Apparatus for testing gas-surface reactions for epicatalysis

摘要: Recently, a new mode of gas-surface heterogeneous catalysis (epicatalysis) has been identified, having potential applications ranging from industrial and green chemistry to novel forms power generation. This article describes an inexpensive, easily constructed, vacuum-compatible apparatus by which multiple candidate combinations can be rapidly screened for epicatalytic activity. In exploratory experiments, surfaces (teflon, kapton, glass, gold) gases (helium, argon, cyclohexane, water, methanol, formic acid, acetic acid) were tested Kapton teflon displayed small but reproducible differences in acid methanol dimer desorption, thereby demonstrating the first examples room-temperature epicatalysis. Other showed smaller or inconclusive evidence