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Synchronous in situ time-resolved XAFS, infra red, and mass spectrometric approach to heterogeneous catalysis

last modified 26-05-2009 17:28

Simultaneous interrogation of working catalysts using time-resolved X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAFS), diffuse reflectance infra red spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and mass spectrometry (MS), has been developed at the University of Southampton and tested on beamline ID24. This in situ combination of time-resolved XAFS and complementary techniques, permits a unique insight into the behaviour of working catalysts.

 

a) Rh K XAFS spectra from a 5wt%Rh/Al2O3 
        catalyst heated under a CO/NO/He feedstock; b) DRIFTS spectra obtained 
        synchronously with the XAFS

Figure 1: a) Rh K XAFS spectra from a 5wt%Rh/Al2O3 catalyst heated under a CO/NO/He feedstock; b) DRIFTS spectra obtained synchronously with the XAFS.

From data such as these the relationship between the structure of the active catalyst phase, the surface functionality it supports, and the catalytic performance this leads to, may be studied on a time scale of tens of milliseconds. Quantitative structure function relationships, and mechanistic details, may then be deduced.

Principal Publication and Authors
M.A. Newton (a), B. Jyoti (a), A.J. Dent (b), S.G. Fiddy (c), and J. Evans (a,b), Chem. Commun., 2382-2383 (2004).
(a) University of Southampton (UK)
(a) Diamond Light Source (UK)
(c) ESRF (France)

 

European Synchrotron Radiation Facility