Fabrication of Ir/TiO2(110) Planar Catalysts with Tailored Particle Size and Distribution

A simple method is described by which supported Ir nanoparticles can be fabricated in desired uniform sizes in the range of 1.5–20.0 nm with constant interparticle distances. The nanoparticles are characterized by STM. The method exploits the significant differences in the diffusion rates of metal adatoms and nanocrystallites, and consists of two steps: (i) vapor deposition of Ir metal in predetermined concentrations on titania at 300 K with a postannealing at 1200 K, and (ii) subsequent evaporation of Ir on this surface at 1200 K.