Advanced analysis for advanced product development
Süd-Chemie's success in optimizing fuel cell catalysts comes largely from our ability to precisely analyze and characterize each product and its performance. This requires state-of-the-art instrumentation and expertise not only in chemistry but also in surface and materials science.
To carry out this work we utilize a world-class array of advanced tools for analysis and metrology...
For example, we can use atomic force microscopy and scanning tunneling electron microscopy to look at catalyst surface structures at the atomic level.
EXAFS, an X-ray absorption technology, is useful for analyzing how particles grow or sinter, a common cause of deactivation. Or if there is a promoter, it can show how that promoter interacts with the active ingredient.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy allows us to look at catalyst surfaces to help identify the surface composition as compared with the bulk. It also can help evaluate the oxidation state of metals.