On the Effects of Carbon on Cobalt Catalyst Surfaces in Fischer-Tropsch Reaction Conditions: What Does the Active Site Look Like ?

Our work shows that during the Fischer-Tropsch reaction the Co(111) surface tends to carburate slowly. Before the system reaches thermodynamic equilibrium there exist a C driven Co(111)→Co(100) reconstructed surface, whose catalytic properties are unknown and which may have important consequences for the mechanistic studies of the FT synthesis.