ABSTRACT
FTIR spectroscopy represents a powerful technique to investigate
the surface sites at an atomic level. In particular, the analysis of
FTIR spectra of adsorbed probe molecules allows us to understand
the nature and abundance of exposed active sites as well as
to have detailed information on their structure and chemical
environment. Therefore, FTIR spectroscopy can usefully assist in
the comprehension of the parameters ruling the unique catalytic
properties of gold catalysts, as well as in implementing the
knowledge in the design of new systems. Keeping in mind these
purposes, the present chapter tries to provide some insights into
the spectroscopic characterization of supported gold nanoparticles,
and we choose an intriguing and quite investigated system such
as Au/CeO2 as a case history to show what can be learned from the analysis of FTIR spectra collected on gold catalysts in different
experimental conditions.
