Simplifying the Temporal Analysis of Products Reactor

The Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) experiment provides an unparalleled level of kinetic insight into heterogenous catalytic materials, but due to the complex and expensive instrumentation required, its application has been limited to a small group of dedicated researchers. Herein we demonstrate through a series of designs that precisely defined TAP experiments can be performed on systems far smaller and simpler than previously imagined. The pulse reactors described in this work utilise readily available components and so can be assembled, operated, and maintained with minimal training. Using the case study of CO oxidation over a Pt/SiO2 catalyst we show that precise kinetic, mechanistic, and surface composition information is feasible using our single-valve design. With the developments outlined in this work we aim to decrease the activation barrier to TAP and open up the technique to a new generation of researchers.