In the heart of the reaction process

The goal of using our resources as efficiently as possible is becoming increasingly significant.
This includes utilizing energy sources without loss and making better use of alternative raw materials such as organic waste.

To this end, it is necessary to understand the chemical processes behind the reactions in detail in order to be able to control them precisely. In this way, it is also possible to produce higher-value element compounds or purify substances (e.g. synthesizing gases).

Our scientists now employed CARS (Coherent Antistokes Raman Scattering) spectroscopy using ultrashort pulses to investigate such processes for the first time.
This made it possible to measure temperature and gas mixture simultaneously - and for each gas in the mixture its specific temperature. With this technique, the temperature and concentration are no longer measured indirectly, but rather via the occupation of the oscillation levels of the molecules directly at the site of the reaction.
Thus, the measurements are not only very precise, but the entire (endothermic) gasification process can be monitored! In this specific case, it was possible for the first time to study in situ the decrease of the gas temperature as a function of the reaction speed. This opens up possibilities to manipulate the process in such a way that the desired effects mentioned at the beginning of the article will occur.

This work was honoured with an Editors Pic in the reputed journal "Applied Physics Letters" (link to original publicationExternal link), and done in the joined project "OptiConExternal link" with TU Bergakademie Freiberg funded by the BMBF.