Molecular Characterization of Noble Metal Adsorption at the Water-Aluminum Oxide Interface
2011 ◽
Vol 396-398
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pp. 745-750
Keyword(s):
X Ray
◽
We have obtained relatively unambiguous evidence that validates a simple, predictive model describing the uptake of noble metal coordination complexes from aqueous solutions onto oxide surfaces. The results confirm that the metal-oxide interaction is essentially electrostatic in nature. The evidence has been obtained by applying extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis to noble metal adsorption systems in which the effect of surface-localized pH has been isolated and quantified. The model has applications ranging from catalysts preparation to heavy metal pollution abatement and precious metal recovery.