GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF SUPPORTED METAL CATALYST PARTICLES

The applications of supported metal catalysts vary widely, from select ive hydrogenation in the fine chemicals industry to the control of veh icle emissions. Yet many basic questions about the structure, activity , and durability of these catalysts remain unanswered. For example, th ere is still much uncertainty about the mechanism of metal particle gr owth, or sintering, which is a major cause of catalyst deactivation. T he factors which control particle surface structure, and thus affect r eactivity, are also poorly understood. Progress in these areas would p rovide a basis for a more rational approach to the design of selective and durable catalysts. This article sets out to review current unders tanding of the growth and structure of supported metal catalyst partic les, and to discuss the extent to which experimental observations can be reconciled with theoretical predictions. (C) 1995 The Institute of Materials and ASM International.