Atomic-level investigation of molecular behaviors on solid surface

Abstract

Chemical reactions on surfaces which called ‘surface chemistry’ have been studied, and it is important to comprehend the mechanism of the reaction and clarify the relationship between reactant and surface to improve the model systems. It is general to use the surface as a catalyst or to manipulate the physical/chemical properties of the surface for utilizing in industry. In order to increase the reactivity of the catalyst and induce the reaction in the desired direction, it is necessary to figure out the surface properties and find the driving force of the reaction. Reactions taking place on the surface are difficult to analyze accurately because there are various factors that affect on the reaction pathway. Moreover, the precise investigation in an atomic-level was impossible in the past. With the development of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and computational method, it is able to study real-space investigation. These two approaches were used to understand in-depth and provide insight into mechanism analysis. In this study, we demonstrate a fundamental study for controlling the reactivity and proposed reliable surface-reactant relationships.