A composite having a porous substrate and polyhedral Cu-Fe oxide nanoparticles showing high catalytic activity during the steam reforming of methanol at low temperatures

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2021-12, Vol.885, p.160854, Article 160854
• Main Authors: Bai, Fan, Zhang, Tiantian, Qiao, Weijun, Zhang, Lei, Ma, Haikun, Sun, Haitao, Guo, Huijie, Ma, Shuang, Ren, Tiezhen, He, Zhanbing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Catalyst; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Chemical synthesis; Copper; Dealloying; Fossil fuels; Iron; Low temperature; Metal oxide; Methanol; Nanoparticles; Reforming; Steam reforming of methanol; Substrates; Valence state
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2021.160854

•Facile synthesis of a composite catalyst consisting of faceted nanoparticles supported on porous Al-Cu-Fe oxide.•As-prepared catalyst exhibits excellent SRM performance at low temperatures.•Cu plays a crucial role in the catalytic reaction. The steam reforming of methanol (SRM) to generate hydrogen is a potentially viable means of reducing the present reliance on fossil fuels. Although Cu-based catalysts are commonly employed to promote the SRM, obtaining more efficient catalytic performance at low temperatures remains challenging. Herein, we report a one-step dealloying route to the synthesis of a composite catalyst comprising a porous substrate and polyhedral Cu-Fe oxide nanoparticles. When applied to the SRM, this composite exhibited a hydrogen yield of 364.33 mL·kg−1·s−1 under atmospheric pressure at temperatures as low as 493 K, together with a methanol conversion of 89.86% and negligible carbon monoxide generation. Analyses of the metal valences in this catalyst indicated that elemental Cu played a crucial role in the catalytic reaction.