| AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Nanometer-scale Science and Technology | Wednesday Sessions |
| Session NS+EN+MG+SS+TF-WeA |
| Session: | Nanoscale Catalysis and Surface Chemistry |
| Presenter: | Gilbère Mannie, SynCat@Beijing, China |
| Authors: | G.J.A. Mannie, SynCat@Beijing, China X. Wen, SynCat@Beijing, China Y.W. Li, SynCat@Beijing, China J.V. Lauritsen, Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Denmark H.J.W. Niemantsverdriet, SynCat@Beijing, China |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Iron-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is one of the most investigated catalytic systems in the world due to the ability to convert any form of hydrocarbons like coal, natural gas or biomass into diesel, gasoline and chemicals [1]. Although investigated for more than 50+ years, fundamental surface reactions involved in this process are not known or fully understood. Within the FTS community, iron carbide is seen as the active phase in the catalytic process but the atomic-scale surface structure and even the stoichiometry of the bulk phase is a matter of debate [1,2]. In order to fundamentally investigate the active phase, to for example verify molecular modeling studies on iron carbide surfaces (like [3,4]), we successfully synthesized highly-crystalline iron carbide monolayer islands (on Au(111)) and multilayer islands (on Cu(111)). Obtained carbidic films are suitable for analysis with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and other surface science techniques. Our atomically-resolved STM results, together with preliminary density functional theory (DFT) results show that we can characterize our iron carbide (FexCy) islands as iron layer with interstitial carbon atoms, based on the increase of the inter-atomic Fe-Fe distance [5]. During the synthesis of the FexCy islands we were able to record some STM movies showing the formation of the carbidic phase out of the metallic phase but we could also record movies during dosing experiments of several gasses (H2, O2) to the pure iron carbide islands. During the presentation we will explain how we synthesized these crystalline iron carbide films and how these films can act as a model system for fundamental Fischer-Tropsch catalyst research.
[1] E. de Smit, B. M. Weckhuysen, Chem. Soc. Rev.,2008, 37, 2758
[2] J. W. Niemantsverdriet, A. M. van der Kraan, W. L. van Dijk, H. S. van der Baan, J. Phys., 1980, 84, 3363
[3] J. M. Gracia, F. F. Prinsloo, J. W. Niemantsverdriet, Catal. Lett.,2009, 133, 257
[4] M. O. Ozbek, J. W. Niemantsverdriet, J. Catal.,2014, 317, 158
[5] G. J. A. Mannie, L. Lammich, Y. W. Li, J. W. Niemantsverdriet, J. V. Lauritsen, ACS Catal.,2014,4, 3255