Final Report Summary - UNIMETCLUST (Study of uniform supported metal complexes and metal clusters at atomic level for catalytic applications)
In contrast, when the active sites are synthesized to be simple and uniform, a solid basis for designing new materials is established. We anchored metals in well-defined structures onto surfaces with variable characteristics. The structure of the metal sites was tuned at a molecular level by treatments in controlled atmospheres, with the changes being precisely determined via state-of-the-art spectroscopy and microscopy. Correlations between the structures and the catalytic performance enabled the design of improved catalysts, some with excellent potential to replace current technological catalysts.