The desorption of CO from small Pt particles on Al2O3

The adsorption of CO on small Pt particles supported on alumina was studied using temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Samples were prepared by vapor deposition of Pt onto a flat substrate in ultra high vacuum. Metal coverages were reproducibly obtained using a film thickness monitor which was calibrated with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). AES results indicated that Pt grew in a layer-by-layer manner on alumina at both 90 and 300 K and that these metal films aggregated into particles when heated above 650 K in vacuum. The average particle size could be estimated from the amount of CO desorbing in TPD and from the metal coverage and could be varied from 1.1 nm up to a continuous film. For the smallest particles, CO desorbed in a single state at 510 K. For larger particles, a second desorption state at 400 K was also observed. Since the desorption of CO occurs at similar temperatures on single crystals of Pt, these results indicate that the adsorption properties for CO on small particles of Pt on alumina are very similar to those for CO on bulk Pt. The change in the relative populations of the two desorption states with increasing particle size is interpreted as evidence for the formation of (111)-type facets on the larger particles.