Issue 18, 2022

The structural evolution of Mo2C and Mo2C/SiO2 under dry reforming of methane conditions: morphology and support effects

Abstract

The thermal carburization of MoO3 nanobelts (nb) and SiO2-supported MoO3 nanosheets under a 1 : 4 mixture of CH4 : H2 yields Mo2C-nb and Mo2C/SiO2. Following this process by in situ Mo K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) reveals different carburization pathways for unsupported and supported MoO3. In particular, the carburization of α-MoO3-nb proceeds via MoO2, and that of MoO3/SiO2via the formation of highly dispersed MoOx species. Both Mo2C-nb and Mo2C/SiO2 catalyze the dry reforming of methane (DRM, 800 °C, 8 bar) but their catalytic stability differs. Mo2C-nb shows a stable performance when using a CH4-rich feed (CH4 : CO2 = 4 : 2), however deactivation due to the formation of MoO2 occurs for higher CO2 concentrations (CH4 : CO2 = 4 : 3). In contrast, Mo2C/SiO2 is notably more stable than Mo2C-nb under the CH4 : CO2 = 4 : 3 feed. The influence of the morphology of Mo2C and its dispersion on silica on the structural evolution of the catalysts under DRM is further studied by in situ Mo K-edge XAS. It is found that Mo2C/SiO2 features a higher resistance to oxidation under DRM than the highly crystalline unsupported Mo2C-nb and this correlates with an improved catalytic stability. Lastly, the oxidation of Mo in both Mo2C-nb and Mo2C/SiO2 under DRM conditions in the in situ XAS experiments leads to an increased activity of the competing reverse water gas shift reaction.

Graphical abstract: The structural evolution of Mo2C and Mo2C/SiO2 under dry reforming of methane conditions: morphology and support effects

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Apr 2022
Accepted
01 Aug 2022
First published
01 Aug 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Catal. Sci. Technol., 2022,12, 5620-5628

The structural evolution of Mo2C and Mo2C/SiO2 under dry reforming of methane conditions: morphology and support effects

A. Kurlov, D. Stoian, A. Baghizadeh, E. Kountoupi, E. B. Deeva, M. Willinger, P. M. Abdala, A. Fedorov and C. R. Müller, Catal. Sci. Technol., 2022, 12, 5620 DOI: 10.1039/D2CY00729K

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