Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: For PEM fuel cell operation, high-purity hydrogen gas containing only trace amounts of carbon monoxide is a prerequisite. The water–gas shift reaction (WGSR) is an industrially applied mature operation mode to convert CO with H2O into CO2 (making it easy to separate, if necessary) and H2. Since the WGS reaction is an exothermic equilibrium reaction, low temperatures (below 200 °C) lead to full CO conversion. Thus, highly active ultra-low-temperature WGSR catalysts have to be applied. A homogeneous Ru SILP (supported ionic liquid phase) catalyst based on the precursor complex [Ru(CO)3Cl2]2 has been identified to operate at such low temperature levels. However, in a hydrogen rich atmosphere, transition metal complexes are prone to form nanoparticles (NPs) when dissolved in ionic liquids (ILs). In this article, the behavior of an anionic SILP WGSR catalyst, i.e., [Ru(CO)3Cl3]− dissolved in [BMMIM]Cl, in an H2-rich CO environment is described. The data reveal that during the WGSR, Ru nanoparticles form in the catalyst when very low CO concentrations are reached. The Ru NPs formation has been confirmed by transmission electron microscopy imaging and X-ray diffraction (XRD).
Source: Catalysts
Authors: Ferdinand Fischer, Johannes Thiessen, Wolfgang Korth, Andreas Jess
Institution: University of Bayreuth
Language: English
Subfield: Materials Chemistry
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,654
OpenAlex ID: W4411436893