Estimation of the molecular vibration of gases using electron microscopy

Abstract

Reactions in gaseous phases and at gas/solid interfaces are widely used in industry. Understanding of the reaction mechanism, namely where, when, and how these gaseous reactions proceed, is crucial for the development of further efficient reaction systems. To achieve such an understanding, it is indispensable to grasp the dynamic behavior of the gaseous molecules at the active site of the chemical reaction. However, estimation of the dynamic behavior of gaseous molecules in specific nanometer-scale regions is always accompanied by great difficulties. Here, we propose a method for the identification of the dynamic behavior of gaseous molecules using an electron spectroscopy observed with a transmission electron microscope in combination with theoretical calculations. We found that our method can successfully identify the dynamic behavior of some gaseous molecules, such as O ₂ and CH ₄, and the sensitivity of the method is affected by the rigidity of the molecule. The method has potential to measure the local temperature of gaseous molecules as well. The knowledge obtained from this technique is fundamental for further high resolution studies of gaseous reactions using electron microscopy.