Catalyst development relies on a number of analytical methods to characterize the structure and chemistry of the material at the atomic level and to understand the behavior of catalytic species during reaction processes. The advent of aberration-corrected electron microscopes with sub-Ångström resolution, coupled with methods to treat catalyst materials in situ, under gaseous environments and at elevated temperatures, now offers the ability to gain further knowledge of the atomic-level processes that occur during catalyst reactions. These techniques are now enabled by the recent introduction of highly stable “closed-cell” gas reaction specimen holders based on MEMS-fabricated heater devices that allow atomic structure imaging at temperatures up to 1000°C and at gas pressures up to a full atmosphere.
The webinar will cover research performed during collaborations between leading manufacturers in the automotive industry, the University of New Mexico, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and others on the development of advanced catalysis materials. The desire to reduce loadings, lower operating temperatures and increase conversion efficiencies present particularly stringent criteria for the development of commercial automotive catalysts. In situ methods and results will be presented that help elucidate, for example, the influence of Pd on the behavior of Pt nanoparticles during high temperature oxidation and reduction cycling treatments.
Speakers
Prof. Abhaya Datye, Distinguished Regents Professor and Department Chair, Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA.
Dr. Lawrence Allard, Distinguished Research Staff Member, Materials Science & Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
Dr. Stewart Bland (Moderator), Editor, Materials Today