Solid state concepts to understand catalysis using nanoscale metallic particles

Abstract : New advances in theoretical background and recent experimental results concerning nanometer scale metallic clusters are presented. We will begin by a presentation of the advantages and the limitations of synchrotron radiation techniques to characterise nanometer scale entities. Then, through a review of recent papers, we try to make a link between metallic surfaces and nanometer scale monometallic clusters in the case of the interaction with a small molecule, namely NO.