Luc Jacobs

Field Emission Microscopy to Study the Catalytic Reactivity of Binary Alloys at the Nanoscale

Catalysis plays a crucial role in modern industrial applications. The aim in every process involving catalysis is to obtain a high and sustainable conversion along with a high selectivity towards the desired product(s). In the case of heterogeneous catalysis, one of the ways to reach this goal is to design tailored nanoparticles that present a specific composition, shape and morphology. Such engineering of catalysts only works if one understands how the reaction proceeds on different morphologies and how the reaction may induce structural changes. Another way to improve the efficiency relies in the control of the catalytic reaction. For this, the study of the dynamics occurring at the surface of the catalyst is used to determine the reaction mechanism with better accuracy, which in turn opens the way to a rationale for assessing the reproducibility, the predictability and the controllability of the reaction. To improve a catalytic process, a fundamental understanding of the catalytic behavior of the active materials is thus required. Surface science studies had, and still have, a great impact on the understanding of catalytic systems. These studies are mainly performed on catalytic reactions occurring at the surface of pure metals. There is, however, an increasing interest in using alloy catalysts in industrial applications, which calls for in situ studies providing a fundamental understanding of the properties of alloy catalysts.