Small metal particles XANES,

The characteristics of reforming catalysts make them one of the most frequent cases where EXAFS is used. The very small metallic particles cannot be detected in transmission electron microscopy the long range order required for XRD analysis is absent, and the low metal contents make XPS analysis difficult. The observation of XANES structures at Pi and Re thresholds can be used to determine the electronic state. Some examples of reference compounds are shown in Figure 11.10. In particular a sharp peak (called a white line for historical reasons) is visible at the edge with an intensity related to the oxidisation state of the element. This peak in the absorption coefficient is a consequence of the existence of the empty electron states close to zero binding energy. 

In the second step this makes the Cu(I) ions accessible to water molecules so that further reduction may occur. The corresponding radial distribution function of the final state shows a structure identical to that of a Cu metal foil (Fig. 7). In comparison to the latter the first coordination shell displays a smaller height, which can be explained by a reduced number of nearest copper neighbours in agreement with recent findings in the literature [13]. This interpretation is supported by the comparison of the XANES of the final state (Fig. 6) with that of small copper particles [l4,15]. 

In this study we present the first in-situ formation of a ternary transition metal oxide within the pores of MCM-48 silica. XRD measurements showed the preservation of the host structure as well as the formation of 5-6 nm small particles. In addition, the analysis of nitrogen physisorption data revealed the existence of mesopores with smaller pore diameters and surface areas in comparison to the pristine phase, which can be attributed to the introduction of the Co/Fe/O phase into the pores. First qualitative XANES and EXAFS analyses support the formation of CoFe204 nanoparticles. TEM investigations on particle size and structure are in progress. To learn more about the properties of the oxide nanoparticles Mossbauer and magnetic measurements have to be carried out, which are planned for the future. 

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