Advanced spectroscopic, microscopic, and compositional techniques in catalytic material characterization: applications and progress

Exploring the Atomic World of Catalysts: Zhang Jiangwei’s Team Reviews the Frontier of Advanced Characterization Techniques

 

Catalysis is a cornerstone of modern chemical science, playing a central role in addressing pressing global challenges such as energy shortages, environmental pollution, and sustainable chemical manufacturing. As catalysts grow increasingly complex—from nanoparticles to single atoms—understanding their behavior during reactions has become critical for designing next-generation energy technologies.

 

A team of researchers led by Prof. Jiangwei Zhang from Inner Mongolia University, China, recently published a comprehensive review in Nano Research summarizing cutting-edge techniques used to characterize catalytic materials. Their work highlights how spectroscopy, microscopy, and compositional analysis methods can unlock atomic-level insights into catalyst structure and function, paving the way for improved catalyst design and reaction understanding.

 

The review was published online in Nano Research in March 2026.

 

"In this work, we aimed to provide a panoramic view of the most powerful tools currently available to visualize, probe, and understand catalysts," said Prof. Jiangwei Zhang， "We focused on how these advanced techniques—including X-ray absorption spectroscopy, solid-state NMR, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, as well as in situ electron microscopy—contribute to unraveling the elusive structure–performance relationships in catalysis."

 

The review discusses the role of X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), including XANES and EXAFS, in tracking oxidation state changes and coordination environments of metal centers in real-time. For instance, synchrotron-based in situ XAS has enabled researchers to monitor how active sites evolve during electrocatalytic reactions such as oxygen evolution or nitrate reduction.

 

Complementary to XAS, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) reveals dynamic changes in catalyst surfaces and guest–host interactions in molecular sieves with atomic resolution. Raman and infrared spectroscopy, especially under in situ conditions, are highlighted for their power to trace vibrational signatures of reaction intermediates on catalytic surfaces.

 

Microscopy techniques—such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM)—offer real-space visualization of catalyst structures, from lattice fringes and single-atom positions to surface roughness and porosity. The review also discusses advanced tools like SEM-EDS, SEM-FIB, and in situ TEM, which can capture how catalysts change during operation.

 

Finally, the team emphasized the importance of compositional analysis techniques such as XPS, XRD, and ICP-MS for assessing element types, oxidation states, and crystalline structure—all essential for correlating structure with performance.

 

"Our goal was to provide a reference point and future roadmap for researchers who seek to select or combine the right techniques for their specific catalytic systems," said Prof. Zhang. "We believe that by integrating multi-technique strategies and AI-assisted data analysis, the field will progress toward a more complete understanding of catalysis."

 

Other contributors to this review include Rui Ren, Kai Guo, Yulan Gu, Guifen Li, Lirong Zhang, Yafu Wang, Qinnuan Zhang, and Prof. Qin Wang—all from Inner Mongolia University and Shanxi Meijin Energy Co., Ltd.

 

This work was supported by the “Grassland Talents” of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region; Young Talents of Science and Technology in Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region(NJYT23030); Technology Breakthrough Engineering Hydrogen Energy Field "Unveiling and Leading" Project (2024KJTW0018);“Steed plan High level Talents” of Inner Mongolia University; Carbon neutralization research project (STZX202218); National Natural Science Foundation of China (U22A20107); Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Natural Science Foundation (2023MS02002); Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion (MATEC2024KF011); National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFA1205201). Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Graduate Research Innovation Project (KC2024020B).

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About the author

Prof.Dr.Jiangwei Zhang is currently a “Steed plan High level Talents” Professor, “Grassland Talents”, “Inner Mongolia Rejuvenation Talents” of Inner Mongolia, Principle Investigator from College of Energy Material and Chemistry under leadership of Dean Academician Dongyuan Zhao, Inner Mongolia University. He received his Ph.D. from Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University in 2016. He has published 224 innovative publications including in science; Nat. Catal.; JACS; Adv. Mater.; Angew.; Nat. Commun.; EES as corresponding author with H-index=62.He is selected as World’s Top 2% Scientists in 2024,2025. Currently, His researches fuscous on the common key scientific issues “Advanced characterization methodology and energy catalytic materials Interdisciplinary”, “AI and materials advanced characterization obtained materials informatics driven intelligent design and iterative development key electrode and membrane materials for water electrolysis hydrogen production devices and industrial application”.（ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1221-3033；Elsevier Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=12753039900）

 

About Nano Research

Nano Research is a peer-reviewed, open access, international and interdisciplinary research journal, sponsored by Tsinghua University and the Chinese Chemical Society, published by Tsinghua University Press on the platform SciOpen. It publishes original high-quality research and significant review articles on all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, ranging from basic aspects of the science of nanoscale materials to practical applications of such materials. After 18 years of development, it has become one of the most influential academic journals in the nano field. Nano Research has published more than 1,000 papers every year from 2022, with its cumulative count surpassing 7,000 articles. In 2024 InCites Journal Citation Reports, its 2024 IF is 9.0 (8.7, 5 years), and it continues to be the Q1 area among the four subject classifications. Nano Research Award, established by Nano Research together with TUP and Springer Nature in 2013, and Nano Research Young Innovators (NR45) Awards, established by Nano Research in 2018, have become international academic awards with global influence.

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