Experimental studies of model catalysts: Linking structure and reactivity

New catalysts are increasingly demanded for environmentally friendly and energy efficient chemical processes. In modern heterogeneous catalysis, understanding of the relationship between structure and reactivity is critical to the design effective catalysts. Therefore, we employ model catalysts in an effort to establish structure-reactivity relationships.;In the present work, four distinctly different types of model catalysts were investigated experimentally to study the interplay between catalyst structure and reactivity. The supported precious metal clusters/nanoparticles were prepared via three different methods and three reactions are studied as candidate reactions of importance. The reactivity of the model catalysts were evaluated under different environmental conditions, ranging from ultra high vacuum conditions to "realistic" conditions. Multiple surface science techniques, including synchrotron radiation sources were utilized to perform extensive characterization of these systems.;In a sense, this thesis represents a broad survey of different types of model catalysts and as such presents an overview of the possibilities for model catalyst systems and suggests new ways in which techniques may be integrated for study.