Operando Raman Spectroscopy of the Microwave-Enhanced Catalytic Dehydration of 2‑Propanol by WO3

Operando Raman spectroscopy was performed to understand the mechanism of a microwave (MW)-enhanced fixed-bed catalytic reaction. An MW operando Raman spectroscopy system was constructed by integrating a Raman spectroscopy probe (785 nm) with a single-mode (TM110) MW cavity resonator equipped with a semiconductor MW generator. MW heating enhanced the dehydration of 2-propanol to diisopropyl ether and propylene by +54 to +60% under the air flow condition. In the argon flow condition, the conversion of 2-propanol was further enhanced by +71 to +83% with >99.9% selectivity toward propylene when MW heating was used. Operando Raman spectroscopy revealed that MW irradiation enhances the reduction of the WO3 surface and exhibits intense light emission, especially under the argon flow condition. The enhanced generation of WO3–x species on the surface of the WO3 catalyst should be, therefore, a key factor in the enhancement of the dehydration of 2-propanol under MW irradiation.