Enhanced hydrogen production performance and stability simultaneously in aqueous-phase reforming of methanol over Pt/V2O3-V8C7 based on strong-weak metal support interactions

Aqueous phase reforming of methanol (APRM) is an effective method for the storage and transportation of hydrogen (H 2 ). However, this approach faces challenges due to the limited activity and stability of metal-supported catalysts. In this study, Pt/V 2 O 3 -V 8 C 7 metal-supported catalysts were prepared for APRM and the H 2 production of Pt/V 2 O 3 -V 8 C 7 at 200 °C was 96.52 mmol·g −1 ·h −1 , which is 1.83 times and 1.71 times higher than the H 2 production performance of Pt/V 2 O 3 and Pt/V 8 C 7 , respectively. Moreover, the catalyst demonstrated remarkable stability after 10 in situ cycling tests. Structural characterization revealed that there is a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Pt and V 8 C 7 , and a weak metal-support interaction (WMSI) between Pt and V 2 O 3 , which inhibits the sintering of Pt on the metal-supported catalyst. Furthermore, a straightforward experimental method has been developed that enables accurate inference of the catalytic reaction mechanism in APRM without the need for in situ material characterization. The reaction mechanism indicates that the Pt-V 8 C 7 interface serves as the active site for the methanol decomposition step, while the surface of V 2 O 3 acts as the active site for the water-gas shift reaction step. This strategy of strong-weak MSI offers a novel approach to enhancing both the stability and H 2 production performance in APRM.