Innovative in situ characterization tools are essential for understanding the catalytic reaction mechanisms. Though techniques, such as in situ transmission X-ray microscopy, fast single-particle spectroscopy, small-angle X-ray scattering, etc., are currently being developed, these tools are complex, not easily accessible, and do not necessarily provide the temporal resolution required to follow the catalytic reactions in real time. In this presentation the concept of utilizing continuous flow catalytic reactors for time resolved mechanistic studies would be introduced. In comparison with traditional batch reactors, through examples, it will be shown how continuous flow devices offer simplified solutions for carrying out kinetic studies and have the potential to revolutionize a broad range of fields from chemistry, catalysis, and nanotechnology. Particularly, in combination with spectroscopy tools such as synchrotron radiation-based XAS, SAXS and other spectroscopy probes like UV-Vis spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, these tool can be utilized to obtain time resolved information in investigating the mechanistic aspects of a vast number of catalytic reactions. Specifically, more recent results in utilizing the technique to follow in a time-resolved fashion not only the nanostructured gold catalyst coating process but also for mapping the sequential transformation of catalytic reactions (using conversion of HMF to FDCA catalyzed by nanostructured gold as an example) at various spatial intervals leading to a better understanding of the time-resolved kinetics of the catalytic reaction. While our most recent investigations shared here are focused on in situ gold catalyzed reactions, the technique can be applied to analyze the time-resolved mechanisms of a broad range of catalytic reactions.

Continuous flow catalytic reactors: Opportunities for in situ time-resolved mechanistic investigations

251st National Meeting (2016)

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