Case Studies: Crystallography as a Tool for Studying Methanol Conversion in Zeolites

Heterogeneous catalytic reactions typically occur at the solid-gas interface, which represents a challenge for many characterization methods and often limits structural analysis to surface-sensitive techniques. However, in the case of zeolites, the large microporous surface area is intimately linked to the three-dimensional bulk structure, which leads to the phenomenon called shape selectivity. The crystallography of zeolites can therefore be exploited to obtain a wealth of information on the nature and precise location of the interaction between reactant molecules and the catalyst surface. This chapter focuses on how crystallography can be used as a unique tool for studying the conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons in zeolites. Starting from the adsorption of simple molecules, over postmortem catalyst analysis, to the development of advanced in situ and operando diffraction techniques, the chapter will provide an overview of the state of the art.