Dual confinement stabilizes highly dispersed Ru clusters for efficient and durable ammonia decomposition

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Materials Science
• Hydrogen Energy

Background:

• Ammonia is a promising hydrogen carrier.
• Efficient catalysts for ammonia decomposition are crucial but challenging to develop.
• Metal-support interactions (MSI) are key to catalyst performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a highly efficient catalyst for ammonia decomposition.
• To investigate the role of metal-support interactions in catalyst performance.
• To achieve superior hydrogen production rates and stability.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of ultrasmall CeO2/SiO2 dual-confined support.
• Immobilization of highly dispersed Ru clusters on the support.
• Characterization of catalyst structure and properties.
• Evaluation of catalytic performance for ammonia decomposition.

Main Results:

• The catalyst exhibited highly dispersed Ru clusters stabilized by MSI.
• MSI facilitated oxygen vacancy (Ov) generation on the support.
• Achieved a superior hydrogen production rate of 1735 mmol gRu−1 min−1 at 450 °C.
• Demonstrated high stability during ammonia decomposition.

Conclusions:

• The CeO2/SiO2 dual-confined support effectively stabilizes Ru clusters via MSI.
• This catalyst design offers a rational strategy for high-performance ammonia decomposition catalysts.
• The developed catalyst shows significant potential for efficient hydrogen production from ammonia.