Tuning the Interaction Between Ru Nanoparticles and Nd2O3 to Enhance Hydrogen Formation from Ammonia Decomposition.

Development of highly active and stable catalysts for production of COx-free hydrogen from ammonia is crucial for the use of ammonia as hydrogen carrier. Herein, Ru nanoparticles (NPs) on Nd2O3 (Ru/Nd2O3) was prepared by different methods and investigated for NH3 decomposition reaction. The dependence of the catalytic activity of Ru NPs on the Nd2O3 on the interaction between Ru NPs and Nd2O3 support was investigated in detail. The Ru/Nd2O3 obtained from precipitation method exhibits a high hydrogen formation rate of 1548 mmol gcat−1 h−1 at 450 °C, which is high than that of the Ru/Nd2O3 analogue from milling method and comparable with many efficient oxides supported Ru catalysts reported previously. As revealed by various characterization techniques, the high activity of Ru/Nd2O3 obtained from precipitation method can be attributed to the enhanced interaction between Ru NPs and Nd2O3. The Ru NPs in Ru/Nd2O3 analogue with enhanced the metal-support interaction can modulate electronic structure and facilitate the activation and decomposition of NH3. Therefore, Ru/Nd2O3 obtained from precipitation method exhibited significantly improved activity and intrinsic activity for NH3 decomposition. This study provides promise for the design of efficient Ru/Nd2O3 catalyst for NH3 decomposition reaction by tuning the metal–support interaction of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]