This grant will partially support an international symposium on "Transmission Electron Microscopy and Catalysis" to be held at the University of Delaware on April 11, 2003. TEM instrumentation is undergoing dramatic changes that are significantly enhancing the potential applications of this key technique in catalysis research. Electron sources, lenses, sample stages and detectors have been dramatically improved, and new approaches that couple imaging and spectroscopy will permit structural and chemical composition information to be obtained simultaneously. In situ experimentation using sub-atmosphere pressures of reactive gases will bring TEM techniques closer to industrial catalytic reactor conditions. The symposium will bring together a select group of highly recognized microscopists to present the leading experimental capabilities for TEM in heterogeneous catalysis research.
The conference will involve exchange of scientific information by the TEM experts and participants from the heterogeneous catalysis community. Principal investigators, graduate/undergraduate students, and industrial representatives will share perspectives and future research directions, including networking opportunities for collaboration. A web site will be created to disseminate the symposium conclusions and presentations.
