Heterogeneous Catalysis Research

This informational video shows how the Atmosphere AX system can be used to image heterogeneous catalysts within the electron microscope. The Atmosphere AX system is a gas phase electron microscopy system that consists of a cell made out of two MEMS devices (E-chips). In this video, examples from literature will be shown on what type of research, within the field of Heterogeneous Catalysis, can be performed.

With ongoing oxidation, you are seeing the spreading of a porous oxide structure resulting from so called “Kirkendall effect”, which is visualized in the atomic level of resolution during the heating ramp. The integrated metadata to was used to plotting and analyzing trends.

Copper catalyst particle analyzed in the Protochips Atmosphere in situ TEM system while utilizing the AXON Machine Vision Software platform for on-the-fly stabilization, real-time data integration, and data analysis and video generation. Read more about Atmosphere and AXON on our website: www.protochips.com’

This real-time video shows two gold nanoparticles that are on the surface of larger iron oxide particles at 900° C. At this temperature the gold is very mobile, and the two particles coalesce into one larger nanoparticle. This demonstrates the stability of the Protochips Fusion system at high temperatures. This video was taken on a JEOL ARM200F (200 kV, Cs aberration correction) at JEOL in Akishima, Japan. For more information on Fusion, visit www.protochips.com/fusion

An Fe nanoparticle etching few-layer graphene (FLG) at 900 degrees C and 600 Torr of H2. The Fe nanoparticle preferentially etches the graphene along specific crystallographic directions.

Credit: SI-IPCMS-CNRS/University of Strasbourg, France: G. Melinte, S. Moldovan and O. Ersen

The Fusion™ heating and electrical biasing system is compatible with environmental electron microscopes. This real time video shows ceria (CeO2) in a reducing atmosphere of hydrogen at 1.2 Torr at 750 C. The lattice and surface reactions can be easily seen.

This real time video shows two gold nanoparticles that are on the surface of larger iron oxide particles at 900 C. At this temperature the gold is very mobile, and the two particles coalesce into one larger nanoparticle. This demonstrates the stability of the Protochips Fusion™ system at high temperatures. This video is in real time and taken on a JEOL ARM200F (200 kV, Cs aberration correction) at JEOL in Akishima, Japan.

#FindYourBreakthrough | FLASH TALKS: EP #3

Iron-silica Interaction During Reduction of Precipitated Silica-promoted Iron
Oxides Using In Situ XRD and TEM

Presented by: Dr. Jaco Olivier from Nelson Mandela University. Read the full publication here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0926860X21000454?via%3Dihub

#FindYourBreakthrough | FLASH TALKS: EP #6

Dynamic Restructuring of Supported Metal Nanoparticles and its Implications for Structure Insensitive Catalysis

Presented by: Dr. Charlotte Vogt from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Read the full publication here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-27474-3

#FindYourBreakthrough | FLASH TALKS: EP #7

Catalyst Particle Growth at the Nanoscale
In Situ TEM of TiO2 Supported Gold Nanoparticle Growth

Presented by: Dr. Mark J. Meijerink from Utrecht University. Read the full publication here:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcc.9b10237

#FindYourBreakthrough | FLASH TALKS: EP #8

Attachment of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles to Carbon Nanofibers Studies by In-Situ Liquid Phase Transmission Electron Microscopy

Presented by: Dr. Nynke A. Krans from Utrecht University. Read the full publication here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30468967/

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Formation mechanism of high-index faceted Pt-Bi alloy nanoparticles by evaporation-induced growth from metal salts

Presented by: Dr. Kunmo Koo from Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center. Read the full publication here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39458-6

Products featured: Protochips Atmosphere AX gas cell system for TEM with AXON machine vision software

#FindYourBreakthrough | FLASH TALKS: EP #17

High-Entropy-Alloy Nanocrystal Based Macro- and Mesoporous Materials

In this flash talk, a soft-chemistry route to fabricate ordered macro- and mesoporous materials based on high-entropy alloy nanoparticles is introduced. In situ electron microscopy is used to observe the stability of these newly formed nanoparticles under atmosphere.

Presented by: Dr. Maria de Marco from the Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP) and the Institut de Physique et Chimie de Matériaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS). Read the full publication here:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.2c05465

Products featured: Protochips AtmosphereAX

In this flash talk, Dr. Abdallah Nassereddine from the Université Cité Paris talks about atomic-scale in situ TEM using the Atmosphere AX system. This research is combined with DFT-based calculations to explore the reactivity of TiO₂-supported gold nanoparticles (below 7nm) with 1,3-butadiene. This study reveals the dynamic structural evolution of these nanoparticles at 300°C and 200°C, highlighting significant morphological changes and adsorption behaviors.

Presented by:
Abdallah Nassereddine, PhD.
Université Cité Paris, France

Read the full publication here:
https://chemistry-europe.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cctc.202300434

This study tackles a major issue in converting methanol into useful products: the catalyst used in the process tends to wear out quickly due to the buildup of carbon deposits, known as coke. Dr. Sharmin Sharna and collaborators discovered that adding a small amount of liquid gallium, a metal that melts at low temperatures, to a zeolite catalysts, ZSM-5, dramatically improves its durability. The study added methanol in vapor form in the Atmosphere AX system to observe the reduction of carbon buildup on the catalysts' surface. Adding gallium facilitated the removal of carbon, allowing the catalyst to last up to 14 times longer than the original version! This breakthrough could lead to the development of longer-lasting catalysts for the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

Presented by :
Sharmin Sharna, PhD
IPCMS in collaboration with UCCS

Read the full publication here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46232-9