In Situ TEM under Optical Excitation for Catalysis Research.

In situ characterization of materials in their operational state is a highly active field of research. Investigating the structure and response of materials under stimuli that simulate real working environments for technological applications can provide new insight and unique input to the synthesis and design of novel materials. Over recent decades, experimental setups that allow different stimuli to be applied to a sample inside an electron microscope have been devised, built, and commercialized.

Core-Shell Au@SnO Nanostructures Supported on NaTiO Nanobelts as a Highly Active and Deactivation-Resistant Catalyst toward Selective Nitroaromatics Reduction.

Catalysis using gold (Au) nanoparticles has become an important field of chemistry. However, activity loss caused by aggregation or leaching of Au nanoparticles greatly limits their application in catalytic reaction. Herein, we report a facile and green synthesis of a core-shell Au@SnO nanocomposite, exhibiting excellent activity toward selective nitroaromatics reduction under mild conditions.

Advanced and In Situ Analytical Methods for Solar Fuel Materials.

In situ and operando techniques can play important roles in the development of better performing photoelectrodes, photocatalysts, and electrocatalysts by helping to elucidate crucial intermediates and mechanistic steps. The development of high throughput screening methods has also accelerated the evaluation of relevant photoelectrochemical and electrochemical properties for new solar fuel materials. In this chapter, several in situ and high throughput characterization tools are discussed in detail along with their impact on our understanding of solar fuel materials.

Atomic level in situ observation of surface amorphization in anatase nanocrystals during light irradiation in water vapor.

An in situ atomic level investigation of the surface structure of anatase nanocrystals has been conducted under conditions relevant to gas phase photocatalytic splitting of water. The experiments were carried out in a modified environmental transmission electron microscope fitted with a high intensity broadband light source with an illumination intensity of 1430 mW/cm(2) close to 10 suns. When the titania is exposed to light and water vapor, the initially crystalline surface converts to an amorphous phase one to two monolayers thick.