Spectroscopic Methods in Catalysis and Their Application in Well-Defined Nanocatalysts

A review covers the physical phenomena behind the interaction of probe beams (photons, electrons, or neutrons) with condensed matter; the differences in penetration depth, de Broglie wavelength, and requested sample environment for these three kinds of beams; the different photon-, electron-, and neutron-based techniques, which are classified in terms of absorption, scattering, photoemission, and decay spectroscopies.; the advantages and the drawbacks of each of these spectroscopies once applied to catalysts in working conditions; selected examples when combination of different spectroscopies that resulted in the determination of the structural, electronic, and vibrational features of well-defined nanocatalysts and in the understanding of their reactivity; and the relevance of quantum mechanics-based theories in supporting the interpretation of spectroscopic results.