Surface Reconstruction and Catalysis

Abstract

The location and bonding of atoms and molecules on surfaces is of great interest to surface chemists and to those interested in the application of surfaces through exploitation of their unique properties. These properties include chemical properties that give rise to selective adsorption and heterogeneous catalysis; mechanical properties that control adhesion, fric­ tion, slide, or fracture; electrical properties utilized in microelectronic circuitry and xerography; magnetic properties used in information storage on tape or disk drives; and optical properties that give rise to nonlinear effects such as second harmonic and sum frequency generation. During the past 25 years, over 50 new techniques have been developed that permit the investigation of surfaces on the molecular level (l). The ability to study surfaces with increased time and spatial resolution (and energy resolution, when applicable) controls the development of many surface technologies. The contributions of science push and surface technology pull have resulted in an exponential growth in the field of surface science and pro­ pelled it among the frontier fields of physical chemistry. Several new surface science techniques permit quantitative deter-