Partial dislocations catalysts

The reflections include a particular g in which the dislocation is invisible (i.e., g b = 0 when b is normal to the reflecting plane). With these criteria in diffraction contrast, one can determine the character of the defect, e.g., screw (where b is parallel to the screw dislocation line or axis), edge (with b normal to the line), or partial (incomplete) dislocations. The dislocations are termed screw or edge, because in the former the displacement vector forms a helix and in the latter the circuit around the dislocation exhibits its most characteristic feature, the half-plane edge. By definition, a partial dislocation has a stacking fault on one side of it, and the fault is terminated by the dislocation (23-25). The nature of dislocations is important in understanding how defects form and grow at a catalyst surface, as well as their critical role in catalysis (3,4). 

Figure 3.25. In situ catalysis (a) fresh VPO catalyst (b) dynamic real-time formation of atomic scale catalyst restructuring in butane after 2 min at 400 °C (c) enlarged image of (b) showing two sets of partial dislocations and (d) dynamic image of two sets of extended defects along symmetry-related (201) in (010) VPO after reduction in butane for several hours (diffraction contrast). The inset shows the defect nucleation near the surface. Careful defect analysis shows them to be formed by novel glide shear, (e) One set of the defects in high resolution (f) and (g) show diffraction contrast images of defects in 201 and 201. (After Gai et al, Science, 1995 and 1997 Acta Cryst. B 53 346.)...

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