Characterization of Heterogeneous Catalysts

The course is given every second year, next time in Fall 2026. The reactions in heterogeneous catalysis take place on the surfaces of solid materials such as metals, metal oxides and zeolites. The surface properties are determining the catalyst activity, selectivity and lifetime. Advanced methods for characterizing solid surfaces and adsorbed species are therefore valuable for the understanding of catalytic reactions. This subject gives an overview of the most common characterisation techniques and a detailed introduction to the application of the techniques on catalytic systems. Both chemical and spectroscopic methods are discussed. In situ methods are emphasized in the course.

Knowledge: - Identify important characterisation techniques for catalytic materials and reactions. - Understand the basic principles of operation for the characterisation techniques. - Know what kind of information about the materials which can be extracted from the various techniques. - Knowledge about which techniques can be used at typical catalytic reaction conditions (in situ). - Know about limitations in application areas and be able to estimate uncertainty in the data from the techniques. Skills: - Be able to identify which techniques can be used to obtain specific information. - Be able to interpret characterisation data from the most important techniques. - Be able to explain principles and mode of operation for the most important characterisation techniques. - Identify at which reaction conditions the various techniques can be applied. General competence: - To have a clear overview over available techniques and how they can be applied to characterise catalyst materials and catalytic reactions. - Be able to evaluate and discuss the quality of characterisation data in scientific reports and publications.

Thematic seminars will be arranged throughout the semester.

The course may be cancelled or modified if fewer than five participants register and/or if the Department of Chemical Process Technology does not have sufficient teaching capacity.