Catalyst Conditioning

Catalyst conditioning and the latter stages of manufacture are often vital in determining the final physical and chemical form. Attributes that are likely to change include composition (elemental and phase), surface area, surface composition, crystallite size, pore volume and size distribution and pellet strength. Several aspects of the changes during catalyst conditioning can conveniently be followed by in situ XRD measurements, including phase composition, crystallite size and size distribution. Analytical (S)TEM, BET, XPS, SIMS and mechanical testing can provide information at chosen points during this process.

It is important to recognize that catalyst measured under ambient conditions is often very different to that under reaction conditions. For example, at relatively low temperatures, Pd hydroxide supplied in water can transform to metal or hydride when reduced at different temperatures.