Restructuring of hex-Pt(100) under CO gas environments: formation of 2-D nanoclusters.

The atomic-scale restructuring of hex-Pt(100) induced by carbon monoxide with a wide pressure range was studied with a newly designed chamber-in-chamber high-pressure STM and theoretical calculations. Both experimental and DFT calculation results show that CO molecules are bound to Pt nanoclusters through a tilted on-top configuration with a separation of approximately 3.7-4.1 A. The phenomenon of restructuring of metal catalyst surfaces induced by adsorption and, in particular, the formation of small metallic clusters suggests the importance of studying structures of catalyst surfaces under high-pressure conditions for understanding catalytic mechanisms.