NOVELTY - Removing (M1) surfactants or capping agents, comprises: providing a noble-metal or non-noble transition metal structure having many surfactants and/or capping agents on a surface of the metal structure; inducing desorption of the surfactant, and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the metal structure; and stripping a carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the metal structure by electrochemical oxidation.    USE - The method is useful for removing surfactants or capping agents from surface of the metal structure (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The method safely removes the surfactants and/or capping agents from the metal structure without imparting any damage to the metal structure surface.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are also included for:    (1) activating (M2) electrocatalyst, comprising forming a metal electrocatalyst having surfactants or capping agents on a surface of the metal electrocatalyst, inducing desorption of the surfactant, and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the metal electrocatalyst, and stripping a carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the metal electrocatalyst by electrochemical oxidation and forming an activated electrocatalyst;    (2) synthesizing (M3) activated electrocatalytic nanostructures, comprising forming nanostructures by solution-based synthesis utilizing a surfactant, and/or a capping agent and activating the nanostructures by a process comprising inducing desorption of the surfactant, and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the nanostructures, and stripping a carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the nanostructures by electrochemical oxidation to form the activated electrocatalytic nanostructures;    (3) activating (M4) electrocatalytic nanoparticles, comprising inducing the desorption of a surfactant, and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the nanoparticles to form a carbon monoxide monolayer, and stripping the carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the nanoparticles by electrochemical oxidation to form activated electrocatalytic nanoparticles;    (4) removing surfactants or capping agents, comprising providing a noble-metal or non-noble transition metal structure having surfactants and/or capping agents on a surface of the metal structure, treating the metal structure with ozone to weaken the interaction of the surfactants and/or the capping agents, inducing desorption of the surfactant, and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the metal structure, and stripping a carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the metal structure by electrochemical oxidation; and    (5) removing surfactants or capping agents, comprising providing a composite transition metal structure having surfactants and/or capping agents on a surface of the composite transition metal structure, inducing the desorption of the surfactant and/or capping agent by carbon monoxide adsorption on the surface of the composite transition metal structure, and stripping a carbon monoxide monolayer formed on the surface of the composite transition metal structure by electrochemical oxidation.