NAP-XPS analysis in a heterogenous catalysis context

Details

Supervisors

Eloy, Pierre ; Debecker, Damien P.

Faculty

Faculté des bioingénieurs

Degree label

Master [120] : bioingénieur en chimie et bioindustries, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

Since catalytic reactions in heterogeneous catalysis occur at the surface, understanding surface structure and composition is essential. Near-Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy is a powerful technique that enables the investigation of catalytic surfaces under conditions close to those of real operation. This master’s thesis presents an initial study using the newly installed NAP-XPS system at UCLouvain. As a preliminary step, a pure copper plate was analyzed under various gas atmospheres and temperatures. This allowed us to evaluate the performance of the system and to better understand key instrumental parameters. Additionally, we aimed to evaluate the extent of electron loss occurring in the gas phase. In a second time mesoporous Cu/SiO₂ catalyst was studied to explore the migration of copper species to the surface during calcination. Although this objective was not fully achieved, this work provided valuable insights into gas-phase charge compensation, fluidic effect under the cone, and factors influencing signal attenuation from gas-phase.