Monitoring Structural and Electronic Changes of Supported Metal Catalysts Using Combined X‐Ray Techniques

Abstract

Supported metal nanoparticle catalysts have become increasingly crucial for many catalytic applications. However, long‐term catalyst stability remains a problem due to catalyst deactivation caused by coke formation and sintering. The deposition of a thin overcoating via atomic layer deposition (ALD) onto metal‐supported nanoparticles has shown to greatly inhibit catalyst deactivation. This work utilizes a model catalyst system comprised of Pt nanoparticles supported on Al2O3 to demonstrate the effect of an atomically thin overcoating on supported metal nanoparticles. Continuous operando small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) and X‐ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) monitor structural and electronic changes to the catalyst and overcoating during calcination. SAXS data fitting reveals the formation of nanopores in the overcoating at high temperatures, while XANES monitors the oxidation state of the Pt catalyst. Herein, the usefulness of combined X‐ray techniques is demonstrated to characterize supported metal catalysts to further understanding of the synergistic effects of the ALD overcoating to aid in the design of new catalyst materials.