In situ electron microscopy technique probes catalysis at atomic level

Two DuPont research chemists have developed an in situ technique for directly probing interactions between gas molecules and solid surfaces at the atomic scale. The method is being used to develop commercial catalytic systems and is also providing fundamental understanding of surface structure modifications and their role in catalysis. Pratibha L. Gai and Edward D. Boyes, senior research associates at DuPont Central R&D, Wilmington, Del., have placed a microreactor at the viewing stage of a high-resolution electron microscope (HREM) and added a variety of ancillary systems to aid in analysis of the reactor contents. "The technique's supreme advantage is that it permits the study of reactions at the atomic level, that is less than 2 A," Gai says. "It also provides quantitative information on crystallographic integrity of the catalysts and composition of the reactor medium." With the in situ technique, Gai and Boyes can directly detect, in real time, changes in composition, transient species, and ...