Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2026, Vol. 91: 176-191.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65221-7
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Deng Mina,b, Sebastian Cisnerosa,*(
), Abdallah I. M. Rabeec,d, Thanh Huyen Vuongc, Jiadong Xiaoe, Yaoyuan Zhangf, Rongsheng Caig, Feng Shia,*(
), Jabor Rabeaha,c,*(
)
Received:2026-04-08
Accepted:2026-06-06
Online:2026-12-18
Published:2026-10-13
Supported by:Deng Min, Sebastian Cisneros, Abdallah I. M. Rabee, Thanh Huyen Vuong, Jiadong Xiao, Yaoyuan Zhang, Rongsheng Cai, Feng Shi, Jabor Rabeah. Low CeO2 content with superior performance: In-situ spectroscopic insights into multicomponent CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for mild-temperature reverse water-gas shift[J]. Chinese Journal of Catalysis, 2026, 91: 176-191.
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URL: https://www.cjcatal.com/EN/10.1016/S1872-2067(26)65221-7
| Catalyst | Cu/wt% (1.0)a | Ce/wt% (5.0) | Fe/wt% (0.5) | SSA/ m2 g-1 | Average pore size/nm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cu/γ-Al2O3 | 0.87 | — | — | 130 | 26.1 |
| CuCe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.85 | 3.3 | — | 137 | 25.9 |
| CuFe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.91 | — | 0.49 | 130 | 27.4 |
| CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.84 | 4.5 | 0.46 | 130 | 28.5 |
| FeCe/γ-Al2O3 | — | 4.1 | 0.41 | 146 | 22.4 |
| Fe/γ-Al2O3 | — | — | 0.48 | —b | — |
| γ-Al2O3 | — | — | — | 144 | 23.3 |
Table 1 Structural properties of the distinct catalysts and bare γ-Al2O3 support.
| Catalyst | Cu/wt% (1.0)a | Ce/wt% (5.0) | Fe/wt% (0.5) | SSA/ m2 g-1 | Average pore size/nm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cu/γ-Al2O3 | 0.87 | — | — | 130 | 26.1 |
| CuCe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.85 | 3.3 | — | 137 | 25.9 |
| CuFe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.91 | — | 0.49 | 130 | 27.4 |
| CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3 | 0.84 | 4.5 | 0.46 | 130 | 28.5 |
| FeCe/γ-Al2O3 | — | 4.1 | 0.41 | 146 | 22.4 |
| Fe/γ-Al2O3 | — | — | 0.48 | —b | — |
| γ-Al2O3 | — | — | — | 144 | 23.3 |
Fig. 1. Selected HAADF-STEM images of the catalysts before (a-c) and after (d-f) reaction. The dashed white circles enclose possible clusters of Cu species.
Fig. 2. Representative HAADF-STEM images of the fresh (a,c) and spent (b,d) Ce-containing catalysts indicating the presence of CeO2 (111), (200) and (311) planes.
Fig. 3. (a) CO rate (mass-normalized) over the catalysts after 12 h at the corresponding temperature (CO2 conversion < 20%). Reaction conditions: P=1 bar, CO2:H2=1:3, GHSV=36000 mL g-1 h-1. (b) Apparent activation energy for CO production over the catalysts in the range 340-380 °C. (c) Long-term stability at 380 °C over CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3. Red arrows indicate catalyst reactivation by oxidation (5% O2 in N2, 15 min) and re-reduction (50% H2 in N2, 15 min). Error bars represent the standard deviation of two independent experiments under identical conditions.
Fig. 7. (a-c) CO adsorption DRIFTS spectra obtained over the pre-reduced catalysts under 1% CO in He (25 mL min-1) during 15 min (purple spectra) and under 100% He (25 mL min-1) during 15 min (orange spectra). (d-f) CO adsorption DRIFT spectra computed after subtracting the spectrum collected after CO saturation from the spectra recorded under 100% He. All the spectra were recorded at RT.
| Gas switch | Cu/γ-Al2O3 | CuCe/γ-Al2O3 | CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| k11/min-1 | k21/min-1 | k12/min-1 | k22/min-1 | k13/min-1 | k23/min-1 | |||
| 100% He → 50% H2 in He | 0.63 | 0.014 | 0.49 | 0.017 | — | — | ||
| 50% H2 in He → 15% CO2 in He | 0.35 | 0.016 | 0.15 | 0.025 | 0.71a | 0.048a | ||
| 15% CO2 in He → 50% H2 in He | 0.38 | 0.011 | 0.40 | 0.010 | — | — | ||
| 50% H2 in He → H2 + CO2 (3:1) | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.35 | 0.22 | 0.13a | 0.34a | ||
Table 2 Kinetic parameters for the oxidation/reduction of Cu2+ sites over Cu/γ-Al2O3 and CuCe/γ-Al2O3 estimated by fitting the respective time evolution of the EPR second integrals of the spectra during distinct gas atmosphere switches.
| Gas switch | Cu/γ-Al2O3 | CuCe/γ-Al2O3 | CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| k11/min-1 | k21/min-1 | k12/min-1 | k22/min-1 | k13/min-1 | k23/min-1 | |||
| 100% He → 50% H2 in He | 0.63 | 0.014 | 0.49 | 0.017 | — | — | ||
| 50% H2 in He → 15% CO2 in He | 0.35 | 0.016 | 0.15 | 0.025 | 0.71a | 0.048a | ||
| 15% CO2 in He → 50% H2 in He | 0.38 | 0.011 | 0.40 | 0.010 | — | — | ||
| 50% H2 in He → H2 + CO2 (3:1) | 0.33 | 0.28 | 0.35 | 0.22 | 0.13a | 0.34a | ||
Fig. 4. (a) XPS spectra in the Cu 2p region of fresh Cu/γ-Al2O3, CuCe/γ-Al2O3, and CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3. (b) XPS spectra in the Ce 3d region of fresh CuCe/γ-Al2O3 and CuFeCe/γ-Al2O3. The percentages represent the atomic surface fractions estimated for the respective cations.
Fig. 5. (a-c) In-situ DRIFTS spectra recorded during 15 min at 350 °C over the distinct catalysts. RWGSR conditions: 25 mL min-1, 15% CO2, 45% H2 and balance He. The time separation between 2 consecutive spectra corresponds to 1 min.
Fig. 6. DRIFTS spectra recorded during 15 min at 350 °C over the distinct catalysts after switch from SS-RWGSR to 50% H2 in He (a-c), and after switch from SS-RWGSR to 100% He (d-f). The time separation between 2 consecutive spectra corresponds to 1 min.
Fig. 8. In-situ EPR spectra recorded during reduction in 50% H2 in He (a-c) and during gas switch from 50% H2 in He to 15% CO2 in He (d-f) over the distinct catalysts. All the spectra were recorded at 350 °C and flow rate of 25 mL min-1. The time separation between 2 consecutive spectra corresponds to 1 min.
Fig. 9. In-situ EPR spectra recorded at 350 °C during the switch from 15% CO2 in He to 50% H2 in He (a-c) and from 50% H2 in He to RWGSR conditions (d-f) over the distinct catalysts (flow rate of 25 mL min-1). The time separation between 2 consecutive spectra corresponds to 1 min.
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