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Catalysis Research
Catalyst nanoparticle imaging and analysis with electron microscopy and EDS.
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Catalysis research
Involved in the processing of over 80% of all manufactured products, catalysts are a critical aspect of modern industry. Heterogeneous nanoparticle catalysts, in particular, are important for a number of modern, environmentally friendly processes such as the production of hydrogen fuel and are found ubiquitously in automotive catalytic converters. As catalysts accelerate production rates and lower temperature requirements for relevant reactions, they significantly reduce the energy needed to perform a given process and/or produce a product of interest.
Nanoparticle catalysis
The morphology, distribution, size, and chemical composition of nanoparticles are crucial for their catalytic efficiency. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) has proven to be a valuable research tool for the direct observation and quantification of this information. Additionally, high-performance scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tools take excellent images of beam-sensitive catalyst materials under low-beam-energy and low-beam-current conditions without causing sample damage.
Thermo Fisher Scientific provides a range of instrumentation ideally suited for the characterization of catalyst nanoparticles. We also offer a suite of software tools that allow you to automate your workflow, generating high-resolution, large-area nanoparticle data for a holistic overview of your catalyst.
High-resolution EDS maps of a beam-sensitive material used for photocatalytic processes (C3N4(Co)-Pt). The catalyst uses the synergistic behavior of platinum and cobalt nanoparticles to improve catalytic efficiency. Data courtesy of Prof. ShengChun Yang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.
On-Demand Webinar: Spectra 200 S/TEM: A workhorse for catalyst characterisation
Watch this webinar to learn advanced catalyst characterisation methods using TEM, how tools like the Spectra 200 S/TEM are used in the catalyst industry and why Haldor Topsøe chooses the Spectra 200 S/TEM.
On-Demand Webinar: Quantitative structural analysis using STEM HAADF-iDPC
This webinar will give an introduction to the relevance of materials in catalysis, the challenges in their synthesis and their characterisation at atomic level.
Bright field transmission electron microscopy image of iron oxide quantum dots, which are used as a catalyst in variety of chemical processing reactions. Data courtesy of the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Bright field transmission electron microscopy image of iron oxide quantum dots, which are used as a catalyst in variety of chemical processing reactions. Data courtesy of the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
3D elemental distribution of a vehicle-aged automotive catalyst sample. Palladium nanoparticles are distributed on oxide carriers.
Metal-organic framework (MOF) with a 2.8 nm pore size. Excellent performance at low beam energy and low beam current enables the Verios SEM to image beam-sensitive materials, like this MOF, at very high resolution, without any sample damage. Image width = ~350 nm. Image by Devin Wu, Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Carbon nanotubes with catalyst particles on top, imaged at 2 kV using the Verios SEM. Mixed signal from different in-column detectors reveals the topography and elemental contrast of this material. Image width = ~4.2 μm. Image by Devin Wu, Thermo Fisher Scientific.
High-resolution TEM imaging of Pt-Rh catalyst nanoparticles enabled by the Thermo Scientific Ceta 16M Camera, revealing the crystalline lattice structure of nanoparticles. Sample courtesy: Prof. B. Gorman and Prof. R. Richards, Colorado School of Mines.
On-Demand Webinar: Spectra 200 S/TEM: A workhorse for catalyst characterisation
Watch this webinar to learn advanced catalyst characterisation methods using TEM, how tools like the Spectra 200 S/TEM are used in the catalyst industry and why Haldor Topsøe chooses the Spectra 200 S/TEM.
On-Demand Webinar: Quantitative structural analysis using STEM HAADF-iDPC
This webinar will give an introduction to the relevance of materials in catalysis, the challenges in their synthesis and their characterisation at atomic level.
Bright field transmission electron microscopy image of iron oxide quantum dots, which are used as a catalyst in variety of chemical processing reactions. Data courtesy of the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Bright field transmission electron microscopy image of iron oxide quantum dots, which are used as a catalyst in variety of chemical processing reactions. Data courtesy of the Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
3D elemental distribution of a vehicle-aged automotive catalyst sample. Palladium nanoparticles are distributed on oxide carriers.
Metal-organic framework (MOF) with a 2.8 nm pore size. Excellent performance at low beam energy and low beam current enables the Verios SEM to image beam-sensitive materials, like this MOF, at very high resolution, without any sample damage. Image width = ~350 nm. Image by Devin Wu, Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Carbon nanotubes with catalyst particles on top, imaged at 2 kV using the Verios SEM. Mixed signal from different in-column detectors reveals the topography and elemental contrast of this material. Image width = ~4.2 μm. Image by Devin Wu, Thermo Fisher Scientific.
High-resolution TEM imaging of Pt-Rh catalyst nanoparticles enabled by the Thermo Scientific Ceta 16M Camera, revealing the crystalline lattice structure of nanoparticles. Sample courtesy: Prof. B. Gorman and Prof. R. Richards, Colorado School of Mines.
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