The Behavior of Water on Metal Surfaces

Abstract

The role of metals (pure, alloyed, or in the form of mixtures) is well established in catalytic processes. The production of fuels, plastics, fertilizers, etc., on a large scale rests on the catalytic effect of metals. The breakthrough of bimetallic and multimetallic catalysts [1] is the result of a great body of basic research that aimed to shed light on the mechanisms responsible for their activity, selectivity, and stability. From another point of view the sensitivity of catalytic reactions to surface parameters has been well known since early times [2]. Crystallographic structure, surface morphology and composition, metal dispersion, etc., dramatically affect these three characteristics. Generally speaking, any loss of structural order and symmetry can be associated with localized electronic states that determine not only the chemical but also the electronic properties of the surface [3].