Morphology-engineered Y2O3 nanostructures for boosting the RWGS reaction performance over Cu-based catalysts

Morphology engineering plays a pivotal role in boosting catalytic performance over heterogeneous catalysis. However, although Y 2 O 3 (a rare earth oxide) has been found to possess various morphologies, including nanoplate (NP), nanosphere (NS) and nanorod (NR), the lack of understanding of its catalytic mechanism still limits its further application. Herein, catalytic mechanism of Y 2 O 3 morphologies in reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction over Cu-based catalysts was systematically investigated. Although Y 2 O 3 morphologies don’t affect CO selectivity, it has a significant impact on CO 2 conversion and stability. Systematic characterization reveals that Y 2 O 3 morphologies not only can optimize the CO 2 adsorption capacity and Cu nanoparticles size to enhance catalytic activity, but also can regulate the metal-support interaction to improve catalytic stability. The order of activity and stability of the Cu/Y 2 O 3 catalysts from high to low is: Cu/ NP Y 2 O 3 > Cu/ NR Y 2 O 3 > Cu/ NS Y 2 O 3 . This work clarifies the morphological-performance relationship in rare earth oxide-Y 2 O 3 , providing a new approach for the design of high-performance Cu-based catalysts for RWGS reaction and promoting the application of morphology engineering in heterogeneous catalysis.