Area determination in fractal surfaces of Pt and Pt–Ru catalysts for methanol oxidation

Abstract

The surface areas of Pt and Pt–Ru alloys have been estimated by a fractal technique. Fractal measurements were made using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which measures the surface corrugations. This STM-based fractal technique is offered as an alternative to gas adsorption technique for area estimation. The usefulness of the fractal approach to area calculation in the Pt–Ru alloy, where the hydrogen adsorption technique cannot be used, is demonstrated using the kinetics of methanol oxidation.