Contrary to what we learned at school, some catalysts do change during the reaction: for example, certain electrocatalysts can change their structure and composition during the reaction when an electric field is applied. The X-ray microscope TXM at BESSY II in Berlin is a unique tool for studying such changes in detail. The results help to develop innovative catalysts for a wide range of applications. One example was recently published in Nature Materials. It involved the synthesis of ammonia from waste nitrates.
Ammonia (NH3) is a basic component of fertilisers and is critical to agricultural productivity around the world. Until now, ammonia has been synthesised industrially using the Haber-Bosch process, which is energy intensive and produces significant amounts of greenhouse gases that drive climate change. With the development of alternative methods, ammonia could be produced with significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Better catalysts reduce emissions for Ammonia production
There are some promising approaches. For example, a team at the Fritz Haber Institute has been investigating a catalyst based on nanocrystalline copper oxide. During the catalytic reaction, an increasing proportion of these nanocrystals transformed into metallic particles of pure copper. The morphological changes were documented under the transmission electron microscope (TEM), but to gain insights into the chemical processes during the reaction, the FHI team collaborated with the group of Prof. Gerd Schneider at HZB.
Read more on HZB website