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Unraveling the Dynamic Nanoscale Reducibility (Ce 4+ → Ce 3+ ) of CeO x –Ru in Hydrogen Activation
Author(s) -
Höcker Jan,
Menteş Tevfik Onur,
Sala Alessandro,
Locatelli Andrea,
Schmidt Thomas,
Falta Jens,
Senanayake Sanjaya D.,
Flege Jan Ingo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201500314
Subject(s) - cerium oxide , cerium , materials science , catalysis , hydrogen , dissociation (chemistry) , oxide , nanoscopic scale , crystallography , chemistry , chemical engineering , chemical physics , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , engineering , metallurgy
The interaction of molecular hydrogen with ceria is of important relevance for heterogeneous catalysis related to green chemistry and renewable energy. Here, the complex structural transformations of a well‐defined cerium oxide model catalyst are followed in situ and in real time when exposed to a reactive H 2 environment. By using electron spectromicroscopy and diffraction with chemical and structural sensitivities, it is demonstrated that the transition from CeO 2 to crystalline Ce 2 O 3 occurs through a mixture of transient, coexisting phases on the nanoscale. The findings establish a clear relationship between structure and functionality for hydrogen dissociation over ceria(111), bearing profound implications on the nature of the reduction (Ce 4+ → Ce 3+ ) and mechanism for H 2 scission.