Optical techniques, surface structure

The technique employs a beam of swift (-500kV) electrons grazing the surface of interest. Provided that the beam is accurately aligned along a crystal zone axis, and that the electron-optical imaging system is adequate, then images are obtained which appear to show the atomic surface structure in profile (see Figure 1). 

In this chapter, we introduce some of the most common spectroscopies and methods available for the characterization of heterogeneous catalysts [3-13], These techniques can be broadly grouped according to the nature of the probes employed for excitation, including photons, electrons, ions, and neutrons, or, alternatively, according to the type of information they provide. Here we have chosen to group the main catalyst characterization techniques by using a combination of both criteria into structural, thermal, optical, and surface-sensitive techniques. We also focus on the characterization of real catalysts, and toward the end make brief reference to studies with model systems. Only the basics of each technique and a few examples of applications to catalyst characterization are provided, but more specialized references are included for those interested in a more in-depth discussion. 

Probing Metalloproteins Electronic absorption spectroscopy of copper proteins, 226, 1 electronic absorption spectroscopy of nonheme iron proteins, 226, 33 cobalt as probe and label of proteins, 226, 52 biochemical and spectroscopic probes of mercury(ii) coordination environments in proteins, 226, 71 low-temperature optical spectroscopy metalloprotein structure and dynamics, 226, 97 nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy, 226, 119 nanosecond time-resolved absorption and polarization dichroism spectroscopies, 226, 147 real-time spectroscopic techniques for probing conformational dynamics of heme proteins, 226, 177 variable-temperature magnetic circular dichroism, 226, 199 linear dichroism, 226, 232 infrared spectroscopy, 226, 259 Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 226, 289 infrared circular dichroism, 226, 306 Raman and resonance Raman spectroscopy, 226, 319 protein structure from ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy, 226, 374 single-crystal micro-Raman spectroscopy, 226, 397 nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy, 226, 409 techniques for obtaining resonance Raman spectra of metalloproteins, 226, 431 Raman optical activity, 226, 470 surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering, 226, 482 luminescence... 

Motivating the research is the need for systematic, quantitative information about how different surfaces and solvents affect the structure, orientation, and reactivity of adsorbed solutes. In particular, the question of how the anisotropy imposed by surfaces alters solvent-solute interactions from their bulk solution limit will be explored. Answers to this question promise to affect our understanding of broad classes of interfacial phenomena including electron transfer, molecular recognition, and macromolecular self assembly. By combining surface sensitive, nonlinear optical techniques with methods developed for bulk solution studies, experiments will examine how the interfacial environment experienced by a solute changes as a function of solvent properties and surface composition. 

Surface properties are important to the physical and chemical behavior of polymers. Similar to smaller molecules, polymer surface structures can be determined using a variety of techniques including AES, near-field optical microscopy, electron microscopy, SPM, SIMS, and certain IR and MS procedures. 

Microfabrication techniques Optical and compact discs Ceramic surface structures Catalyses... 

Micrometer sized surface structures in thin polymer blend films are detectable with optical techniques as well and... 

Abstract Mar resistance and surface structure (appearance) are two of the most important physical properties to characterize the mechanical and optical quality of a coating system. In this paper the relevant measuring techniques are discussed using typical examples reflecting the current status of application in the automotive and coatings industry. Especially the techniques to determine the mar resistance were recently improved (single... 

Optical techniques are not limited to solid-vacuum interfaces like charged particle techniques, so their further development can expand the range of surface structural studies to solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-gas and liquid-gas interfaces. 

The reactivity of oxide supported metals has received considerable attention because of the importance of such systems in heterogeneous catalysis. The morphology (structure and size) of the supported particle and its stability, the interaction of the particle with the support, and the crossover of adsorbed reactants, products and intermediates between the metal and oxide phases are all important in determining the overall activity and selectivity of the system. Because of the relative insensitivity of an optical technique such as IR to pressure above the catalysts, and the flexibility of transmission and diffuse reflection measurement techniques, vibrational spectroscopy has provides a considerable amount of information on high area (powder) oxide supported metal surfaces. Particularly remarkable was the pioneering work of Eichens and Pliskin [84] in which adsorbed CO was characterised by IR spectroscopy on... 

As a probe of lattice vibrations, Raman spectroscopy is very sensitive to intrinsic crystal properties and extrinsic stimuli, especially in semiconductors. It may be employed to study crystal structure and quality, crystal orientation, optical interactions, chemical composition, phases, dopant concentration, surface and interface chemistry, and local temperatme or strain. As an optical technique, important sample information may be obtained rapidly and nondestructively with minimal sample preparation. Submicron lateral resolution is possible with the use of confo-cal lenses. These features have made it a vital tool for research labs studying semiconductor-based technologies. They also are increasingly important for the study of semiconductor NWs fabricated by both top-down and bottom-up approaches since many of the common characterization methods used with bulk crystals or thin films cannot be applied to NWs in a direct manner. 

In conclusion, strained surfaces can show very original structures and new catalytic properties. In order to associate the modified catalytic properties to the peculiar structures generated, one has to asume that these original structures are still present under the reactive mixture, at high pressure. Measurements under pressure of reactants are then necessary to measure both the surface structure and the surface species as reaction intermediates. Up to now, only very few data are available in that field. Recent developments around techniques such as STM [79-80], grazing X-ray Diffraction [81]. .. and optical vibrational spectroscopies such as IRRAS[82-83] using a polarized light and SFG [79] have demonstrated the possibility to realise such observations. 

Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique that can give information both on local vibrational states of particular molecular groupings, and on resonances of the entire particle at low frequencies that can be used to estimate particle size (Turkovic et al. 1997). Raman studies have been used to characterize capping materials on nanoparticles, but use of Raman to verify nanoparticle structure, and especially surface structure, has not been thoroughly developed. 

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