Welcome to the group "CLUSTERS ON SURFACES"

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The subject of our research is the investigation of structural and chemical properties of supported clusters. We focus on very small clusters in the size range from n=2 to n=100 atoms. These particles show new physical and chemical properties not known from bulk like nanostructures. Unlike conventional preparation methods which use lithographic techniques or growth by the diffusion and condensation of atoms on the surface, we produce clusters in the gas phase, size select and deposit them at a defined kinetic energy on well defined metal or metal oxide surfaces. We are interested in the physical phenomena during the deposition process which takes place in the femtosecond time scale and the fate of the cluster after deposition (seconds to days timescale) which reflects the stability of the artificially created nanostructure.

We pay special attention to the chemical (catalytic) properties of very small metal clusters on metal oxide systems with the challenging goal to relate structural properties of the clusters to their chemical reactivity. 

The experimental tools of choice are UHV variable temperature STM and STS as well as Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy to probe the catalytic activity of the cluster surface system.

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