Catalytic chemistry of Pd−Au bimetallic surfaces

• Main Author: Yu, Wen-Yueh
• Other Authors: Mullins, C. B.
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Catalysis; Surface Science; Model Catalyst; Palladium; Gold
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2152/31336

Catalyst development is important to the contemporary world as suitable catalysts can allow chemical processes to proceed with reduced energy consumption and waste production. In order to design catalysts with improved performance, the fundamental studies that correlate catalytic properties with surface structures are essential as they can provide mechanistic insights into the reaction mechanism. Pd−Au bimetallic catalysts have shown exceptional performance for a number of chemical reactions, however, the interplay between the reactive species and surface properties are still unclear at the molecular level. In this dissertation, the catalytic chemistry of Pd−Au surfaces was investigated via model catalyst studies under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. A range of Pd−Au model surfaces were generated by annealing Pd/Au(111) surfaces and characterized/tested by surface science techniques. The findings in this dissertation may prove useful to enhance the fundamental understanding of structure-reactivity relation of Pd−Au catalysts in associated reactions.