Strong and coverage-independent promotion of catalytic activity of a noble metal by subsurface vanadium

While common bimetallic surfaces have a variable composition, the stable subsurface alloys of V/Rh and V/Pd are characterised by a purely noble metal-terminated surface and the second metal positioned in near-surface layers. The uniform composition of the topmost surface layer excludes conventional ensemble effects in catalysis, and the activity of the surface can be controlled by the metal loading and by the temperature of annealing. For example, the activity of a polycrystalline Rh surface in CO hydrogenation is significantly increased by promotion with subsurface vanadium. The modification of the subsurface layer with a different metal must be considered a promising approach to improve the catalytic properties of a metal surface.