title: Laser-activated membrane introduction mass spectrometry for high-throughput evaluation of bulk heterogeneous catalysts.
abstract: Laser-activated membrane introduction mass spectrometry (LAMIMS), a high-throughput screening method, evaluates heterogeneous catalysts under realistic reactor conditions. It is a precise, versatile system requiring no moving parts. The catalyst array is supported on carbon paper overlaid upon a silicone rubber membrane configured in a variation of membrane introduction mass spectrometry as introduced by Cooks. The carbon paper serves as a heat-dissipating gas diffusion layer that permits laser heating of catalyst samples far above the decomposition temperature of the polymer membrane that separates the array from the mass spectrometer vacuum chamber. A computer-controlled CO2 bar code writing laser is used for fine-tune heating of the catalyst spots above the base temperature of the LAMIMS reactor. The detailed design and performance of LAMIMS is demonstrated on arrays of "real world" bulk water-gas shift catalysts using natural and isotopically labeled reactor feed streams. A bulk catalyst array spot can be evaluated for activity and selectivity in as little as 1.5 min. All array screening results were confirmed by industrial microreactor evaluations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago 60616, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nayar
authors.forename: Renxuan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: McCall
authors.forename: Richard R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Willis
authors.forename: Eugene S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Smotkin