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Nature Chemistry (24 October 2008) | doi:10.1038/nchem.79

Catalyst nanoparticles: Turning inside out

Gavin Armstrong

The activity of a heterogeneous catalyst is dependent on the structure and composition of its surface — both of which can change in response to variations in the environment. These differences in reactivity can be extreme in nanoparticle catalysts because of their size-to-volume ratio.