In Situ Surface-Sensitive Investigation of Multiple Carbon Phases on Fe(110) in the Fischer–Tropsch Synthesis
Mikhail Shipilin, David Degerman, Patrick Lömker, Christopher M. Goodwin, Gabriel L. S. Rodrigues, Michael Wagstaffe, Jörgen Gladh, Hsin‐Yi Wang, Andreas Stierle, Christoph Schlueter, Lars G. M. Pettersson, Anders Nilsson, Peter Amann
Abstract
into synthetic fuels and numerous valuable chemicals. Here, we report an in situ surface-sensitive study of the effect of pressure, temperature, time, and gas feed composition on the growth dynamics of two distinct iron-carbon phases with the octahedral and trigonal prismatic coordination of carbon sites on an Fe(110) single crystal acting as a model catalyst. Using a combination of state-of-the-art X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy at an unprecedentedly high pressure, high-energy surface X-ray diffraction, mass spectrometry, and theoretical calculations, we reveal the details of iron surface carburization and product formation under semirealistic conditions. We provide a detailed insight into the state of the catalyst's surface in relation to the reaction.