Puzzles of surface science and recent attempts to explain them

摘要

Surfaces have several unique properties that remain unexplained on the atomic level. These include (1) the unique chemical activity of rough surfaces, (2) the breaking of chemical bonds in narrow temperature ranges; and (3) the role of co-adsorption and strongly adsorbed monolayers during catalysis and tribological change (friction, lubrication). The dynamic surface restructuring model and surface structure induced variations in local density of states that have been suggested to rationalize the surface behavior await experimental confirmation. 24 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.