Surface spectroscopy articles from across Nature Portfolio

Solvents play a crucial role in catalysis, affecting both activity and selectivity. Here the authors demonstrate how solvent affinity to the catalyst surface influences the reaction pathways of 4-propylguaiacol.

Heteroatom-embedded hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronenes (HBCs) display notable properties, but the selective incorporation of heteroatoms into the HBC core makes their synthesis difficult. Now a two-step process for the synthesis of 3a²-azahexabenzocoronenium salts is reported. The process comprises a formal [3 + 3] cycloaddition between azomethine ylides and cyclopropenes, followed by mechanochemical cyclization.

CO₂ electroreduction is promoted by alkali cations in the electrolyte, but the precise mechanism by which this occurs is not clear. Now in situ infrared spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics are combined to elucidate the specific role of alkali cations and their trends.

Voronoi domains combined with modelled vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy can be used to investigate surfaces, interfaces, and hydrations shells at reduced computational costs.

A second-harmonic generation approach enables the direct measurement of the potential of zero charge at electrochemical interfaces.

The physical properties of a liquid at an interface differ from bulk solution limits, but how this affects chemical reactivity is unclear. Now, ultrafast, surface-sensitive vibrational spectroscopy has revealed that the light-induced reaction of phenol with water is four orders of magnitude faster at the water surface than in bulk.

Molecular vibrations can be highly effective promoters of gas-phase chemistry. Now, measurements show that excited vibrational states can survive on metal surfaces far longer than expected — reshaping our understanding of how vibrational excitation might also promote or modify heterogeneously catalysed chemistry on metals.

For electrocatalysts, the activity and stability is determined by the surface — often just a few atomic layers thick. Now atom probe tomography is used to examine the changing surface of an oxygen evolution catalyst at near-atomic-scale resolution, linking structure to activity and stability.

The controlled deposition of single Pt atoms on a substrate affords a well-dispersed and robust CO oxidation catalyst, for which spectroscopic characterization can unravel detailed reaction pathways.