New technique combines electron microscopy and synchrotron
x-rays at Brookhaven Lab to track chemical reactions under real operating
conditions
(June 29, 2015) A new
technique pioneered at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National
Laboratory reveals atomic-scale changes during catalytic reactions in real time
and under real operating conditions.
A team of scientists used a newly developed reaction chamber
to combine x-ray absorption spectroscopy and electron microscopy for an
unprecedented portrait of a common chemical reaction. The results demonstrate a
powerful operando technique—from the Latin for "in working
condition"—that may revolutionize research on catalysts, batteries, fuel
cells, and other major energy technologies.
"We tracked the dynamic transformations of a working
catalyst, including single atoms and larger structures, during an active
reaction at room temperature," said study coauthor and Brookhaven Lab
scientist Eric Stach. "This gives us unparalleled insight into
nanoparticle structure and would be impossible to achieve without combining two
complementary operando techniques."