nother Flash Talk update! This month’s Flash Talk is presented by Dr. Sharmin Sharna from IPCMS with collaboration at the Université de Lille (UCCS). This study tackles a major issue in converting methanol into useful products: the catalyst used in the process tends to wear out quickly due to the buildup of carbon deposits, known as coke. To observe these reactions, the authors use the #AtmosphereAX gas cell in situ TEM system!
Dr. Sharmin Sharna and collaborators discovered that adding a small amount of liquid gallium, a metal that melts at low temperatures, to a zeolite catalysts, ZSM-5, dramatically improves its durability. The study added methanol in vapor form in the Atmosphere AX system to observe the reduction of carbon buildup on the catalysts’ surface. Adding gallium facilitated the removal of carbon, allowing the catalyst to last up to 14 times longer than the original version! This breakthrough could lead to the development of longer-lasting catalysts for the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.
Do you want to watch the Flash Talk? Find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckkq8yj1b14&t=1s
The full paper can be found here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-46232-9
Want to know more about the system used in this study?
https://www.protochips.com/solutions/in-situ-tem-solutions/in-situ-gas-cell/
#Protochips #FindYourBreakthrough #InSituTEM #GasPhaseTEM #ETEM #Microscopy
