CEMAS (Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis) Presentation

Bruce G. Anderson

Chief Scientist, Materials Science Group, Sasol Technology R&D

Sasolburg, Republic of South Africa

“Characterization of Materials relevant to Industrial Heterogeneous Catalysis”

Industrial heterogeneous catalysts are typically (un)supported metal and / or metal oxides. A detailed characterization of the physical and chemical properties of these materials ranges from bulk to the atomic scale. Knowledge must be gained on: the synthetic pathways; preconditioning / activation; reactive phases (ex situ and in situ).

Physical properties such as: surface area; porosity; size; shape; density and mechanical strength are important, to name some. Chemically, the phases involved may be highly-ordered, stoichiometric, and crystalline. Alternatively, they may be highly defective, non-stoichiometric or even amorphous.

A myriad of different types of techniques is thus required including: gas sorption methods, spectroscopic, microscopic, etc. A brief overview of these techniques will be given. Examples of the application of some of these to understand the physical and chemical properties of materials found in Fischer-Tropsch catalysts will be discussed.