Quantitative Kinetic Insights from Operando-UV/Vis Spectroscopy: An Application to NH₃-SCR of NOx on Cu-CHA Catalysts

We employ UV/Vis Diffuse Reflectance spectroscopy directly coupled with a packed bed flow reactor to extract quantitative kinetic information. We use as a show-case the Cu^II/Cu^I redox dynamics during the reduction half cycle of the NH₃-Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) on Cu-CHA catalysts. Our measurements enable quantification of the fraction of oxidized Cu, reconstructed by Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) together with monitoring of the gas-phase evolution during the reaction. These data both on the dynamics of the gas-phase and of the active site oxidation state have been used to assess the reduction half cycle rate equation and estimate the rate constant. Our results in terms of reaction orders and kinetic constant are in line with previous findings in the literature. Overall, our results demonstrate that the combined analysis of the UV spectra and of the gas-phase dynamics provides converging and unparalleled kinetic insight: this approach effectively resolves ambiguities concerning RHC kinetics and mechanism. More in general, this work provides evidence that operando spectroscopy can be used to extract quantitative kinetic information on catalytic cycles.