In Situ Electron Microscopy Studies of Catalyst Particle Behavior

Abstract

Although transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been in routine operation for over 25 years, it is somewhat surprising to find that there has only been limited use of the technique by workers in the field of catalysis. Turkevich and his co-workers [1] were among the first investigators to use the electron microscope to study catalytic substances. In general, most applications have centered around the determination of particle size distributions in supported metal catalyst systems [2]. More recently, however, it has been recognized that the technique can yield much more fundamental information on such aspects as the morphology of small particles and the nature of their interaction with a support medium. This advance is the result of the achievement of high resolution TEM (0.25 nm resolution).