Spatial and temporal exploration of heterogeneous catalysts with synchrotron radiation

Solid catalysts are the workhorses that convert feedstock molecules into fuels, chemicals and materials. Solid catalysts are highly complex, porous, multi-elemental and often hierarchically structured materials. Scientists are therefore confronted with a formidable challenge to understand the functioning of solid catalysts and, based on this knowledge, to design and make materials with superior performance and overall stability. In this Review, we summarize the latest developments in the spatial and temporal characterization of solid catalysts using synchrotron radiation to uncover their structure and function. Attention is focused on applications using either X-rays or infrared light available from synchrotron radiation sources. In these applications, microscopy and microspectroscopy are used to study heterogeneous catalysts under working conditions and at different length scales, more specifically, from the level of a microreactor down to a single catalyst particle. Finally, we offer a perspective on what instrumental developments at synchrotron radiation sources may bring to realize the dream of recording a molecular movie of a solid catalyst at high temperature and pressure. The past four decades have seen breathtaking developments in techniques and applications using synchrotron radiation for the characterization of heterogeneous catalysts and catalytic processes. In this Review, we discuss recent advances, focusing on spatial and temporal explorations of the solid catalyst.