Open AccessDetecting and utilizing minority phases in heterogeneous catalysis
Author(s) -
Urs Hartfelder,
Jagdeep Singh,
Johannes Haase,
Maarten Nachtegaal,
Daniel Grolimund,
Jeroen A. van Bokhoven
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep37597
Subject(s) - carbon monoxide , platinum , catalysis , platinum nanoparticles , rational design , phase (matter) , chemical engineering , heterogeneous catalysis , gas phase , carbon fibers , transient (computer programming) , materials science , chemistry , nanotechnology , computer science , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering , operating system
Highly active phases in carbon monoxide oxidation are known, however they are transient in nature. Here, we determined for the first time the structure of such a highly active phase on platinum nanoparticles in an actual reactor. Unlike generally assumed, the surface of this phase is virtually free of adsorbates and co-exists with carbon-monoxide covered and surface oxidized platinum. Understanding the relation between gas composition and catalyst structure at all times and locations within a reactor enabled the rational design of a reactor concept, which maximizes the amount of the highly active phase and minimizes the amount of platinum needed.