Our laboratories at Lehigh University has the premier in situ and operando molecular characterization tools in the world, employing various optical methods of Raman, FT-IR and UV-Vis-NIR DRS spectroscopies, for investigating various catalytic materials including nanoscale metal oxides. The fundamental goal of these facilities is to establish the relationship of molecular structure, reactivity, and selectivity that are the basis for the molecular engineering of nanoscale metal oxide catalysts for applications in many fields such as environmental, energy and petrochemicals.

In Situ Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy
	Molecular Structures The BioRad FTS-40A FTIR spectrometer equipped with a DTGS detector can detect various surface reaction intermediates and changes occuring on various surface functionalities and catalytic active sites.

	Electronic Stuctures The Varian Cary 5E UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer with the integration sphere diffuse reflectance attachment, allows the determination of electronic structures of catalytic active sites including nano domains of varying size under various reaction condition (reducing and oxidizing gas environments, at temperatures up to 773K).

Temperature-Programmed Surface Reaction (TPSR) Spectroscopy
	Surface Chemical Information The AMI-100, and AMI-200 units equipped with the DM-200 mass spectrometer provides information on true surface kinetic parameters, active site density, acid/basic/redox site distribution, surface elemental composition, and surface active site oxidation states.

	What is Operando Spectroscopy? Spectroscopic characterization of catalysts under realistic reaction conditions with simultaneous real-time online analysis of reaction products.
	What is the Goal of Combinatorial Operando Spectroscopy? The accelerated development of quantitative molecular/electronic structure-activity/selectivity relationships for catalytic systems to provide the basis for rational design of novel catalytic materials as well as to improve existing catalytic processes based on scientific fundamental understanding.

	What is Operando Spectroscopy? Spectroscopic characterization of catalysts under realistic reaction conditions with simultaneous real-time online analysis of reaction products.
	What is the Goal of Combinatorial Operando Spectroscopy? The accelerated development of quantitative molecular/electronic structure-activity/selectivity relationships for catalytic systems to provide the basis for rational design of novel catalytic materials as well as to improve existing catalytic processes based on scientific fundamental understanding.

Here in our labs we have laser equipment for ...