Applied Surface Science, Vol.478, 708-716, 2019
Ce0.6Zr0.3Y0.1O2 solid solutions-supported Ni-Co bimetal nanocatalysts for NH3 decomposition
Ammonia has become an attractive source for COx-free hydrogen production for fuel cell applications. The catalytic performance of Ce0.6Zr0.3Y0.1O2 solid solutions supported Ni, Co and Ni-Co bimetallic catalysts are evaluated in the temperature range of 300-600 degrees C at atmospheric pressure. Due to the synergistic effect between Ni and Co, CZY supported Ni-Co bimetallic catalysts show higher ammonia decomposition activity compared to Ni or Co monometallic samples. The NieCo bimetallic catalyst with the Ni/Co mass ratio of 1/9 exhibits the highest NH3 conversion with the GHSV of 6000 mL h(-1) g(cat)(-1), which reaches 100% conversion at 600 degrees C. Moreover, the Ni1Co9/CZY catalyst shows good thermal stability during the 72 h reaction time. The Ni1Co9/CZY have the highest total H-2-uptake of 0.35 mmol.g(-1) and the highest TOFH2 value (40.57 min(-1)) at 350 degrees C among all the catalysts. Our characterization confirms the formation of NieCo alloy is responsible for the high activity of Ni1Co9/CZY catalyst for the ammonia decomposition.
Keywords:Ammonia decomposition;Hydrogen production;Ni-Co bimetal;Synergistic effect;Ce0.6Zr0.3Y0.1O2 solid solutions;Alloy