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in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)Cu-embedded mesoporous alumina, as a Fenton-like catalyst prepared via a sol-gel method, showed excellent activity and durability for the degradation of refectory compounds. The origin of active sites for the generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH) were thoroughly studied using multitechniques. Cu, as the only active element, could be penetrated into the bulk of alumina and some Cu atoms were embedded into the framework. The dynamic structure of surface Cu species (the variety of Cu 1 /Cu 21 ratio) during the reaction were determined as well. Furthermore, the structure plasticity of catalyst has proved by optimizing preparation and reaction conditions. A 98.53% degradation of RhB was recorded within 30 min, following a pseudo-first-order reaction rate expression. Electron spin resonance spectra and •OH scavenging experiments have confirmed that •OH is the main reactive oxidant for the elimination of RhB. By the surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer results, plausible pathways of RhB degradation were elaborated.

This mini-review summarizes the use of operando spectroscopy to investigate the dynamic structure of heterogeneous catalysts under working conditions. Following the background to the development of operando spectroscopy, we briefly reviewed the latest highlight on this subject. Then, two challenging but attention-grabbing techniques, i.e. operando techniques under the harsh conditions and the integration of operando techniques in a unit cell, were introduced. Likely, Operando techniques open up new vistas to explore reaction mechanisms and help us design the next generation industrial catalysts