Insight into the key factors of β-Mo₂C catalyst for the reverse water gas shift reaction

In this study, we found that β-Mo₂C prepared at different carbonization temperatures exhibited significantly different catalytic activities for the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The β-Mo₂C synthesized at 600 °C demonstrated notably higher activity compared to those prepared at 700 °C and 800 °C. This enhanced activity was likely attributed to its improved redox properties, which were primarily driven by a smaller crystallite size and the presence of Mo OC species. Therefore, we proposed that the crystallite size and Mo OC content were the key factors governing the RWGS activity of β-Mo₂C. Clearly, both factors were strongly influenced by the carbonization temperature. Notably, the β-Mo₂C prepared at 600 °C even outperformed Cu-doped β-Mo₂C prepared at 700 °C under similar reaction conditions.