Professor Ertl employed a range of sophisticated techniques to study surface reactions at the atomic level. These include:
- Low-Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED): This technique allows for the determination of the surface structure of crystalline materials. - Photoelectron Spectroscopy: Used to study the electronic properties of surfaces and adsorbed species. - Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM): Provides real-space images of surfaces at atomic resolution, enabling the observation of individual atoms and molecules.
These techniques have become standard tools in surface science and catalysis research, largely due to Ertl's pioneering work.
