A flexible gas flow reaction cell for in situ x-ray absorption spectroscopy studies

A capillary-based sample environment with hot air blower and integrated gas system was developed at Diamond to conduct X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies of materials under time-resolved, in situ conditions. The use of a hot air blower, operating in the temperature range of 298-1173 K, allows introduction of other techniques e.g. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy for combined techniques studies. The flexibility to use either quartz or Kapton capillaries allows users to perform XAS measurement at energies as low as 5600 eV. To demonstrate performance, time-resolved, in situ XAS results of Rh catalysts during the process of activation (Rh K-edge, Ce L₃-edge and Cr K-edge) and the study of mixed oxide membrane (La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3−δ) under various partial oxygen pressure conditions are described.