The active chemical state of zinc (Zn) in a zinc-copper (Zn-Cu) catalyst during carbon dioxide/carbon monoxide (CO 2 /CO) hydrogenation has been debated to be Zn oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, metallic Zn, or a Zn-Cu surface alloy. We used x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at 180 to 500 millibar to probe the nature of Zn and reaction intermediates during CO 2 /CO hydrogenation over Zn/ZnO/Cu(211), where the temperature is sufficiently high for the reaction to rapidly turn over, thus creating an almost adsorbate-free surface. Tuning of the grazing incidence angle makes it possible to achieve either surface or bulk sensitivity. Hydrogenation of CO 2 gives preference to ZnO in the form of clusters or nanoparticles, whereas in pure CO a surface Zn-Cu alloy becomes more prominent. The results reveal a specific role of CO in the formation of the Zn-Cu surface alloy as an active phase that facilitates efficient CO 2 methanol synthesis.
We present a new high-pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy system dedicated to probing catalytic reactions under realistic conditions at pressures of multiple bars. The instrument builds around the novel concept of a "virtual cell" in which a gas flow onto the sample surface creates a localized high-pressure pillow. This allows the instrument to be operated with a low pressure of a few millibar in the main chamber, while simultaneously a local pressure exceeding 1 bar can be supplied at the sample surface. Synchrotron based hard x-ray excitation is used to increase the electron mean free path in the gas region between sample and analyzer while grazing incidence <5 ○ close to total external refection conditions enhances surface sensitivity. The aperture separating the high-pressure region from the differential pumping of the electron spectrometer consists of multiple, evenly spaced, micrometer sized holes matching the footprint of the x-ray beam on the sample. The resulting signal is highly dependent on the sample-to-aperture distance because photoemitted electrons are subject to strong scattering in the gas phase. Therefore, high precision control of the sample-to-aperture distance is crucial. A fully integrated manipulator allows for sample movement with step sizes of 10 nm between 0 and −5 mm with very low vibrational amplitude and also for sample heating up to 500 ○ C under reaction conditions. We demonstrate the performance of this novel instrument with bulk 2p spectra of a copper single crystal at He pressures of up to 2.5 bars and C1s spectra measured in gas mixtures of CO + H 2 at pressures of up to 790 mbar. The capability to detect emitted photoelectrons at several bars opens the prospect for studies of catalytic reactions under industrially relevant operando conditions.Published under license by AIP Publishing. https://doi. ARTICLEscitation.org/journal/rsi FIG. 13. Mass spectrometry signal of m/z corresponding to CO (red), O 2 (blue), and CO 2 (black) and left axis. The single crystal temperature (dashed black and right axis) was ramped at a rate of 2.5 ○ C/s.
Heterogeneous catalyst surfaces are dynamic entities that respond rapidly to changes in their local gas environment, and the dynamics of the response is a decisive factor for the catalysts’ action and activity. Few probes are able to map catalyst structure and local gas environment simultaneously under reaction conditions at the timescales of the dynamic changes. Here we use the CO oxidation reaction and a Pd(100) model catalyst to demonstrate how such studies can be performed by time-resolved ambient pressure photoelectron spectroscopy. Central elements of the method are cyclic gas pulsing and software-based event-averaging by image recognition of spectral features. A key finding is that at 3.2 mbar total pressure a metallic, predominantly CO-covered metallic surface turns highly active for a few seconds once the O2:CO ratio becomes high enough to lift the CO poisoning effect before mass transport limitations triggers formation of a √5 oxide.
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