Ni-Ru supported on CeO2 obtained by mechanochemical milling for catalytic hydrogen production from ammonia
Ilaria Lucentini,
Isabel Serrano,
Xènia Garcia,
Alba Garzón Manjón,
Xinxin Hu,
Jordi Arbiol,
Laia Pascua-Solé,
Jordi Prat,
Edgar Eduardo Villalobos-Portillo,
Carlo Marini,
Carlos Escudero,
Jordi Llorca
Affiliations
Ilaria Lucentini
Institute of Energy Technologies, Department of Chemical Engineering and Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EEBE, Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain; ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
Isabel Serrano
Institute of Energy Technologies, Department of Chemical Engineering and Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EEBE, Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Xènia Garcia
Institute of Energy Technologies, Department of Chemical Engineering and Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EEBE, Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Alba Garzón Manjón
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Xinxin Hu
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Jordi Arbiol
Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Laia Pascua-Solé
Institute of Energy Technologies, Department of Chemical Engineering and Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EEBE, Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain
Jordi Prat
ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
Edgar Eduardo Villalobos-Portillo
ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
Carlo Marini
ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain
Carlos Escudero
ALBA Synchrotron Light Source, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author
Jordi Llorca
Institute of Energy Technologies, Department of Chemical Engineering and Barcelona Research Center in Multiscale Science and Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, EEBE, Eduard Maristany 10-14, 08019 Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author
Summary: Developing active and stable catalysts for carbon-free hydrogen production is crucial to mitigate the effects of climate change. Ammonia is a promising carbon-free hydrogen source, as it has a high hydrogen content and is liquid at low pressure, which allows its easy storage and transportation. We have recently developed a nickel-based catalyst with a small content of ruthenium supported on cerium oxide, which exhibits high activity and stability in ammonia decomposition. Here, we investigate mechanochemical milling for its synthesis, a faster and less energy-consuming technique than conventional ones. Results indicate that mechanochemical synthesis increases catalytic activity compared to the conventional incipient wetness impregnation method. The interaction between the metal precursors and the support is key in fine-tuning catalytic activity, which increases linearly with oxygen vacancies in the support. Moreover, the mechanochemical method modifies the oxidation state of Ni and Ru species, with a variation depending on the precursors.
