Evidence for a Size‐Selective Adsorption Mechanism on Oxide Surfaces: Pd and Au atoms on SiO₂/Mo(112)

Sieving single atoms: The binding of single metal atoms to thin SiO2 films grown on Mo(112) depends on the size of the adatom. While Pd atoms are able to pass the nanopores in the silica network (see figure) and strongly bind to the Mo–SiO2 interface, Au atoms are too big for a penetration and interact only with line defects in the oxide surface.