Catalyst Sintering

In situ XRD can follow catalyst sintering in terms of crystallite size, size distribution and shape under a chosen atmosphere and with programmed temperature, e.g. following metal sintering under a hydrogen-containing gas stream. The size distributions often contain information about the crystallite growth mechanism. During catalyst sintering, aspects of microstructure other than crystallite size also change, including lattice distortion and faulting. These can also be followed by XRD.

Electron microscopy can provide snapshots of crystallite growth after testing or use and provide a complementary basis for interpretation of the quantitative XRD measurements.