Nanoscale structural information underlies research aimed at fabricati
ng catalysts in a more controlled way. Surface science methods can pro
vide that information, but the complexity of heterogeneous systems in
general hinders the application of these methods to their full potenti
al. In the last decades, a solution to this problem has been found in
the use of model systems, ranging from well-defined single crystals of
the supported phase to films or particles of that phase on flat or sp
herical model supports. In this paper, we review the literature on the
latter model systems, that is, particles on a model support. Attentio
n is payed to both preparation and use of such model systems.