X-Ray Absorption and Emission Spectroscopy for Catalysis

Catalysis is a field that has traditionally benefited enormously from the application of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES). This chapter provides an insight into how XAS and XES can be applied to unravel fundamental questions that relate to the catalytic process. It then focuses on how XAS and XES can help to unravel the relationship between structure and the essential reaction steps in catalysis. The chapter provides an introduction to the catalytic process and the individual reaction steps that must occur to generate a catalytic cycle. This is followed by a section describing how the measurement condition affects the catalyst structure and how the structure of catalytically active sites can be measured. Emphasis is placed on how measuring the catalyst structure relates to the reaction kinetics. Finally, the importance of space- and time-resolved measurements is illustrated by selected examples