Nanocatalysis by the tip of a scanning tunneling micrscope operating inside a reactor cell

Journal Article · Fri Sep 02 04:00:00 UTC 1994 · Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.265.5177.1415· OSTI ID:6799009

McIntyre, B J; Salmeron, M; Somorjai, G A ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States)

The platinum-rhodium tip of a scanning tunneling microscope that operates inside of an atmospheric-pressure chemical reactor cell has been used to locally rehydrogenate carbonaceous fragments deposited on the (111) surface of platinum. The carbon fragments were produced by partial dehydrogenation of propylene. The reactant gas environment inside the cell consisted of pure H[sub 2] or a 1:9 mixture of CH[sub 3]CHCH[sub 2] and H[sub 2] at 300 kelvin. The platinum-rhodium tip acted as a catalyst after activation by short voltage pulses. In this active state, the clusters in the area scanned by the tip were reacted away with very high spatial resolution.

• OSTI ID: 6799009
• Journal Information: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States), Journal Name: Science (Washington, D.C.); (United States) Vol. 265:5177; ISSN SCIEAS; ISSN 0036-8075
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400201* -- Chemical & Physicochemical Properties
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
ELEMENTS
HYDROGENATION
METALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLATINUM
PLATINUM METALS
RHODIUM
TRANSITION ELEMENTS