Time-resolved time-of-flight mass spectrometry with molecular-pulse-probes for analysis of dynamic process in surface catalytic reactions in the millisecond range (I)

Possible future developments of new automobile catalysts undoubtedly utilize transient phenomena at the change of gas composition under the cooperative functions of the catalytic components: noble metal particles, supports and third additives including ‘migration’ of adsorbed species and their temporal ‘storage’. To explore highly cooperative heterogeneous arrangements of the catalytic components, a new tool to detect transient products from artificially designed small area samples in the ms range was developed, which is more robust and tolerant for dynamic changes of vacuum conditions than the conventional UHV surface science tools.