Product gas evolution above planar microstructured model catalysts--a combined scanning mass spectrometry, Monte Carlo, and Computational Fluid Dynamics study

Evaluation of the Two-Dimensional Performances of Low Activity Planar Catalysts: Development and Validation of a True Scanning Reactor

The development of a scanning reactor for planar catalysts is presented here. With respect to other existing models, this reactor is able to scan catalysts even with low turnover frequencies with a minimum sensed circular area of approximately 6 mm in diameter. The downstream gas analysis is performed with a quaprupole mass spectrometer. The apparatus performances are presented for two different reactions: the hydrogenation of butadiene over palladium films and the oxidation of CO over a gold/titania catalyst. With the final setup, true scans in both X and Y directions (or even in a previously defined complex directional pattern) are possible within a scan speed ranging from 0.1 to 5.0 mm/min. Finally, this apparatus aims at becoming a valuable tool for high throughput and combinatorial experimentation to test patterned active surfaces and catalytic libraries.

Mass spectrometric methods for monitoring redox processes in electrochemical cells

Electrochemistry (EC) is a mature scientific discipline aimed to study the movement of electrons in an oxidation-reduction reaction. EC covers techniques that use a measurement of potential, charge, or current to determine the concentration or the chemical reactivity of analytes. The electrical signal is directly converted into chemical information. For in-depth characterization of complex electrochemical reactions involving the formation of diverse intermediates, products and byproducts, EC is usually combined with other analytical techniques, and particularly the hyphenation of EC with mass spectrometry (MS) has found broad applicability. The analysis of gases and volatile intermediates and products formed at electrode surfaces is enabled by differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS). In DEMS an electrochemical cell is sampled with a membrane interface for electron ionization (EI)-MS. The chemical space amenable to EC/MS (i.e., bioorganic molecules including proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and drugs) was significantly increased by employing electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS. In the simplest setup, the EC of the ESI process is used to analytical advantage. A limitation of this approach is, however, its inability to precisely control the electrochemical potential at the emitter electrode. Thus, particularly for studying mechanistic aspects of electrochemical processes, the hyphenation of discrete electrochemical cells with ESI-MS was found to be more appropriate. The analytical power of EC/ESI-MS can further be increased by integrating liquid chromatography (LC) as an additional dimension of separation. Chromatographic separation was found to be particularly useful to reduce the complexity of the sample submitted either to the EC cell or to ESI-MS. Thus, both EC/LC/ESI-MS and LC/EC/ESI-MS are common.

An exchangeable-tip scanning probe instrument for the analysis of combinatorial libraries of electrocatalysts

A combined scanning differential electrochemical mass spectrometer (SDEMS)-scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM) apparatus is described. The SDEMS is used to detect and spatially resolve volatile electrochemically generated species at the surface of a substrate electrode. The SECM can electrochemically probe the reactivity of the surface and also offers a convenient means of leveling the sample. It is possible to switch between these two different scanning tips and techniques without moving the sample and while maintaining potential control of the substrate electrode. A procedure for calibration of the SDEMS tip-substrate separation, based upon the transit time of electrogenerated species from the substrate to the tip is also described. This instrument can be used in the characterization of combinatorial libraries of direct alcohol fuel cell anode catalysts. The apparatus was used to analyze the products of methanol oxidation at a Pt substrate, with the SDEMS detecting carbon dioxide and methyl formate, and a PtPb-modified Pt SECM tip used for the selective detection of formic acid. As an example system, the electrocatalytic methanol oxidation activity of a sputter-deposited binary PtRu composition spread in acidic media was analyzed using the SDEMS. These results are compared with those obtained from a pH-sensitive fluorescence assay.

Nanostructured, mesoporous Au/TiO(2) model catalysts - structure, stability and catalytic properties

Aiming at model systems with close-to-realistic transport properties, we have prepared and studied planar Au/TiO(2) thin-film model catalysts consisting of a thin mesoporous TiO(2) film of 200-400 nm thickness with Au nanoparticles, with a mean particle size of ~2 nm diameter, homogeneously distributed therein. The systems were prepared by spin-coating of a mesoporous TiO(2) film from solutions of ethanolic titanium tetraisopropoxide and Pluronic P123 on planar Si(100) substrates, calcination at 350 °C and subsequent Au loading by a deposition-precipitation procedure, followed by a final calcination step for catalyst activation. The structural and chemical properties of these model systems were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N(2) adsorption, inductively coupled plasma ionization spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalytic properties were evaluated through the oxidation of CO as a test reaction, and reactivities were measured directly above the film with a scanning mass spectrometer. We can demonstrate that the thin-film model catalysts closely resemble dispersed Au/TiO(2) supported catalysts in their characteristic structural and catalytic properties, and hence can be considered as suitable for catalytic model studies. The linear increase of the catalytic activity with film thickness indicates that transport limitations inside the Au/TiO(2) film catalyst are negligible, i.e., below the detection limit.