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Chee SW, Lunkenbein T, Schlögl R, Roldán Cuenya B. Operando Electron Microscopy of Catalysts: The Missing Cornerstone in Heterogeneous Catalysis Research? Chem Rev 2023; 123:13374-13418. [PMID: 37967448 PMCID: PMC10722467 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.3c00352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneous catalysis in thermal gas-phase and electrochemical liquid-phase chemical conversion plays an important role in our modern energy landscape. However, many of the structural features that drive efficient chemical energy conversion are still unknown. These features are, in general, highly distinct on the local scale and lack translational symmetry, and thus, they are difficult to capture without the required spatial and temporal resolution. Correlating these structures to their function will, conversely, allow us to disentangle irrelevant and relevant features, explore the entanglement of different local structures, and provide us with the necessary understanding to tailor novel catalyst systems with improved productivity. This critical review provides a summary of the still immature field of operando electron microscopy for thermal gas-phase and electrochemical liquid-phase reactions. It focuses on the complexity of investigating catalytic reactions and catalysts, progress in the field, and analysis. The forthcoming advances are discussed in view of correlative techniques, artificial intelligence in analysis, and novel reactor designs.
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Affiliation(s)
- See Wee Chee
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Lunkenbein
- Department
of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Schlögl
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Beatriz Roldán Cuenya
- Department
of Interface Science, Fritz-Haber Institute
of the Max-Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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2
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Schreiber M, Cassidy C. Quantification of Gas-Based Charge Compensation by Off-Axis Electron Holography in Open-Cell Environmental TEM. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2023; 29:1575-1576. [PMID: 37613884 DOI: 10.1093/micmic/ozad067.810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Makoto Schreiber
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Cathal Cassidy
- Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna-son, Okinawa, Japan
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Tornberg M, Maliakkal CB, Jacobsson D, Wallenberg R, Dick KA. Enabling In Situ Studies of Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition in a Transmission Electron Microscope. MICROSCOPY AND MICROANALYSIS : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY SOCIETY OF AMERICA, MICROBEAM ANALYSIS SOCIETY, MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 2022; 28:1-9. [PMID: 35644630 DOI: 10.1017/s1431927622000769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The world of environmental microscopy provides the possibility to study and analyze transformations and reactions during realistic conditions to understand the processes better. We report on the design and development of a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system integrated with an environmental transmission electron microscope intended for real-time investigations of crystal growth. We demonstrate methods for achieving a wide range of precisely controlled concentrations of precursor gas at the sample, as well as for calibrating the sample partial pressure using the pressure measured elsewhere in the microscope column. The influences of elevated temperature and reactive gas within the pole-piece gap are evaluated with respect to imaging and spectroscopy. We show that X-ray energy-dispersive spectroscopy can be strongly affected by temperatures beyond 500$^{\circ }$C, while the spatial resolution is largely unaffected by heat and microscope pressure for the relevant conditions. Finally, the influence of the electron beam on the investigated processes is discussed. With this work, we aim to provide crucial input in the development of advanced in situ electron microscopy systems for studies of complex reactions in real time under realistic conditions, for instance as used during formation of semiconductor crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Tornberg
- Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (nCHREM), Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- NanoLund, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Carina B Maliakkal
- Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (nCHREM), Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- NanoLund, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Daniel Jacobsson
- Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (nCHREM), Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- NanoLund, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Reine Wallenberg
- Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (nCHREM), Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- NanoLund, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
| | - Kimberly A Dick
- Centre for Analysis and Synthesis, Lund University, Box 124, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- National Center for High Resolution Electron Microscopy (nCHREM), Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
- NanoLund, Lund University, 22100 Lund, Sweden
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Chee SW, Lunkenbein T, Schlögl R, Cuenya BR. In situand operandoelectron microscopy in heterogeneous catalysis-insights into multi-scale chemical dynamics. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:153001. [PMID: 33825698 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/abddfd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This review features state-of-the-artin situandoperandoelectron microscopy (EM) studies of heterogeneous catalysts in gas and liquid environments during reaction. Heterogeneous catalysts are important materials for the efficient production of chemicals/fuels on an industrial scale and for energy conversion applications. They also play a central role in various emerging technologies that are needed to ensure a sustainable future for our society. Currently, the rational design of catalysts has largely been hampered by our lack of insight into the working structures that exist during reaction and their associated properties. However, elucidating the working state of catalysts is not trivial, because catalysts are metastable functional materials that adapt dynamically to a specific reaction condition. The structural or morphological alterations induced by chemical reactions can also vary locally. A complete description of their morphologies requires that the microscopic studies undertaken span several length scales. EMs, especially transmission electron microscopes, are powerful tools for studying the structure of catalysts at the nanoscale because of their high spatial resolution, relatively high temporal resolution, and complementary capabilities for chemical analysis. Furthermore, recent advances have enabled the direct observation of catalysts under realistic environmental conditions using specialized reaction cells. Here, we will critically discuss the importance of spatially-resolvedoperandomeasurements and the available experimental setups that enable (1) correlated studies where EM observations are complemented by separate measurements of reaction kinetics or spectroscopic analysis of chemical species during reaction or (2) real-time studies where the dynamics of catalysts are followed with EM and the catalytic performance is extracted directly from the reaction cell that is within the EM column or chamber. Examples of current research in this field will be presented. Challenges in the experimental application of these techniques and our perspectives on the field's future directions will also be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- See Wee Chee
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Lunkenbein
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Schlögl
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Heterogeneous Reactions, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, 45413 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Beatriz Roldan Cuenya
- Department of Interface Science, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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5
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Wang Y, Niu Y, Gao T, Liu S, Zhang B. Assessing the Effect of the Electron‐Beam Irradiation on Pd/Ga
2
O
3
Catalyst under Ambient Pressure. ChemCatChem 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.202000699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yongzhao Wang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology of China 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
| | - Yiming Niu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology of China 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
| | - Tongtong Gao
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
| | - Siyang Liu
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
| | - Bingsen Zhang
- Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science Institute of Metal Research Chinese Academy of Sciences 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
- School of Materials Science and Engineering University of Science and Technology of China 72 Wenhua Road Shenyang 110016 P. R. China
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Lodge RW, Rance GA, Fay MW, Khlobystov AN. Movement of palladium nanoparticles in hollow graphitised nanofibres: the role of migration and coalescence in nanocatalyst sintering during the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. NANOSCALE 2018; 10:19046-19051. [PMID: 30280181 DOI: 10.1039/c8nr05267k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of individual palladium nanoparticle (PdNP) catalysts in graphitised nanofibres (GNF) in the liquid-phase Suzuki-Miyaura (SM) reaction has been appraised. The combination of identical location-transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM) and a nano test tube approach allowed spatiotemporally continuous observations at the single nanoparticle level, revealing that migration and coalescence is the most significant pathway to coarsening of the nanocatalyst, rather than Ostwald ripening. IL-TEM gave unprecedented levels of detail regarding the movement of PdNP on carbon surfaces at the nanoscale, including size-dependent migration and directional movement, opening horizons for the optimisation of future catalysts through surface morphology design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhys W Lodge
- School of Chemistry, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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Goodman ED, Schwalbe JA, Cargnello M. Mechanistic Understanding and the Rational Design of Sinter-Resistant Heterogeneous Catalysts. ACS Catal 2017. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.7b01975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emmett D. Goodman
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jay A. Schwalbe
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Matteo Cargnello
- Department of Chemical Engineering
and SUNCAT Center for Interface Science and Catalysis, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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8
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Zhu Y, Browning ND. The Role of Gas in Determining Image Quality and Resolution During In Situ Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy Experiments. ChemCatChem 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/cctc.201700474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Zhu
- Physical & Computational Science Directorate Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland WA 99352 USA
| | - Nigel D. Browning
- Physical & Computational Science Directorate Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Richland WA 99352 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering University of Washington Seattle WA 98195 USA
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Koh AL, Sinclair R. Assessing and ameliorating the influence of the electron beam on carbon nanotube oxidation in environmental transmission electron microscopy. Ultramicroscopy 2016; 176:132-138. [PMID: 27979618 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultramic.2016.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we examine how the imaging electron beam can induce damage in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at varying oxygen gas pressures and electron dose rates using environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM). Our studies show that there is a threshold cumulative electron dose which brings about damage in CNTs in oxygen - through removal of their graphitic walls - which is dependent on O2 pressure, with a 4-5 fold decrease in total electron dose per decade increase at a lower pressure range (10-6 to 10-5mbar) and approximately 1.3 -fold decrease per decade increase at a higher pressure range (10-3 to 100mbar). However, at a given pressure, damage in CNTs was found to occur even at the lowest dose rate utilized, suggesting the absence of a lower limit for the latter parameter. This study provides guidelines on the cumulative dose required to damage nanotubes in the 10-7mbar to 100mbar pressure regimes, and discusses the role of electron dose rate and total electron dose on beam-induced CNT degradation experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ai Leen Koh
- Stanford Nano Shared Facilities, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
| | - Robert Sinclair
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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