GROWTH, MORPHOLOGY, INTERFACIAL EFFECTS AND CATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF Au ON TiO2

Abstract

We survey recent studies and present new data on the growth, interactions, structure and chemistry of gold deposited on TiO 2(110) surfaces. The noble metal Au on TiO 2(110) is a model system for weak interaction of a metal with an oxide substrate; it is also of interest because Au on TiO 2 has unusually high activity as a catalyst for CO oxidation at room temperature. In this review, we present results on the growth of ultrathin films of Au on TiO 2(110), as well as the morphology, interface formation, epitaxy, structure and electronic properties of Au on TiO 2 single crystal and planar films. The results are compared to studies of Au on high-surface-area TiO 2 catalysts in an attempt to bridge the gap between surface science experiments and the high pressure conditions of catalyst operation.