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Journal article
Dopants adsorbed as single atoms prevent degradation of catalysts
Nature materials, v 3(3)
Mar 2004
PMID: 14991014
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The design of catalysts with desired chemical and thermal properties is viewed as a grand challenge for scientists and engineers. For operation at high temperatures, stability against structural transformations is a key requirement. Although doping has been found to impede degradation, the lack of atomistic understanding of the pertinent mechanism has hindered optimization. For example, porous γ-Al2O3, a widely used catalyst and catalytic support, transforms to non-porous α-Al2O3 at ∼1,100 °C (refs 7-10). Doping with La raises the transformation temperature to ∼1,250 °C, but it has not been possible to establish if La atoms enter the bulk, adsorb on surfaces as single atoms or clusters, or form surface compounds. Here, we use direct imaging by aberration-corrected Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with extended X-ray absorption fine structure and first-principles calculations to demonstrate that, contrary to expectations, stabilization is achieved by isolated La atoms adsorbed on the surface. Strong binding and mutual repulsion of La atoms effectively pin the surface and inhibit both sintering and the transformation to α-Al2O3. The results provide the first guidelines for the choice of dopants to prevent thermal degradation of catalysts and other porous materials.
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Details
- Title
- Dopants adsorbed as single atoms prevent degradation of catalysts
- Creators
- Michael V Glazoff - Alcoa Technical Center, Alcoa CenterSokrates T Pantelides - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University Condensed Matter Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National LaboratorySergey N Rashkeev - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt UniversityStephen J Pennycook - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University Condensed Matter Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryAlbina Y Borisevich - Condensed Matter Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National LaboratoryKarl Sohlberg - Department of Chemistry, Drexel UniversitySanwu Wang - Department of Physics and Astronomy, Vanderbilt University
- Publication Details
- Nature materials, v 3(3)
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Chemistry
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000189345100014
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-1542286519
- Other Identifier
- 991014877800004721
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- Collaboration types
- Industry collaboration
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Chemistry, Physical
- Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
- Physics, Applied
- Physics, Condensed Matter