Probing the onset of crystallization of a microporous catalyst by combined X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

Abstract

The power of a new variant of the in situ combined XRA-XRD experiment (see ref. 12) is illustrated by tracking the inner shell environment and bonding of a Co^IIion as it changes, in the gel just prior to crystallisation, from octahedral to tetrahedral coordination, the state in which it finally appears in the microporcus catalyst CoAlPO-5: the technique is widely applicable.