The Influence of a Changing Local Environment during Photoinduced CO 2 Dissociation

Autor: Hussain Mazhar, Michael Vyshnepolsky, Karina Morgenstern, Matteo Maestri, Prashant Srivastava, Zhao-Bin Ding, Patrik Tesarik
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
ISSN: 1521-3773
1433-7851
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202105468
Popis: Though largely influencing the efficiency of a reaction, the molecular‐scale details of the local environment of the reactants are experimentally inaccessible hindering an in‐depth understanding of a catalyst's reactivity, a prerequisite to maximizing its efficiency. We introduce a method to follow individual molecules and their largely changing environment during a photochemical reaction. The method is illustrated for a rate‐limiting step in a photolytic reaction, the dissociation of CO2 on two catalytically relevant surfaces, Ag(100) and Cu(111). We reveal with a single‐molecule resolution how the reactant's surroundings evolve with progressing laser illumination and with it their propensity for dissociation. Counteracting processes lead to a volcano‐like reactivity. Our unprecedented local view during a photoinduced reaction opens the avenue for understanding the influence of the products on reaction yields on the nanoscale.
Following individual molecules and their changing environment during photoinduced dissociation reveals the importance of local changes during a reaction on its efficiency. Two counteracting processes lead to a volcano‐shaped reactivity.
Databáze: OpenAIRE