Insight into the methanol steam reforming behavior of Cu-containing spinels CuB2O4 (B[dbnd]Co, Al, Mn, La, Cr).

Co-precipitation method was applied to prepare five Cu-containing spinels CuB 2 O 4 with different B-sites (CuCo 2 O 4 , CuAl 2 O 4 , CuMn 2 O 4 , CuLa 2 O 4 , CuCr 2 O 4) and the physicochemical properties of the spinels were characterized comprehensively. The Cu-containing spinels were then washcoated on Cu foams to fabricate monolithic catalysts and the catalytic performance of the catalysts under different reaction conditions was investigated in a methanol steam reforming microreactor. The effects of B-site on the structure-activity relationship and sustained release catalysis were discussed in detail. Results showed that the CuCo 2 O 4 spinel with small particles, excellent reducibility, low acidity, large specific surface area and superior surface chemical state led to the best performance of the monolithic catalyst loaded with CuCo 2 O 4. The B-site resulted in completely different characteristics of spinels, leading to diverse sustained release properties during the catalysis. Owing to the sustained release behavior, the catalytic stability of the Cu-containing spinel was significantly improved compared with the conventional Cu-based catalyst. • Cu-containing spinels with different B-sites were used for methanol steam reforming. • CuCo 2 O 4 spinel exhibited the best performance due to its excellent characteristics. • The effects of B-site on the structure-activity relationship were discussed. • The process of the sustained release catalysis was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]