Proceedings of MATSUS Spring 2024 Conference (MATSUS24)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29363/nanoge.matsus.2024.342
Publication date: 18th December 2023
Ambient pressure XPS is vital in unraveling the intricacies of surfaces under reaction condition, yet its efficacy is capped at 50 mbar. The pressure limit has inhibited its applicability, most notably for ammonia synthesis, where pressures of at least 1 bar are needed for appreciable ammonia production. Without the detailed knowledge from XPS there is no complete understanding of the Haber-Bosch process. In response, a new type of XPS has been developed overcoming the barrier and reach pressures of over 1 bar, a true High pressure XPS.
The innovation relies on changing the way the gas is used, making a virtual pressure cell between the sample and the entrance to the XPS analyzer. The new style has proven to be highly productive yielding detailed understanding of many vital catalytic systems like, carbon monoxide oxidation, methanol synthesis, and the Haber-Bosch process.
While the technique utilized well there are many issues that have been overcome, some new but many old. This presentation will cover many of the problems solved along the way along with several example systems. Finally, the discussion will focus on a new beamline at designed to advance this technique to new frontiers.