Benjamin Mutz

Dynamic transformation of small Ni particles during methanation of CO2 under fluctuating reaction conditions monitored by operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy

A 10 wt.-% Ni/Al2O3 catalyst with Ni particles of about 4 nm was prepared and applied in the methanation of CO2 under dynamic reaction conditions. Fast phase transformations between metallic Ni, NiO and NiCO3 were observed under changing reaction atmospheres using operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Removing H2 from the feed gas and, thus, simulating a H2 dropout during the methanation reaction led to oxidation of the active sites. The initial reduced state of the Ni particles could not be recovered under methanation atmosphere (H2/CO2 = 4); this was only possible with an effective reactivation step applying H2 at increased temperatures. Furthermore, the cycling of the gas atmospheres resulted in a steady deactivation of the catalyst. Operando XAS is a powerful tool to monitor these changes and the behavior of the catalyst under working conditions to improve the understanding of the catalytic processes and deactivation phenomena.

Bottom-Up Design of a Copper-Ruthenium Nanoparticulate Catalyst for Low-Temperature Ammonia Oxidation

A novel nanoparticulate catalyst of copper (Cu) and ruthenium (Ru) was designed for low-temperature ammonia oxidation at near-stoichiometric mixtures using a bottom-up approach. A synergistic effect of the two metals was found. An optimum CuRu catalyst presents a reaction rate threefold higher than that for Ru and forty-fold higher than that for Cu. X-ray absorption spectroscopy suggests that in the most active catalyst Cu forms one or two monolayer thick patches on Ru and the catalysts are less active once 3D Cu islands form. The good performance of the tuned Cu/Ru catalyst is attributed to changes in the electronic structure, and thus the altered adsorption properties of the surface Cu sites.