Infrared Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy of Carbon-Supported Metal Catalysts

The infrared (IR) study of surface species and reactions occurring on solids has contributed markedly to our understanding of surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis, and a wide variety of solids has been examined. However, an entire class of catalysts consisting of metal dispersed on carbon has never been studied because the carbon catalyst support absorbs IR radiation so strongly in even the thinnest practical layers that conventional IR techniques fail. As IR data would be helpful in understanding how such catalysts function, we have explored the feasibility of examining carbon-supported catalysts with photothermal beam deflection spectroscopy (PDS) and describe the first IR spectra ot surface species on a Ni-on-carbon catalyst.