Soft landing and particle coverage key to keeping or losing charge on surfaces
Friday, January 4, 2013 - 09:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org)—Producing sustainable energy demands materials with specific physical and chemical properties that are controlled by the size and electrical charge of small metal particles, and scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered how to precisely control both properties. Solid catalysts are typically made of tiny metal clusters dispersed on a supporting material. To more effectively distribute the clusters on the support, a layer of "stringy" molecules may be used to tether the clusters to the surface. The PNNL team found that the properties of these strings control the number of charges carried by the catalytic clusters dispersed on top of the layer.