Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) investigations of catalytic systems

Because of their importance to energy production, understanding and improving catalytic materials is essential to further advances in their development and use. The following work discusses the experimental investigation of various supported and unsupported noble metal nanoparticles using, predominantly, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) or spherical aberration-corrected STEM (Cs-STEM). Although the majority of the work focuses on γ-Al2O3 supported nanoparticles because of their industrial importance for fuel production, several other systems are also addressed. These include understanding the structural characteristics of unsupported noble metal nanoparticles (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd, Ir and Rh) as a function of size and Pt-Pd nanoparticles formed in core-shell, reverse core-shell and alloy motifs. Regardless of the system investigated, all experiments revealed information about how the nanoparticle catalysts were structured and/or behaved under catalytic conditions.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Chemical Physics

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Small, Matthew

Contributors dc:contributor

• Nuzzo, Ralph G.
• Gewirth, Andrew A.
• Murphy, Catherine J.
• Zuo, Jian-Min

• heterogeneous catalysis
• aberration-corrected
• scanning transmission electron microscopy
• Pt
• Al2O3
• Noble metal

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2012 Matthew Small

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/42140

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/42140