Full life cycle characterization strategies for spatiotemporal evolution of heterogeneous catalysts

The sustainable development of the chemical industry requires novel and efficient catalysts and catalytic processes, especially eco-friendly and intrinsically safe processes. The idea is to improve the selectivity, activity, and stability of the catalyst in an appropriate reactor. Therefore, it is of great academic and industrial significance to conduct in-situ characterization of a working catalyst while testing its catalytic performance. This is beneficial for a comprehensive study on the dynamic evolution of the catalyst structure under real conditions, deepening the understanding of the structure-performance relationship of catalysts, and providing a scientific basis for the development of future generation catalytic technology. Thus far, it is still a great challenge to realize full life cycle characterization of heterogeneous catalysts from catalyst formation and function to deactivation under real world conditions. In this mini review, we summarize the characterization strategies for heterogeneous catalysts, using zeolite, metal, and metal oxide catalysts as typical examples. The research strategies for the approximation of industrial conditions, multi-scale in-situ characterization devices, and computational modeling of realistic conditions should provide insight for the research and development of industrial catalysis.