Interfacial compatibility critically controls Ru/TiO2 metal-support interaction modes in CO2 hydrogenation
Jun Zhou, Zhe Gao, Guolei Xiang, Tianyu Zhai, Zikai Liu, Weixin Zhao, Xin Liang, Leyu Wang
Abstract
Abstract Supports can widely affect or even dominate the catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability of metal nanoparticles through various metal-support interactions (MSIs). However, underlying principles have not been fully understood yet, because MSIs are influenced by the composition, size, and facet of both metals and supports. Using Ru/TiO 2 supported on rutile and anatase as model catalysts, we demonstrate that metal-support interfacial compatibility can critically control MSI modes and catalytic performances in CO 2 hydrogenation. Annealing Ru/rutile-TiO 2 in air can enhance CO 2 conversion to methane resulting from enhanced interfacial coupling driven by matched lattices of RuO x with rutile-TiO 2 ; annealing Ru/anatase-TiO 2 in air decreases CO 2 conversion and converts the product into CO owing to strong metal-support interaction (SMSI). Although rutile and anatase share the same chemical composition, we show that interfacial compatibility can basically modify metal-support coupling strength, catalyst morphology, surface atomic configuration, MSI mode, and catalytic performances of Ru/TiO 2 in heterogeneous catalysis.