Catalyst characterization techniques

Arthur Daniel Dadzie

4760910

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1.0 Introduction Characterization is an important field in catalysis. Spectroscopy, microscopy, diffraction and methods based on adsorption and desorption or bulk reactions (reduction, oxidation) all offer tools to investigate the nature of an active catalyst. Several spectroscopic, microscopic and diffraction techniques are used to investigate catalysts in order to develop an active, selective, stable and mechanically robust catalyst. Sophisticated tools are used to accomplish the purpose of discriminating inefficient catalyst from efficient ones. Some of the techniques used include; X-ray diffraction (XRD) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) X-ray fluorescence (XRF) 2.1 X-Ray Diffraction X-ray diffraction is one of the oldest and most frequently applied techniques in catalyst characterization. It is used to identify crystalline phases inside catalysts by means of lattice structural parameters, and to obtain an indication of particle size. The properties of a material can often be linked back to the arrangement of atoms in its crystal structure. X-ray diffraction is a non-destructive analytical technique which can yield the unique fingerprint of Bragg reflections associated with a crystal structure. X-ray diffraction occurs in the elastic scattering of X-ray photons by atoms in a periodic lattice. The scattered monochromatic X-rays that are in phase give constructive interference.

X-rays scattered by atoms in an ordered lattice interfere constructively in directions given by Braggs law. The angles of maximum intensity enable one to calculate spacing between the lattice planes and allow furthermore for phase identification. Diffractograms are measured as a function of the angle 2. When the sample is a polycrystalline powder, the diffraction paattern is formed by a small fraction of the particles only. Rotation of the sample during measurement enhances the number of particles that contribute to diffraction. One can regard a crystal structure as being built of layers, or planes, which each act as a semitransparent mirror. X-rays with a wavelength similar to the distances between these planes can be reflected such that the angle of reflection is equal to the angle of incidence. We call this behavior diffraction and it is described by Bragg's Law: 2dsin = n If one measures the angle, 2, under which constructively interfering X-rays leave the crystal, the Bragg relation gives the corresponding lattice spacing, which are characteristic for a particular compound. With powdered samples, an image of diffraction lines occurs because a small fraction of the powder particles will be oriented such that, by chance, a certain crystal plane is at the angle to the incident beam for constructive interference (fig 1). In catalyst characterization, diffraction patterns are mainly used to identify the crystallographic phases that are present in the catalyst. X-ray diffraction has an important limitation: clear diffraction peaks are only observed when the sample possesses sufficient long-range order. The advantage of this limitation is that the width of diffraction peaks carries information on the dimensions of the reflecting planes. Diffraction lines from perfect crystals are very narrow. When Braggs Law is satisfied, constructive interference of diffracted X-ray beams occur and a `Bragg reflection will be picked up by a detector scanning at this angle. The positions of these reflections tell us about the inter-layer spacing of atoms in the crystal structure, thanks to Braggs Law. Peak intensities give information about how much X-ray scattering is contributing to that reflection, however line broadening occurs due to incomplete destructive interference in scattering directions where the X-rays are out of phase. The Scherrer formula relates crystal size to line width
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In which <L> is a measure of the dimension of the particle in the direction perpendicular to the reflecting plane, is the X-ray wavelength, is the peak width, is the angle between the beam and the normal to the reflecting plane and K is a constant. Better procedures to determine particle sizes from X-ray diffraction are based on line profile analysis with Fourier transform methods. One of the greatest advantages of using X-rays is their penetrating power, such that XRD can be used to study catalysts under realistic conditions in specially designed in situ reactors. This enables one to monitor solid state reactions such as reduction, oxidation and suffixation that play a role in the activation of catalysts. In this respect, the use of synchrotron radiation as a source for XRD offers excellent opportunities, as collection times for diffractograms become appreciably shorter. Moreover, the high intensity of the radiation gives data of much better signal-to-noise ratio and, as a consequence, patterns with broad peaks from small particles can be determined with much better accuracy. The strength of XRD for catalyst characterization is that it gives clear and unequivocal structure information on particles that are sufficiently large, along with an estimate of their size, and it can reveal this information under reaction conditions. The limitation of XRD is that it cannot detect particles that are either too small or amorphous. Hence, one can never be sure that there is no other phases present than the ones detected with XRD. In particular, the surface, where catalytic activity resides, is invisible in standard XRD. Analysis of the diffraction pattern allows the identification of phases within a given sample. With that achieved, it may be possible to quantify each phase present, the crystallinity of a sample, the crystal structures and their lattice parameters, crystallite size and strain all information that can be vital in material characterization and quality control.

2.2 Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Electron microscopy is a rather straightforward technique to determine the size and shape of supported particles. Electrons have characteristic wavelengths of less than 1 angstroms, and come close to monitoring atomic detail. Figure 2 summarizes what happens when a primary electron beam of energy between 100 and 400 keV hits a sample:

Depending on sample thickness a fraction of the electrons passes through the sample without suffering energy loss. As the attenuation of the beam depends on density and thickness, the transmitted electrons form a two-dimensional projection of the sample. Electrons are diffracted by particles if these are favorably oriented towards the beam, enabling one to obtain crystallographic information. Electrons can collide with atoms in the sample and be scattered back; backscattering becomes more effective as the mass of the atom increases. If a region of the sample contains heavier atoms (e.g. Pt) than the surroundings, it can be distinguished due to a higher yield of backscattered electrons. Auger electrons and X-rays are formed in the relaxation of core-ionized atoms. Electrons excite characteristic transitions in the sample, which can be studied by analyzing the energy loss suffered by the primary electrons. Many electrons lose energy in a cascade of consecutive inelastic collisions. Most secondary electrons emitted by the sample undergo their last loss process in the surface region. The emission of a range of photons from UV to infrared, called cathodoluminescence is mainly caused by the recombination of electronhole pairs in the sample.
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Thus, the interaction of the primary beam with the sample provides a wealth of information on morphology, crystallography and chemical composition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) involves rastering a narrow electron beam over the surface and detecting the yield of either secondary or backscattered electrons as a function of the position of the primary beam. Figure 3 schematically shows how scanning electron microscope work. Contrast is caused by the orientation: Parts of the surface facing the detector appear brighter than parts of the surface with their surface normal, pointing away, from the detector. The secondary electrons have mostly low energies (5 50 eV) and originate from the surface region of the sample. Backscattered electrons come from deeper and carry information on the composition of the sample, because heavy elements are more efficient scatterers and appear brighter in the image.

2.3 X-ray Fluorescence X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a nondestructive method for the elemental analysis of solids and liquids. It is the emission of characteristic x-rays from a material that has been excited by

bombarding with high energy x-rays. When excited by radiation of sufficient energy, atoms emit characteristic x-rays that can be used to detect atoms. When high energy photons (x-rays or gamma rays) are absorbed by atoms, inner shell electrons are ejected from the atom, becoming photoelectrons. This leaves the atom in an excited state, with a vacancy in their inner shell. Outer shell electrons then fall into the vacancy, emitting photons with energy equal to the energy difference between the two states. Since each element has a unique set of energy levels each element emits a pattern of x-rays characteristic of the element, termed characteristic x-rays.

Figure 4 illustrates an experimental arrangement of how characteristic floruescent x-rays are formed. The intensity of the x-rays increases with the concentration of the corresponding element. The emitted x-rays can either be detected using energy dispersive or wavelength dispersive detector. Either the energies or wavelengths of the emitted x-rays are used to identify the elements present in the sample while the concentration of the elements is determined by the intensity of the x-rays. This technique allows us to identify which elements are present in a sample and also to determine relative concentration of these elements within the sample.

3.0 References

I. Chorkendorff, J.W. Niemantsverdiet, Concept of Modern Catalysis and Kinetics, Wiley & Sons, 2nd edition, 2000. Pp 129-133,143-145

Miguel Santiago, Basic concept of X-Ray Fluorescence, X- ray/ Microanalysis Laboratory, University of Puerto Rico, pp 1-4

X-ray data booklet, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory pp 1-6