What is it about?
Adsorbate at the surface of metal nanoparticle modifies the crystal surface tension. The paper proves that the effect can be measured by in situ powder diffraction via detection of minute peak shifts. It can be used to measure strength of interaction but also an occurrence of the surface reconstruction. Together with monitoring the peak intensity and width this can provide unique insight into surface reactivity of nanocrystals.
Why is it important?
The proposed technique provides a sample average picture of the catalyst surface evolution during chemical reaction. It can even show an average evolution of the crystal shape during the reaction- more sensitively than ETEM observations on a single crystallite. It is a unique technique for nanocrystals where the surface reconstruction phenomena meet less entropy barrier than for bulky crystal.