Optimizing atomic neighborhoods for speedier chemical reactions
Friday, April 10, 2015 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Scientists have discovered that for palladium-nickel catalysts, certain surface characteristics, measured at the atomic level, sped the creation of carbon dioxide from carbon monoxide. To reveal the optimal atomic neighborhood for surface chemical activity, high-energy x-rays were scattered by nanoparticles while they were exposed to a reactive chemical environment.