Chemical kinetics for operando electron microscopy of catalysts: 3D modeling of gas and temperature distributions during catalytic reactions.

In situ environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) is a powerful tool for observing structural modifications taking place in heterogeneous catalysts under reaction conditions. However, to strengthen the link between catalyst structure and functionality, an operando measurement must be performed in which reaction kinetics and catalyst structure are simultaneously determined. To determine chemical kinetics for gas-phase catalysis, it is necessary to develop a reliable chemical engineering model to describe catalysis as well as heat and mass transport processes within the ETEM cell.