Catalysis research
Involved in the processing of over 80% of all manufactured products, catalysts are a critical aspect of modern industry. Heterogeneous nanoparticle catalysts, in particular, are important for a number of modern, environmentally friendly processes such as the production of hydrogen fuel and are found ubiquitously in automotive catalytic converters. As catalysts accelerate production rates and lower temperature requirements for relevant reactions, they significantly reduce the energy needed to perform a given process and/or produce a product of interest.
Nanoparticle catalysis
The morphology, distribution, size, and chemical composition of nanoparticles are crucial for their catalytic efficiency. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (S/TEM) combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) has proven to be a valuable research tool for the direct observation and quantification of this information. Additionally, high-performance scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tools take excellent images of beam-sensitive catalyst materials under low-beam-energy and low-beam-current conditions without causing sample damage.
Thermo Fisher Scientific provides a range of instrumentation ideally suited for the characterization of catalyst nanoparticles. We also offer a suite of software tools that allow you to automate your workflow, generating high-resolution, large-area nanoparticle data for a holistic overview of your catalyst.
High-resolution EDS maps of a beam-sensitive material used for photocatalytic processes (C3N4(Co)-Pt). The catalyst uses the synergistic behavior of platinum and cobalt nanoparticles to improve catalytic efficiency. Data courtesy of Prof. ShengChun Yang, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China.