Proposal for Diffuse Reflectance FT-IR Materials Analysis System

Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) is a powerful tool for the exploration of material surfaces, especially for the characterization and testing of heterogeneous catalysts. By adsorbing probe molecules onto the catalyst surface the abundance, nature, and physical structure of catalyst active sites can be determined. Additionally, DRIFTS can be employed to analyze catalyst behavior in-situ and/or operando, providing invaluable insight into the performance of catalytic materials under realistic conditions. The recently defunct DRIFTS system operated by the Sustainable and Alternative Fuels (SAF) group at the UK Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) produced several high impact publications, contributed to numerous PhD dissertations, and helped foster collaborations with academic and industrial partners. There is an immediate need for the new system proposed herein, which represents a substantial expansion of capabilities over the last unit, including a higher degree of automation, greater spectral range and access to high pressure reaction conditions. The proposed system will consist of four parts: 1) a Nicolet iS50R Research spectrometer will serve as the centerpiece of the system and enable the collection of infra-red spectra; 2) a Harrick Scientific Praying Mantis DRIFTS cell will adapt the spectrometer to perform DRIFTS analysis; 3) a Harrick Scientific high temperature reaction chamber will provide in-situ analysis capabilities; and 4) an Environics Series 4000 automated gas blending manifold will supply gases to the system. If funded, this system will advance projects with local to international scope and leave UK well positioned for the next decade of heterogeneous catalysis research.