necessary to develop new advanced techniques for characterization of the electronic and crystallographic structure, charge transfer, the morphology and molecular interactions on nanostructured metal-systems
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