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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 1,423 records · Page 79
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Effective Strategy for Improving Electrocatalyst Durability by Adhesive Immobilization of Catalyst Nanoparticles on Graphitic Carbon Supports

We have found that Ta-based additive films in our catalyst system act as adhesives, which improves electrocatalyst durability by immobilizing the catalyst Pt NPs on the graphitic Vulcan carbon support. Furthermore, we suggest that this can be a general design principle in producing higher-durability electrocatalysts on graphitic supports. By electrochemically probing the contributing roles of the tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ) and the polyphosphate (PPA) components in separate samples, we show that these combine to produce the observed improvement in activity and durability of our best catalyst, the tantalum polyphosphate (TaOPO 4 )-treated sample. To control variables for a valid electrochemical comparison, such as dissimilar catalyst particle size distributions and variations in surface coverage, four new catalyst samples closely matched in every way were prepared: (1) Pt/VC, (2) Pt/[PPA/VC], (3) Pt/[Ta 2 O 5 /VC], and (4) Pt[TaOPO 4 /VC]. We present HR-TEM/HAADF-STEM, EDS elemental mapping, PXRD, XPS, and electrochemical activity and durability evidence, showing that the TaOPO4 and Ta2O5 additives act as adhesives, effectively tethering the NPs to the VC graphitic support surface. Pt/[Ta 2 O 5 /VC] exhibited 3× better durability as compared with the Pt/VC control because of better catalyst nanoparticle immobilization by the Ta 2 O 5 adhesive. Pt[TaOPO 4 /VC] is the overall best performer, exhibiting both a high MA of 0.82 A mg Pt –1, the highest ORR MA after heat treatment, as well as 1.75× greater durability over the Pt/VC control.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2012

Manganese Triazacyclononane Oxidation Catalysts Grafted under Reaction Conditions on Solid Co-Catalytic Supports

Manganese complexes of 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tmtacn) are highly active and selective alkene oxidation catalysts with aqueous H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. Here, carboxylic acid-functionalized SiO{sub 2} simultaneously immobilizes and activates these complexes under oxidation reaction conditions. H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and the functionalized support are both necessary to transform the inactive [(tmtacn)Mn{sup IV}({mu}-O)3Mn{sup IV}(tmtacn)]{sup 2+} into the active, dicarboxylate-bridged [(tmtacn)Mn{sup III}({mu}-O)({mu}-RCOO){sub 2}Mn{sup III}(tmtacn)]{sup 2+}. This transformation is assigned on the basis of comparison of diffuse reflectance UV-visible spectra to known soluble models, assignment of oxidation state by Mn K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, the dependence of rates on the acid/Mn ratios, and comparison of the surface structures derived from density functional theory with extended X-ray absorption fine structure. Productivity in cis-cyclooctene oxidation to epoxide and cis-diol with 2-10 equiv of solid cocatalytic supports is superior to that obtained with analogous soluble valeric acid cocatalysts, which require 1000-fold excess to reach similar levels at comparable times. Cyclooctene oxidation rates are near first order in H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and near zero order in all other species, including H{sub 2}O. These observations are consistent with a mechanism of substrate oxidation following rate-limiting H{sub 2}O{sub 2} activation on the hydrated, supported complex. This general mechanism and the observed alkene oxidation activation energy of 38 {+-} 6 kJ/mol are comparable to H{sub 2}O{sub 2} activation by related soluble catalysts. Undesired decomposition of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} is not a limiting factor for these solid catalysts, and as such, productivity remains high up to 25 C and initial H{sub 2}O{sub 2} concentration of 0.5 M, increasing reactor throughput. These results show that immobilized carboxylic acids can be utilized and understood like traditional carboxylic acids to activate non-heme oxidation catalysts while enabling higher throughput and providing the separation and handling benefits of a solid catalyst.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Epitaxial and Strong Support Interactions between Pt and LaFeO 3 Films Stabilize Pt Dispersion

The ability to stabilize very small Pt crystallites in supported-metal catalysts following harsh treatments is an important industrial problem. Herein, we demonstrate that Pt particles can be maintained in the 1- to 2-nm range following multiple oxidation and reduction cycles at 1073 K when the particles are supported on 0.5-nm LaFeO 3 films that have been deposited onto MgAl 2 O 4 using atomic layer deposition (ALD). Characterization by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM) suggest that, when the catalyst is oxidized at 1073 K, the Pt crystallites are oriented with respect to the underlying LaFeO 3 . X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) also shows evidence for changes in the Pt environment. CO-oxidation rates for the reduced catalyst remain unchanged after five redox cycles at 1073 K. Epitaxial growth of Pt clusters and the consequent strong metal-support interaction between Pt and LaFeO 3 are indicated to be prime reasons for the enhanced catalytic performances.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Silver Adsorption on Calcium Niobate(001) Nanosheets: Calorimetric Energies That Explain Sinter-Resistant Support

Metal nanoparticles deposited on oxide supports are essential to many technologies, including catalysts, fuel cells and electronics. Therefore, understanding the chemical bonding strength between metal nanoparticles and oxide surfaces is of great interest. The adsorption energetics, adhesion energy and adsorbate structure of Ag on dehydrated HCa 2 Nb 3 O 10 (001) nanosheets at 300 K have been studied using metal adsorption calorimetry and surface spectroscopies. These dehydrated (“dh”) calcium niobate nanosheets “(dh-HCa 2 Nb 3 O 10 (001))” have stoichiometry Ca 4 Nb 6 O 19 . They impart unusual stability to metal nanoparticles when used as catalyst supports and are easy-to-prepare by Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) techniques, highly ordered, and essentially single-crystal surfaces of mixed oxides with a huge ratio of terrace to edge sites. Below monolayer coverage, Ag grows on dh-HCa 2 Nb 3 O 10 (001) as 2D islands of thickness ~2 layers. The differential heat of Ag adsorption is initially ~303 kJ/mol, increasing slowly to ~338 kJ/mol by 0.8 ML. At higher coverages, Ag atoms mainly add on top of these 2D islands, growing 3D nanoparticles of increasing thickness, as the heat decreases asymptotically towards silver’s heat of sublimation (285 kJ/mol). The adhesion energy of Ag(s) to this Ca niobate surface is estimated to be 4.33 J/m 2 , larger than on any oxide surface previously measured. This explains the sinter resistance reported for metal nanoparticles on this support. Electron transfer from Ag into the calcium niobate is also measured. Furthermore, these results demonstrate an easy way to do singlecrystal-type surface science studies - and especially thermochemical measurements - on the complex surfaces of mixed oxides: using LB-deposited perovskite nanosheets and ultrahigh vacuum annealing in O 2 .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Silicon Nitride Surface Enabled Propane Dehydrogenation Catalyzed by Supported Organozirconium

Mesoporous silicon nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) is a nontraditional support for the chemisorption of organometallic complexes with the potential for enhancing catalytic activity through features such as the increased Lewis basicity of nitrogen for heterolytic bond activation, increased ligand donor strength, and metal–ligand orbital overlap. In this report tetrabenzyl zirconium (ZrBn 4 ) was chemisorbed on Si 3 N 4 , and the resulting supported organometallic species was characterized by Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS), Dynamic Nuclear Polarization-enhanced Solid State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (DNP-SSNMR), and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). Based on the hypothesis that the nitride might enable facile heterolytic C–H bond activation along the Zr–N bond, this material was found to be a highly active (1.53 mol propene mol Zr –1 h –1 at 450 °C) and selective (99% to propylene) catalyst for propane dehydrogenation. In contrast, the homologous silica supported complex exhibited negligible activity under these conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Visualizing Size-Dependent Dynamics of CeO 2-δ {100}-Supported CoO x Nanoparticles Under CO 2 Hydrogenation Conditions

Carbon dioxide is a major greenhouse gas. In order to optimize processes focused on its chemical valorization, one needs detailed information about the effects of CO 2 and/or CO 2 /H 2 mixtures on the structure and morphology of metal/oxide catalysts. Here, in this study, the evolution of a catalyst with cobalt supported on CeO 2 -cube nanostructures under CO 2 hydrogenation conditions was investigated by using a set of in situ characterization techniques (X-ray absorption fine structure, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, and environmental transmission electron microscopy (TEM)). The {100} facets of the ceria support displayed an unexpectedly high stability due to strong interactions with the aggregates of cobalt oxide. A significant influence of interfacial bonding between CoO x and CeO 2-δ {100} is evident through a clear preference in the orientation of CoO x nanoparticles (NPs) with respect to the substrate. For initially reduced Co/CeO 2 -cube nanostructures, a kinetically controlled oxidation of cobalt upon the introduction of CO 2 was observed during the early stages of CO 2 hydrogenation. Environmental TEM revealed the size-dependent morphological behavior of cobalt oxide NPs due to strong interactions with the CeO 2 {100} surface. When the environment was switched from H 2 to a mixture of H 2 and CO 2 at 250 °C, small CoO x NPs (in the largest dimension < 2.5 nm) rapidly transformed from a pyramidal three-dimensional (3D) form to a planar, monatomic layer attached to the concurrently oxidized CeO 2-δ {100} surface. This maximizes the number of sites available for the binding of CO 2 or reaction intermediates. The shape transformation reflected the oxophilic character of cobalt and strong metal–support interactions. The removal of CO 2 from the gas phase led to a reduction of the cobalt oxide NPs by hydrogen and a reversible two-dimensional → 3D transformation. In contrast, no significant morphological changes, apart from further oxidation, were observed for big CoO x NPs (in the largest dimension > 3 nm). These trends are not seen for nanoparticles of noble metals. The observed morphological and structural changes in the small CoO x NPs affected the stability of reaction intermediates and modified the selectivity of the CoO x /CeO 2 catalyst system for methane production.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Fine-Tuning the Activity of Metal–Organic Framework Supported Cobalt Catalysts for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Few-atom cobalt-oxide clusters, when dispersed on a Zr-based metal–organic framework (MOF) NU-1000, have previously been shown to be active for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane at low temperatures (< 230 °C), affording a selective and stable propene production catalyst. In our current work, a series of promoter ions with varying Lewis acidity, including Ni(II), Zn(II), Al(III), Ti(IV) and Mo(VI), are anchored as metal-oxide,hydroxide clusters to NU-1000 via SIM (solvothermal deposition within MOFs–specifically the nodes) followed by incorporation of Co(II) ions via vapor-phase AIM (atomic layer deposition (ALD) in MOFs). This process yields a series of NU-1000-supported bimetallic-oxo,hydroxo,aqua clusters. Using difference envelope density (DED) analyses, the spatial locations of the promoter ions and catalytic cobalt ions are determined. For all samples the SIM-anchored promoter ions are sited between pairs of Zr 6 nodes along the MOF c-axis (channel-aligned axis) whereas the location of the AIM-anchored cobalt ions varies depending on the identity of promoter metal ion. With Ni(II)-, Al(III)-, or Ti(IV)-containing clusters as promoters, the oxy-cobalt species are sited atop the promoter sites; with Mo(VI) they grow exclusively on the MOF nodes sites (hexa-Zr(IV)- oxo,hydroxo,aqua units); with Zn(II) they grow on both the node and promoter. The NU-1000- supported bimetallic-oxide clusters are active for propane ODH after thermal activation under O 2 to open a cobalt coordination site and to oxidize Co(II) to Co(III), as evidenced by operando Xray absorption spectroscopy at the Co K-edge. The cobalt component is exclusively responsible for the observed catalysis. In accord with the decreasing Lewis acidity of the promoter ion, catalytic activity increases in the order: Mo(VI)<Ti(IV)<Al(III)<Zn(II)<Ni(II). The finding is attributed to increasing ease of formation Co(III)-O• species and stabilization of a cobalt(III)- oxyl/propane transition state as the Lewis acidity of the promoter ions decreases. (The promoterfree catalyst is sited on the oxy-Zr(IV) node of the MOF and is inferior catalytically to the strongly promoted versions of the catalyst.) The relative Lewis acidities of the promoters are inferred from the initial pKa values of aqua complexes of the corresponding single metal ions. Departures from the (ODH-rate)/(promoter-pKa) correlation are paralleled by differences in cobalt catalyst siting or structure. The combined results point to an increasing ability to fine-tune, with close to atomic specificity, the structure-dependent activity of MOF-supported heterogeneous catalysts for gas phase chemical reactions. When coupled with mechanistic studies–computational or experimental–this ability may translate into informed prediction of improved catalysts for propane ODH and other chemical reactions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Low-Temperature Restructuring of CeO 2 -Supported Ru Nanoparticles Determines Selectivity in CO 2 Catalytic Reduction

CO 2 reduction to higher value products is a promising way to produce fuels and key chemical building blocks while reducing CO 2 emissions. The reaction at atmospheric pressure mainly yields CH 4 via methanation and CO via the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. Describing catalyst features that control the selectivity of these two pathways is important to determine the formation of specific products. At the same time, identification of morphological changes occurring to catalysts under reaction conditions can be crucial to tune their catalytic performance. In this contribution we investigate the dependency of selectivity for CO 2 reduction on the size of Ru nanoparticles (NPs) and on support. We find that even at rather low temperatures (210 °C), oxidative pretreatment induces redispersion of Ru NPs supported on CeO 2 and leads to a complete switch in the performance of this material from a well-known selective methanation catalyst to an active and selective RWGS catalyst. By utilizing in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the low-temperature redispersion process occurs via decomposition of the metal oxide phase with size-dependent kinetics, producing stable single-site RuO x /CeO 2 species strongly bound to the CeO 2 support that are remarkably selective for CO production. Furthermore, these results show that reaction selectivity can be heavily dependent on catalyst structure and that structural changes of the catalyst can occur even at low temperatures and can go unseen in materials with less defined structures.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Platinum Supported on NbRuyOz as Electrocatalyst for Ethanol Oxidation in Acid and Alkaline Fuel Cells

Platinum supported on a mixed metal oxide, NbRu{sub y}O{sub z} (8Nb:1Ru), was evaluated as an electrocatalyst for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) in 0.1 M HClO{sub 4} and 1 M KOH. The support was synthesized from a liquid precursor solution of metal chlorides that was aerosolized and thermally decomposed into a powder via the spray pyrolysis (SP) process. Two samples were of primary interest: 30%Pt deposited onto the support by dry impregnation and 60%Pt as part of the precursor solution that underwent in situ SP Pt dispersion. TEM, SEM, and XRD were used to confirm morphology and deposition of Pt. XPS and XAS studies confirmed elemental distribution and oxidation state of Pt catalyst. In situ IRRAS studies in 0.1 M HClO{sub 4} show that these electrocatalysts are capable of facilitating the complete oxidation pathway of EOR, involving scission of the C-C bond and CO oxidation.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2012

A Theoretical Study of Methanol Oxidation Catalyzed by Isolated Vanadia Clusters Supported on the (101) Surface of Anatase

A theoretical model has been developed for describing isolated vanadate species dispersed on the (101) surface of anatase that takes into account the equilibration of the supported species with gas-phase oxygen. The lowest energy of the combined solid and gas phases identifies the VOx species with the optimal structure and composition. This model of VOx species supported on the surface of anatase is then used to analyze the reaction path for methanol oxidation to formaldehyde. The chemisorption of methanol is found to proceed preferentially by addition across a V-O-Ti bond to form V-OCH3 and Ti-OH species. The rate-limiting step for the formation of formaldehyde takes place via the transfer of a hydrogen atom from V-OCH3 bound to an oxygen atom bridging two Ti atoms, i.e., a Ti-O-Ti group located adjacent to the supported vanadate species. This step is found to have the lowest apparent activation energy of all pathways explored for the formation of formaldehyde.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2013

State of Supported Pd during Catalysis in Water

In operando X-ray absorption was used to measure the structure and chemical state of supported Pd nanoparticles with 3 -10 nm diameter in contact with H2 saturated water at 298-473 K. The Pd-Pd distances determined were consistent with the presence of subsurface hydrogen, i.e., longer than those measured by others for bare, reduced Pd particles, and within the range of distances for Pd hydrides. During the Pd-catalyzed hydrogenation of phenol, cyclohexanone, cyclohexanol or cyclohexene in the presence of water, the Pd nanoparticles exhibited a lengthening of the Pd-Pd bond that we attribute to a change in the concentration of sorbed H related to the steady state of H at the surface of the Pd particles. This steady state is established by all reactions involving H2, i.e., the sorption/desorption into the bulk, the sorption at the surface, and the reaction with adsorbed unsaturated reactants. Thus, first insight into the chemical state of Pd and the H/Pd ratio during catalysis in water is provided. The Pd particles did not change upon their exposure to water or reactants; nor did the spectra show any effect from the interaction of the Pd particles with various supports. The experimental results are consistent with ab initio molecular dynamic simulations, which indicate that Pd-water interactions are relatively weak for Pd metal and that these interactions become even weaker, when hydrogen is incorporated into the metal particles. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is a multi-program national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle through Contract DE-AC05-76RL01830.

hydrodeoxygenation↗
DOE OSTI2014

Understanding Atom Probe Tomography of Oxide-Supported Metal Nanoparticles by Correlation with Atomic Resolution Electron Microscopy and Field Evaporation Simulation

Metal-dielectric composite materials, specifically metal nanoparticles supported on or embedded in metal oxides, are widely used in catalysis. The accurate optimization of such nanostructures warrants the need for detailed three-dimensional characterization. Atom probe tomography is uniquely capable of generating sub-nanometer structural and compositional data with part-per-million mass sensitivity, but there are reconstruction artifacts for composites containing materials with strongly differing fields of evaporation, as for oxide-supported metal nanoparticles. By correlating atom probe tomography with scanning transmission electron microscopy for Au nanoparticles embedded in an MgO support, deviations from an ideal topography during evaporation are demonstrated directly, and correlated with compositional errors in the reconstructed data. Finite element simulations of the field evaporation process confirm that protruding Au nanoparticles will evolve on the tip surface, and that evaporation field variations lead to an inaccurate assessment of the local composition, effectively lowering the spatial resolution of the final reconstructed dataset. Cross-correlating the experimental data with simulations results in a more detailed understanding of local evaporation aberrations during APT analysis of metal-oxide composites, paving the way towards a more accurate three-dimensional characterization of this technologically important class of materials.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nickel supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as hydrogen oxidation reaction catalyst in alkaline electrolyte

The development of a low-cost, high-performance platinum-group-metal-free hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cell is hindered by the lack of a hydrogen oxidation reaction catalyst at the anode. Here we report that a composite catalyst, nickel nanoparticles supported on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes, has hydrogen oxidation activity similar to platinum-group metals in alkaline electrolyte. Although nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes are a very poor hydrogen oxidation catalyst, as a support, it increases the catalytic performance of nickel nanoparticles by a factor of 33 (mass activity) or 21 (exchange current density) relative to unsupported nickel nanoparticles. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the nitrogen-doped support stabilizes the nanoparticle against reconstruction, while nitrogen located at the edge of the nanoparticle tunes local adsorption sites by affecting the d-orbitals of nickel. Here, owing to its high activity and low cost, our catalyst shows significant potential for use in low-cost, high-performance fuel cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Gold-supported cerium-doped NiO x catalysts for water oxidation

Here, the development of high-performance catalysts for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) is paramount for cost-effective conversion of renewable electricity to fuels and chemicals. Here we report the significant enhancement of the OER activity of electrodeposited NiO x films resulting from the combined effects of using cerium as a dopant and gold as a metal support. This NiCeO x –Au catalyst delivers high OER activity in alkaline media, and is among the most active OER electrocatalysts yet reported. On the basis of experimental observations and theoretical modelling, we ascribe the activity to a combination of electronic, geometric and support effects, where highly active under-coordinated sites at the oxide support interface are modified by the local chemical binding environment and by doping the host Ni oxide with Ce. The NiCeO x –Au catalyst is further demonstrated in a device context by pairing it with a nickel–molybdenum hydrogen evolution catalyst in a water electrolyser, which delivers 50 mA consistently at 1.5 V over 24 h of continuous operation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Synthesis of high-entropy alloy nanoparticles on supports by the fast moving bed pyrolysis

High-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) are important class of materials with significant technological potential. However, the strategies for synthesizing uniformly dispersed HEA-NPs on granular supports such as carbon materials, γ-Al 2 O 3 , and zeolite, which is vital to their practical applications, are largely unexplored. Herein, we present a fast moving bed pyrolysis strategy to immobilize HEA-NPs on granular supports with a narrow size distribution of 2 nm up to denary (MnCoNiCuRhPdSnIrPtAu) HEA-NPs at 923 K. Fast moving bed pyrolysis strategy ensures the mixed metal precursors rapidly and simultaneously pyrolyzed at high temperatures, resulting in nuclei with a small size. The representative quinary (FeCoPdIrPt) HEA-NPs exhibit high stability (150 h) toward hydrogen evolution reaction with high mass activity, which is 26 times higher than the commercial Pt/C at an overpotential of 100 mV. Our strategy provides an improved methodology for synthesizing HEA-NPs on various supports.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Entropy-stabilized single-atom Pd catalysts via high-entropy fluorite oxide supports

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have attracted considerable attention in the catalysis community. However, fabricating intrinsically stable SACs on traditional supports (N-doped carbon, metal oxides, etc.) remains a formidable challenge, especially under high-temperature conditions. Here, we report a novel entropy-driven strategy to stabilize Pd single-atom on the high-entropy fluorite oxides (CeZrHfTiLa)O x (HEFO) as the support by a combination of mechanical milling with calcination at 900 °C. Characterization results reveal that single Pd atoms are incorporated into HEFO (Pd1@HEFO) sublattice by forming stable Pd–O–M bonds (M = Ce/Zr/La). Compared to the traditional support stabilized catalysts such as Pd@CeO 2 , Pd 1 @HEFO affords the improved reducibility of lattice oxygen and the existence of stable Pd–O–M species, thus exhibiting not only higher low-temperature CO oxidation activity but also outstanding resistance to thermal and hydrothermal degradation. This work therefore exemplifies the superiority of high-entropy materials for the preparation of SACs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Dynamic structure of active sites in ceria-supported Pt catalysts for the water gas shift reaction

Oxide-supported noble metal catalysts have been extensively studied for decades for the water gas shift (WGS) reaction, a catalytic transformation central to a host of large volume processes that variously utilize or produce hydrogen. There remains considerable uncertainty as to how the specific features of the active metal-support interfacial bonding—perhaps most importantly the temporal dynamic changes occurring therein—serve to enable high activity and selectivity. Here we report the dynamic characteristics of a Pt/CeO 2 system at the atomic level for the WGS reaction and specifically reveal the synergistic effects of metal-support bonding at the perimeter region. We find that the perimeter Pt 0 -O vacancy -Ce 3+ sites are formed in the active structure, transformed at working temperatures and their appearance regulates the adsorbate behaviors. We find that the dynamic nature of this site is a key mechanistic step for the WGS reaction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Self-regeneration of supported transition metals by a high entropy-driven principle

The sintering of Supported Transition Metal Catalysts (STMCs) is a core issue during high temperature catalysis. Perovskite oxides as host matrix for STMCs are proven to be sintering-resistance, leading to a family of self-regenerative materials. However, none other design principles for self-regenerative catalysts were put forward since 2002, which cannot satisfy diverse catalytic processes. Herein, inspired by the principle of high entropy-stabilized structure, a concept whether entropy driving force could promote the self-regeneration process is proposed. To verify it, a high entropy cubic Zr 0.5 (NiFeCuMnCo) 0.5 O x is constructed as a host model, and interestingly in situ reversible exsolution-dissolution of supported metallic species are observed in multi redox cycles. Notably, in situ exsolved transition metals from high entropy Zr 0.5 (NiFeCuMnCo) 0.5 O x support, whose entropic contribution (TΔS config = T$\star$12.7 J mol -1 K -1 ) is predominant in ΔG, affording ultrahigh thermal stability in long-term CO 2 hydrogenation (400 °C, >500 h). Current theory may inspire more STWCs with excellent sintering-resistance performance.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗