On the dynamical nature of the active center in a single-site photocatalyst visualized by 4D ultrafast electron microscopy

Abstract

The nature of the active site in (photo) catalysis is fundamental to our understanding of the processes involved, and to their control. Four-dimensional ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) provides a dynamic probe for catalytic active site in photocatalytic materials thanks to its unprecedented resolution both in time (femtosecond) and space (angstrom). In this contribution, we visualize the femtosecond atomic movement at the titanium active center in a single-site photocatalyst. UEM allows us to investigate the structural dynamics of the radiation sensitive specimen by measuring time-resolved diffraction intensities from different lattice planes. These findings contribute fundamental insights for developing advanced photocatalysts and suggest broad ranges of applications.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 04, 2016
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.1522869113

Entities

People

  • Ahmed Zewail
  • Byung-Kuk Yoo
  • John Meurig Thomas
  • Zixue Su

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
  • National Science Foundation
  • University of Cambridge

Tags

Readers

  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Electrochemical Engineering/ Fuel Cell Technologies
  • Quantum Dot Semiconductor Device Photonics and Graphene Optoelectronic Materials and THz Physics.

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Space