Chemical reactivity of free and supported metal clusters

摘要

The study of the chemical properties of metal clusters is a growing field of research. It is motivated by possible connections with industrial catalytic processes. In addition, one aims to control and tune chemical and catalytic reactions by simply changing cluster size. In this context, the extreme localization of valence electrons of clusters is most important and leads to strong quantum size effects. Clusters are therefore also considered as building blocks for nanocatalysis. The use of model systems will allow obtaining a fundamental understanding of their physical and chemical properties. Such model systems can consist of free size-selected clusters or clusters stabilized on surfaces. Size selection is important, as the evolution of the cluster's properties with size is distinct.