Journal of Applied Sciences1812-56541812-5662Asian Network for Scientific Information10.3923/jas.2011.1164.1170HabibpourVahideh WangZhi W.PalmerRichard E.HeizUlrich 72011117The field of heterogeneous catalysis is built upon the exploitation of materials structured on the nanometre-scale. Supported, size-selected nanoclusters open up new opportunities for research in catalysis as the catalyst functionalities can be explored as a function of cluster size, composition and atomic structure. In this review, we consider as an example, the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide by oxidised palladium clusters, coupling vibrational infrared spectroscopy with temperature programmed reaction experiments. The results clearly show that the detailed atomic structure of the clusters plays a crucial role in the catalytic performance. The new generation of aberration-corrected electron microscopes provides a new window on the structure of such nanoparticles, with atomic precision, as illustrated by High-Angle Annular Dark-Field detector-Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy images of size-selected gold and palladium clusters.]]>Abbet, S., E. Riedo, H. Brune, U. Heiz, A.M. Ferrari, L. Giordano and G. Pacchioni,200112361726178Bhatia, S., J. Beltramini and D.D. DO,19907309438Di Valentin, C., A. Del Vitto and G. Pacchioni,20021061196111969Freund, H.J., H. Kuhlenbeck, J. Libuda, G. Rupprechter, M. Bäumer and H. Hamann,200115201209Hakkinen, H. and M. Manninen,19961051056510571Harding, C.J., S. Kunz, V. Habibpour and U. Heiz,2008255234240Harding, C.J., V. Habibpour, S. Kunz, A.N. Farnbacher, U. Heiz, B. Yoon and U. Landman,2009131538548Haruta, M. and M. Date,2001222427437Heiz, U. and U. Landman,2006Heiz, U., F. Vanolli, L. Trento and W.D. Schneider,19976819861994Heiz, U., A. Sanchez, S. Abbet and W.D. Schneider,2000262189200Henry, C.R.,2000164252259Herzing, A.A., C.J. Kiely, A.F. Carley, P. Landon and G.J. Hutchings,200832113311335Huber, B., P. Koskinen, H. Hakkinen and M. Moseler,200554447Kuhn, W.K., J. Szanyi and D.W. Goodman,1992274L611L618Lee, I., F. Delbecq, R. Morales, M.A. Albiter and F. Zaera,20098132138Li, Z.Y., N.P. Young, M. Di Vece, S. Palomba and R.E. Palmer et al.,20084514648Mark, L.D.,199457603649Pacchioni, G. and N. Rosch,199610473297337Palmer, R.E., S. Pratontep and H.G. Boyen,20032443448Ricci, D., A. Bongiorno, G. Pacchioni and U. Landman,20069703610610361064Santra, A.K. and D.W. Goodman,200315R31R62Somorjai, G.A., A.M. Contreras, M. Montano and R.M. Rioux,20061031057710583Turner, M., V.B. Golovko, O.P.H. Vaughan, P. Abdulkin and A. Berenguer-Murcia et al.,2008454981983Vajda, S., S. Lee, K. Sell, I. Barke and A. Kleibert et al.,200913112110411211044Wang, Z.W., O. Tokkanen, F. Yin, Z.Y. Yin, B.M. Quinn and R. Palmer,201013228542855Worz, A.S., K. Judai, S. Abbet and U. Heiz,200312579647970Yoon, B., H. Hakkinen, U. Landman, A.S. Worz and J.M. Antonietti et al.,2005307403407Young, N.P., Y. Chen, S. Palomba, M. di Vece and R.E. Palmer,200810124610312461034