Environmental Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy of the catalyst activation and regeneration

Tuesday publication update! In this newest accepted article by @Valérie Briois, @Jaysen Nelayah, @Camille La Fontaine, @Olga Roudenko, @Anthony Beauvois, @Aline Ribeiro Passos and @Damien Alloyeau in #ChemCatChem the Ni4Cu1 bimetallic catalyst composition is researched for its catalytic activation and regeneration. By using the #AtmosphereAX system and comparing those results with Full Field Transmission X-rays micro-imaging (FF-TXM), new insights have been found.

The transformation of the Ni-Cu-Al precursor into the active Ni4Cu1 catalyst involved heating from RT to 210°C under Ar (purity > 99.999%) at 10°C/min, followed by heating from 210 to 500°C under pure H2 (purity > 99.999%).

️ At 500°C under a H2 atmosphere, the particles started getting activated before cooling to RT for elemental composition analysis via STEM-EDX.

️ To regenerate the spent Ni4Cu1 catalyst, it was heated under pure H2 at 500°C. Post Ar purging, it was exposed to 2.5% O2 in Ar, allowing the researchers to monitor the regeneration dynamics.

These findings show how in situ microscopy can lead to optimizing performance and longevity in catalyst applications.

Find the whole paper here:
https://www.doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202400352

In the video you can see the oxidative propagation front of the catalysts using full field XAS.

#Findyourbreakthrough #Protochips #insitumicroscopy #gasphaseelectronmicroscopy #catalysis #heterogeneouscatalysis