Atomic-Resolution Electron Microscopy of Catalyst Dynamics

Electron microscopy has become a powerful tool in catalysis science. Advances in electron optics and detection have enabled visualizations of catalytic nanomaterials with three-dimensional atomic-resolution and, the advent of gas and liquid cells has enabled <i>in situ</i> observations of catalysts immersed in chemical reaction environments as well as <i>operando</i> studies through concurrent measurements of catalytic functionality [1]. These developments open up for unprecedented new insights into the labile behavior of catalysts and provide mechanistic and kinetic information on atomic processes unfolding during catalysis. However, the atomic-resolution electron microscopy observations are often intricately modulated by dynamic processes induced by the electron beam, which are difficult to predict but imperative to characterize, quantify and suppress [2]. In this contribution, we outline progress in electron microscopy that advances the chemical relevance of atomic-scale visualizations and present electron microscopy research that aims discerning inherent and induced atom-dynamic processes in catalytic nanomaterials [3-5].<br/>[1] S. Helveg, J. Catal. 328, 102 (2015). [2] S. Helveg, C. Kisielowski, J.R. Jinschek, P. Specht, G. Yuan, H. Frei, Micron 68, 176 (2014). [3] M. Ek, Q.M. Ramasse, L. Arnarson, P.G. Moses, S. Helveg, Nat. Commun. 8, 305 (2017). [4] M. Ek, L. Arnarson, P.G. Moses, S.B. Rasmussen, M. Skoglundh, E. Olsson, S. Helveg, Nanoscale 13, 7266 (2021). [5] F.-R. Chen, D. Van Dyck, C. Kisielowski, L.P. Hansen, B. Barton, S. Helveg, Nat. Commun. 12, 5007 (2021).