Heats of adsorption and activation energies of surface processes measured by infrared spectroscopy

A Contribution to the Experimental Microkinetic Approach of Gas/Solid Heterogeneous Catalysis: Measurement of the Individual Heats of Adsorption of Coadsorbed Species by Using the AEIR Method

The two first surface elementary steps of a gas/solid catalytic reaction are the adsorption/desorption at least one of the reactants leading to its adsorption equilibrium which can be or not disturbed by the others surface elementary steps leading to the products. The variety of the sites of a conventional catalyst may lead to the formation of different coadsorbed species such as linear, bridged and threefold coordinated species for the adsorption of CO on supported metal particles. The aim of the present article is to summarize works performed in the last twenty years for the development and applications of an analytical method named Adsorption Equilibrium InfraRed spectroscopy (AEIR) for the measurement of the individual heats of adsorption of coadsorbed species and for the validation of mathematical expressions for their adsorption coefficients and adsorption models. The method uses the evolution of the IR bands characteristic of each of coadsorbed species during the increase in the adsorption temperature in isobaric conditions. The presentation shows that the versatility of AEIR leads to net advantages as compared to others conventional methods particularly in the context of the microkinetic approach of catalytic reactions.

Shape-controlled continuous synthesis of metal nanostructures

A segmented flow-based microreactor is used for the continuous production of faceted nanocrystals. Flow segmentation is proposed as a versatile tool to manipulate the reduction kinetics and control the growth of faceted nanostructures; tuning the size and shape. Switching the gas from oxygen to carbon monoxide permits the adjustment in nanostructure growth from 1D (nanorods) to 2D (nanosheets). CO is a key factor in the formation of Pd nanosheets and Pt nanocubes; operating as a second phase, a reductant, and a capping agent. This combination confines the growth to specific structures. In addition, the segmented flow microfluidic reactor inherently has the ability to operate in a reproducible manner at elevated temperatures and pressures whilst confining potentially toxic reactants, such as CO, in nanoliter slugs. This continuous system successfully synthesised Pd nanorods with an aspect ratio of 6; thin palladium nanosheets with a thickness of 1.5 nm; and Pt nanocubes with a 5.6 nm edge length, all in a synthesis time as low as 150 s.