A charge distribution analysis instrument for catalysis and material science applications; First quarterly technical progress report, October 1, 1993--December 31, 1993

Charge Distribution Analysis (CDA) is a technique to measure mobile charge carriers in dielectric materials in general and more specifically in catalysts. The measurements are based on the dielectric polarization of a given material in an electric field They are contact-free and performed at O Hertz under minimum perturbation conditions. It allows one to determine the sign of the majority charge carriers and to obtain information on their diffusive mobility. Under certain conditions the density of surface charges can be measured quantitatively. The density of surface charges is expected to correlate to the catalytic activity. We have proposed to develop CDA modules which could be used in conjunction with commercial thermal analysis equipment, in particular thermobalances, and convert them into CDA instruments. The first three months of the Project have been used to carefully evaluate all options that relate to this development task. We have evaluated the basic concepts for a commercially viable CDA instrument and formulated its design specifications