Particle Size, Particle Size Distribution, and Related Measurements of Supported Metal Catalysts

Abstract

It should be apparent from the contents of this review that no single method provides a full characterization of particle size and/or particle size distribution in supported metal catalysts without some inherent theoretical shortcoming, experimental difficulty, or ambiguities in interpretation of results. The message is clearly to use more than one technique whenever possible in order to obtain intercomparisons both of size/size distribution number themselves and internal consistency of the data. However, to be avoided are incorrect comparisons, such as sizes obtained from the Scherrer formula and chemisorption experiments, for example, which measure different things. We believe that high-resolution TEM has a bright future in catalyst characterization, but perhaps the most accessible and convenient combination at present is that of Fourier line profile x-ray analysis and chemisorption, albeit at the expense of some analysis in the former case.