Co-deposition of atomic clusters of different size and composition

The uses of nanoclusters in various applications such as catalysis, biology, medicine, electronics and optics are presented. These applications require the creation of stable arrays of clusters that can withstand the relevant operating environment and maintain their useful properties. Gold clusters with diameters ranging from 1 to 6 nm have been used to catalyze the oxidation of carbon monoxide with size-dependent activity, while large silver clusters catalyze the oxidation of ethylene. Combination of clusters in a single system could lead to parallel of sequential catalytic processes on a single surface lead to the development of new cluster applications as many metals have catalytic properties. The clusters are produced with a state-of-art magnetron sputtering gas-aggregation cluster source, which incorporate a novel time-of-flight mass selector.