Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-rnpqb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-27T19:21:40.988Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

High-Resolution Backscattered Electron Microscopy: Determining the 3-D Distribution of Metallic Nanoparticles in Supported Catalysts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

Jingyue Liu*
Affiliation:
Monsanto Company, 800 N. Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63167
Get access

Abstract

Metallic nanoparticles play an important role in heterogeneous catalysis; these nanoparticles are usually finely dispersed onto high-surface-area supports and act as active centers during a catalytic reaction. The performance of a supported metal catalyst is often directly related to the size and spatial distribution of the nanoparticles. Traditionally, TEM/STEM techniques have to be used to visualize highly dispersed nanoparticles. A major limitation of TEM/STEM techniques is, however, the stringent requirements of samples that can be examined: Useful information can be extracted from only very thin areas of a sample. The preparation of samples suitable for TEM/STEM observation can also pose a challenging problem for examining certain types of catalyst samples such as catalyst beads, pellets, powders, cylinders, or other forms that are often used in industrial applications. These and other limitations preclude the application of TEM/STEM techniques to extracting useful information about the surface or subsurface properties of thick or bulk catalyst samples.

Type
Characterization of Catalysts (Organized by S. Bradley)
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America 2001

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

references

1.Smith, D. J.et al., Catalysis Lett. 31 (1995) 57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Darji, R.and Howie, A., Micron 28 (1997) 95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3.Liu, J., Microsc. Microanal. 6 (2000) 388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar