GROWTH, MORPHOLOGY, INTERFACIAL EFFECTS AND CATALYTIC PROPERTIES OF Au ON TiO₂

We survey recent studies and present new data on the growth, interactions, structure and chemistry of gold deposited on TiO 2 (110) surfaces. The noble metal Au on TiO 2 (110) is a model system for weak interaction of a metal with an oxide substrate; it is also of interest because Au on TiO 2 has unusually high activity as a catalyst for CO oxidation at room temperature. In this review, we present results on the growth of ultrathin films of Au on TiO 2 (110), as well as the morphology, interface formation, epitaxy, structure and electronic properties of Au on TiO 2 single crystal and planar films. The results are compared to studies of Au on high-surface-area TiO 2 catalysts in an attempt to bridge the gap between surface science experiments and the high pressure conditions of catalyst operation.