Researchers develop novel technique for in-situ detection of gas-phase active intermediates in photocatalysis

Prof. Pan Yang and Associate Researcher Liu Chengyuan, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have achieved significant progress in detecting intermediates in methane photocatalytic reactions. Their technique, Synchronous Radiation Photoionization Mass Spectrometry, allows for in-situ detection of active intermediates. The lack of in-situ detection methods, especially for active intermediates like free radicals, has been a challenge. Researcher Liu Chengyuan, along with their team, utilized synchrotron radiation photoionization technology to develop a mass spectrometry characterization technique for capturing gas-phase active intermediates in photocatalytic reactions. By combining a rectangular photocatalytic reactor with synchrotron radiation as the light source, this technique can detect intermediates within a few hundred microseconds during the reaction process. This work innovatively developed an in-situ photocatalytic mass spectrometry detection technique based on synchrotron radiation, which allows for the capture of gas-phase active intermediates and elucidates the mechanism of methane photocatalytic conversion reactions. Citation: Researchers develop novel technique for in-situ detection of gas-phase active intermediates in photocatalysis retrieved 14 June 2023 from https://phys. org/news/2023-06-technique-in-situ-gas-phase-intermediates-photocatalysis.