Copper catalysis at operando conditions - bridging the gap between single nanoparticle probing and catalyst-bed-averaging
Journal article, 2020

In catalysis, nanoparticles enable chemical transformations and their structural and chemical fingerprints control activity. To develop understanding of such fingerprints, methods studying catalysts at realistic conditions have proven instrumental. Normally, these methods either probe the catalyst bed with low spatial resolution, thereby averaging out single particle characteristics, or probe an extremely small fraction only, thereby effectively ignoring most of the catalyst. Here, we bridge the gap between these two extremes by introducing highly multiplexed single particle plasmonic nanoimaging of model catalyst beds comprising 1000 nanoparticles, which are integrated in a nanoreactor platform that enables online mass spectroscopy activity measurements. Using the example of CO oxidation over Cu, we reveal how highly local spatial variations in catalyst state dynamics are responsible for contradicting information about catalyst active phase found in the literature, and identify that both surface and bulk oxidation state of a Cu nanoparticle catalyst dynamically mediate its activity.

Author

David Albinsson

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Astrid Boje

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Sara Nilsson

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Christopher Tiburski

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Anders Hellman

Competence Centre for Catalysis (KCK)

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Henrik Ström

Chalmers, Mechanics and Maritime Sciences (M2), Fluid Dynamics

Christoph Langhammer

Chalmers, Physics, Chemical Physics

Nature Communications

2041-1723 (ISSN) 20411723 (eISSN)

Vol. 11 1 4832

Single Particle Catalysis in Nanoreactors (SPCN)

Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW2015.0057), 2016-01-01 -- 2020-12-31.

Single Nanoparticle Catalysis, SINCAT

European Commission (EC) (EC/H2020/678941), 2016-01-01 -- 2020-12-31.

Areas of Advance

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Subject Categories

Physical Chemistry

Nano Technology

Condensed Matter Physics

Infrastructure

Chalmers Materials Analysis Laboratory

Nanofabrication Laboratory

DOI

10.1038/s41467-020-18623-1

More information

Latest update

4/5/2022 1