Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Preparation of Functional Silica Using a Bioinspired Method
Published on: August 1, 2018
Insights into Reaction Kinetics in Confined Space: Real Time Observation of Water Formation under a Silica Cover
Mauricio J Prieto1, Thomas Mullan2, Mark Schlutow3
1Fritz-Haber Institute of the Max-Planck Society, Faradayweg 4-6, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Abstract:
We offer a comprehensive approach to determine how physical confinement can affect the water formation reaction. By using free-standing crystalline SiO2 bilayer supported on Ru(0001) as a model system, we studied the water formation reaction under confinement in situ and in real time. Low-energy electron microscopy reveals that the reaction proceeds via the formation of reaction fronts propagating across the Ru(0001) surface. The Arrhenius analyses of the front velocity yield apparent activation energies (Eaapp) of 0.32 eV for the confined and 0.59 eV for the nonconfined reaction. DFT simulations indicate that the rate-determining step remains unchanged upon confinement, therefore ruling out the widely accepted transition state effect. Additionally, H2O accumulation cannot explain the change in Eaapp for the confined cases studied because its concentration remains low. Instead, numerical simulations of the proposed kinetic model suggest that the H2 adsorption process plays a decisive role in reproducing the Arrhenius plots.
More Related Videos
09:39Proof-of-Concept for Gas-Entrapping Membranes Derived from Water-Loving SiO2/Si/SiO2 Wafers for Green Desalination
Published on: March 1, 2020
06:48Fluid-cell Raman Spectroscopy for operando Studies of Reaction and Transport Phenomena during Silicate Glass Corrosion
Published on: May 9, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Fluid Pressure over Flat Plate of Variable Width
The pressure distribution on the plate can be calculated by determining the force that acts on a differential area strip of the plate. Thus, the magnitude of the force is equal to the...
Theories of Dissolution: Diffusion Layer Model
This process starts with a thin layer, saturated with the drug, forming at the interface between the solid and liquid. The solute then diffuses from this layer into the main solution. The Noyes-Whitney equation suggests that the rate of dissolution relies on the diffusion...
Theories of Dissolution: The Danckwerts' Model and Interfacial Barrier Model
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies...
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Design Example: Creating a Hydraulic Model of a Dam Spillway