High-quality energy-dispersive XAFS on the 1 s timescale applied to electrochemical and catalyst systems

A long program involving the development of a fast linear and stable detect or, and the recent upgrade of the bent monochromator to a 4-point one at st ation 9.3 Daresbury Laboratory is showing exciting results such that it has now become possible to obtain analysable XAFS data on 50mM solutions in ti me scales of a second or less. Three examples of such data are shown: a hom ogeneous Ni catalyst reaction using a stopped flow system, a heterogeneous catalyst reduction showing time dependent data collected in a microreactor, and an electrochemical system showing the oxidation of small Pt particles as the potential is changed. The improvements have come from two major deve lopments - the monochromator and the detector.