Promoter effect of sodium in graphene-supported Ni and Ni–CeO2 catalyst for the low-temperature WGS reaction

The low temperature water–gas shift (WGS) reaction has been studied over Ni–CeO2/Graphene and Ni/Graphene. The catalysts were prepared with 5 wt.% Ni and 20 wt.% CeO2 loadings, by deposition-precipitation employing sodium hydroxide and urea as precipitating agents. The materials were characterized by TEM, powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, H2-temperature-programmed reduction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The characterization and the reaction results indicated that the interaction between the active species and the support is higher than with activated carbon, and this hinders the reducibility of ceria and thus the catalytic performance. On the other hand, the presence of residual sodium in samples prepared by precipitation with NaOH facilitated the reduction of ceria. The catalytic activity was highly improved in the presence of sodium, what can be explained on the basis of an associative reaction mechanism which is favored over Ni-O-Na entities.

Carbon nanotube-supported Ni–CeO2 catalysts. Effect of the support on the catalytic performance in the low-temperature WGS reaction

The low temperature water-gas shift (WGS) reaction has been studied over two commercial multiwall carbon nanotubes-supported nickel catalysts promoted by ceria. For comparison purposes, activated carbon-supported catalysts have also been studied. The catalytic performance and the characterization by N2 adsorption analysis, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction with H2 (TPR-H2), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis showed that the surface chemistry has an important effect on the dispersion of ceria. As a result, ceria was successfully dispersed over the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with less graphitic character, and the catalyst afforded better activity in WGS than the catalyst prepared over massive ceria. Moreover, a 20 wt.% CeO2 loading over this support was more active than the analogous catalyst with a 40 wt.% loading. The ceria nanoparticles were smaller when the support was previously oxidized, however this resulted in a decrease of the activity.