Catalytic Properties of Metal Surfaces

Dear Colleagues,

In the last 20 years, there has been a rapid development of both the science of catalysis and its applications in industry. This became possible mainly thanks to scientific progress in the synthesis of new materials, although the use of new methods of conducting catalytic processes also had a very positive impact on the development of this field of knowledge. The widespread introduction of surface-sensitive methods to identify and determine the structure of catalyst active centers and the mechanism of their interaction with catalytic reaction reagents also greatly contributed to the development of catalysis and its applications. The so-called “surface science approach” to explaining the course and speed of catalytic reactions has significantly contributed to advances in heterogeneous catalysis.

In this fundamental approach to the development of heterogeneous catalysis, it was first proposed to study the structure–activity relationship using surface-sensitive methods and techniques. According to this approach, the analysis of a specific catalytic process should begin with the study of well-ordered single crystals under ultra-high vacuum conditions. Next, it is necessary to proceed to the study of processes occurring at increased pressure in the gas phase, as well as to examine more complex catalytic systems: from crystalline samples with a more developed area to clusters and polycrystalline samples. The case studies prove the effectiveness of the proposed approach to study the reactivity of the active ingredient particles for the subsequent molecular design of catalysts with improved performance (activity, selectivity and stability) and show that the development of surface science in application to heterogeneous catalysis is in line with current trends.

Most modern catalysts consist of precious metal particles supported by oxides. The metal–oxide interface plays a very important role in such systems. To date, its role is not fully understood and explained. Processes occurring on such an interface have a significant impact on the catalytic reactions that occur, and the proper adaptation of the metal–oxide interface can affect the efficiency of the catalyst. To customize such metal–oxide interfaces, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of the processes occurring in this area at the atomic level.

For several years, some companies have been conducting intensive scientific research and implementation work on the development of catalyst technology based on polycrystalline materials. The polycrystalline sample contains a set of arbitrarily shaped grains. Studies on the oxidation process of polycrystalline material in this type of sample using spatially resolved surface-sensitive techniques allow for obtaining information on the catalytic activity of particular crystallites of polycrystalline material with high Miller indices.

The intention of the Special Issue titled “Catalytic Properties of Metal Surfaces” is to present a wide spectrum of issues related to the problems of catalysis presented in interesting publications in the field of heterogeneous catalysis on solid surfaces. I hope that you will contribute your works to make it a very interesting collection. We are pleased to emphasize that Prof. Gerhard Ertl, 2007 Nobel laureate, will present brief introductory remarks in this Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Antoni Bukaluk
Prof. Dr. Ryszard Kalenczuk
Guest Editors

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• heterogeneous catalysis
• catalytic activity
• oxidation catalysis
• reactions at solid surfaces
• surface studies of catalytic processes