Understanding catalysts by time-/space-resolved operando methodologies

Heterogeneous catalysis has a central position in our everyday life and it is gaining importance with the changes in our economic model and with the progress of the energetic transition. New generation of catalysts are based on rational design, which is the fruit of thorough investigations in relevant conditions. Operando spectroscopy is the key to obtain the right information to understand the behavior of a catalytic material, as well as to unravel the reaction steps of a process. In the present contribution we have reviewed some of the most representative papers in the domain, focusing on energy-related investigations and on two extremely important aspects such as time and space resolution. We provide our point of view about the different methods and techniques, the shared vision about similarities in catalytic processes, as well as an opinion about the perspectives for future developments, notably in the field of industrial process monitoring.

Automated summary

Heterogeneous catalysis plays a central role in our everyday life and is becoming increasingly important due to changes in our economic model and the progress of the energetic transition. The new generation of catalysts is based on rational design, which is the result of thorough investigations in relevant conditions. Operando spectroscopy is crucial for understanding the behavior of catalytic materials and unraveling reaction steps. This article reviews representative papers in the field, focusing on energy-related investigations and the important aspects of time and space resolution. The authors provide their perspective on different methods and techniques, the shared understanding of similarities in catalytic processes, and future prospects for industrial process monitoring.