Tag

Surface Reconstruction

All articles tagged with #surface reconstruction

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Gold’s surface secrets: inert bulk, active nanoparticles as catalysts

Gold isn’t inherently inert: bulk gold surfaces rearrange into a hexagonal, inactive pattern that resists reactions, while gold nanoparticles can’t fully reconstruct due to their limited atoms, exposing square-pattern surfaces that readily bind and split oxygen, making nanoparticles catalytic even though bulk gold is not.

via Ars Technica|

#catalysis #gold #nanoparticles

science1 month ago•6 min saved

Gold’s Surface Pattern Dictates Oxygen Activation, Explaining Inertia in Bulk and Reactivity in Nanoparticles

Computational study shows that gold’s surface atom arrangement governs its ability to activate oxygen: tightly packed reconstructed surfaces block O2 from splitting, keeping bulk gold inert, while looser unreconstructed square-like surfaces allow oxygen dissociation, enabling nanoparticle-catalyzed oxidation and suggesting new ways to design gold-based catalysts that balance durability with reactivity.

via ScienceAlert|

#catalysis #gold #gold-nanoparticles