Reactive metal-support interaction in the Cu-In2O3 system: intermetallic compound formation and its consequences for CO2-selective methanol steam reforming. Issue 1 (31st December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ploner, Kevin; Schlicker, Lukas; Gili, Albert; Gurlo, Aleksander; Doran, Andrew; Zhang, Lei; Armbrüster, Marc; Obendorf, Dagmar; Bernardi, Johannes; Klötzer, Bernhard; Penner, Simon
• Is Part Of: Science and technology of advanced materials. Volume 20:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 356
• Page End: 366
• Publication Date: 2019-12-31
• Subjects: Copper -- cubic indium oxide -- in situ X-ray diffraction -- Cu2In -- reduction; 50 Energy Materials -- 205 Catalyst / Photocatalyst / Photosynthesis -- 212 Surface and interfaces -- 503 TEM, STEM, SEM -- 504 X-ray / Neutron diffraction and scattering -- 106 Metallic materials; Materials -- Technological innovations -- Periodicals; 620.112
• DOI: 10.1080/14686996.2019.1590127
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1468-6996

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The reactive metal-support interaction in the Cu-In2 O3 system and its implications on the CO2 selectivity in methanol steam reforming (MSR) have been assessed using nanosized Cu particles on a powdered cubic In2 O3 support. Reduction in hydrogen at 300 °C resulted in the formation of metallic Cu particles on In2 O3 . This system already represents a highly CO2 -selective MSR catalyst with ~93% selectivity, but only 56% methanol conversion and a maximum H2 formation rate of 1.3 µmol gCu −1 s −1 . After reduction at 400 °C, the system enters an In2 O3 -supported intermetallic compound state with Cu2 In as the majority phase. Cu2 In exhibits markedly different self-activating properties at equally pronounced CO2 selectivities between 92% and 94%. A methanol conversion improvement from roughly 64% to 84% accompanied by an increase in the maximum hydrogen formation rate from 1.8 to 3.8 µmol gCu −1 s −1 has been observed from the first to the fourth consecutive runs. The presented results directly show the prospective properties of a new class of Cu-based intermetallic materials, beneficially combining the MSR properties of the catalyst's constituents Cu and In2 O3 . In essence, the results also open up the pathway to in-depth development of potentially CO2 -selective bulk intermetallic Cu-In compounds with well-defined stoichiometry in MSR. Graphical abstract: uf0001